New Yorkers flooded the inbox of a 21 year old who used the internet to re-find the girl of his dreams -- a woman Patrick Moberg had seen on a crowded Manhattan subway train. Ahh, love in a web 2.0 world!
While riding, she looked up from her journal, and their eyes locked. In that moment, his heart was hers. The web designer had every intention of speaking to her, but lost her in the crowds. His mind wouldn't leave her.
He wasn't stifled by the fact that NYC has 8 million people -- he was determined to find her, and put his web 2.0 skills to work. He started a website, www.nygirlofmydreams.com, and posted a description of what she was wearing:
"He drew a picture of the girl, who was wearing blue shorts, blue tights, and a red flower in her hair, and posted his cell phone number, e-mail address and an appeal for help finding her," Reuters reported.
Within hours, Moberg's inbox was bombarded with messages from New Yorkers eager to help make a real life fairytale come true. His phone was ringing non-stop too. After dodging a few calls from women desperate for him to choose them instead (after all, who couldn't resist a man that devoted to finding true love!) he finally spoke to someone who could confirm her identity.
It turns out, Camille Hayton, 22, is an intern at BlackBook magazine. She's from Melbourne, Australia but is currently living in Brooklyn.
"In our best interest, there will be no more updates to this website," Moberg wrote. "Unlike all the romantic comedies and bad pop songs, you'll have to make up your own ending for this."
An Australian news site has an update from the magazine.
"BlackBook has tapped into the web hype â€" and their pool of attractive interns â€" to offer another young woman as a prize in their 'Win A Date With The Next BlackBook 'Dream Girl'' competition."
"The intern, Carly, is a recently-single 22-year-old brunette who enjoys Spanish cuisine, sushi and ice cream, according to a profile on the BlackBook website."
The video is posted below.
NYC Helps Man Find Love at First Site
Spurs Intern Dating Contest
Trend Themes
1. Web 2.0 Romance - Utilizing web 2.0 platforms for finding romance and creating new, virtualized dating experiences.
2. Crowd-sourced Matchmaking - The use of online communities to identify and track potential romantic partners based on specific criteria.
3. Social Media Love Stories - The proliferation of social media as a means of experiencing and sharing romantic stories and life events.
Industry Implications
1. Online Dating - Disruptive innovations in online dating that leverage web 2.0 technology and crowd-sourced matchmaking to improve the quality and quantity of romantic matches.
2. Social Media Platforms - Opportunities for social media platforms to capitalize on romantic storytelling and experiences, creating new avenues for user engagement and monetization.
3. Marketing and Advertising - Brand marketing campaigns that align with the ideals of web 2.0 romance and crowd-sourced matchmaking, leveraging social media to create memorable and emotionally resonant advertising experiences.