Flirtation Fix

Jenn Shreve

Too shy to introduce yourself to that hottie with the latte at your neighborhood café? Tired of arranging dates online only to find out the in-person version is less than you'd hoped? A new service called PlaceSite, set to hit Bay Area cafés this fall, will combine the perks of websites like Match.com and Friendster with the advantages of face-to-face contact.

The brainchild of three recent UC Berkeley grads—Jon Snydal, Damon McCormick, and Sean Savage—PlaceSite asks wireless cafégoers to upload a photo and some information about themselves, such as their age and favorite book, when they hop onto the café's Wi-Fi connection. A "Who's Here" section lets them check each other out without having to budge from their seat. They can even post their instant messaging name so there's no need to cross the room to introduce themselves.

Savage, the project's head, thinks the program is good for more than just romantic hookups. "I'd love to encourage stronger local communities, to have people be more aware of their neighbors," he says. This isn't his first time straddling the digital/real-world divide. He's best known for popularizing "flash mobs"—those random events where people, summoned by email, suddenly gather to do something odd and then leave.

But seriously, can hauling your computer into a coffeehouse really make you feel less alone? A test run at Berkeley's A'Cuppa Tea café last spring had mixed results, but many patrons said they were there to work, not play.

The PlaceSite crew is scouting more spots to try out their program. But unless they find someplace less bookish than A'Cuppa Tea, we're stuck with having to actually say hi. Can you handle it?