Coffee Meets Bagel and t-shirt giveaway

Anyone who knows me in real life or from following my blog knows that I am no stranger to online dating. I’ve had a few hits and misses with Match.com and OkCupid over the years but both sites bored me after a while. I wanted to meet someone the old fashioned way: reading nutrition labels at the health food store, perusing the fiction titles in a book store, or sipping a warm java in a coffee shop. Then I realized that men don’t always like to do the approaching. And I remembered the ol’ tried-and-true method of the casual set up.

Granted, I wasn’t always a fan, but it is how I met my current boyfriend (I was set up by my ex’s sister) and it’s a method worth considering.

I heard recently of a new website called Coffee Meets Bagel that connects friends of friends via Facebook and allows users to either like or pass on potential mates. Brilliant!

1. Concept behind CMB
Coffee Meets Bagel is the first daily dating site that introduces members to quality singles close to their network (think friends of friends!).

Here’s how CMB works: Prospective members sign on through Facebook for authentication purpose (takes two minutes). Once accepted, members are privately matched with a special someone at 12:00pm each day. That “special someone” is likely a friend-of-a-friend they haven’t met yet. Each day, members can LIKE or PASS their match. The match is valid for 24 hours only, so if they miss, they may never see the person again. If a couple “LIKE” each other, they are connected immediately through text message via a private company phone line, and they’ll receive complimentary gifts to some of New York’s finest date spots including Billy’s Bakery, Café Grumpy, and Pierre Loti for their first date.

2. Where did the idea come from?
Our idea was formed at the Art Institute of Chicago last July when we made a weekend trip to take a break from NYC. We had been looking into the online dating world for a while-‐both from a personal and business perspective. We thought about Gilt and other daily deal services–the combination of simplicity, curated selection, and time component not only made the entire user experience better and less time-consuming but also so much more exciting. Bingo.

3. How is CMB different?

• Simplicity: Sign up takes two minutes. Then you just wait for your match (aka Bagel) at noon everyday. Simply LIKE or PASS.
• Friends of Friends “Bagel”: We prioritize matching our members with people they share mutual friends with. Why? Because your friends are bound to hang out with other cool people like you. It also vouches for authenticity of your Bagel’s profile.

4. Why should singles use CMB?
Many people shy away from online dating because it still has this stigma attached to it–that it’s something you should try as a last resort if you can’t get anyone in “real life”. We strongly disagree. EVERYONE who is single and looking to date should be meeting people both online and offline! It’s just another channel to connect with other people, and a really easy and convenient one, too.

Why CMB? It’s so simple, easy, fun, and FREE. What’s the downside?

The first five members to sign-up for Coffee Meets Bagel will receive a FREE T-SHIRT! Leave a comment here after you have signed up and I’ll contact the first five members for sizing info. All entries must be received by 8/29 at midnight. Good luck!