Love At First ‘Site’

Secondchancecupid.com, the personals site with a difference is helping a new generation of singletons to find someone they have already met. Through a range of interactive message-posting arenas, the nation’s single men and women are able to communicate with potential or existing partners; whether they are looking to rekindle an old relationship, make contact with a person they met briefly, or admit their feelings to someone they secretly admire.

The site caters for all those individuals unlucky in love or frustrated with the existing crop of dating websites and events, and is the brainchild of dotcom entrepreneur Sophie McAdam.

She commented: “Everyone at some point or another has kicked themselves for not taking it further with that person at the supermarket, gym, train station, or whilst stuck in traffic. Celebrities like Davina McCall and Ben Fogle both met their respective partners whilst out walking their dogs, so these are surprisingly common ways of finding a soulmate.”

“Second Chance Cupid has been created to solve an age-old problem through contemporary means. It’s not a dating site, which are generally embarrassing, public and expensive – it’s simply a long-overdue concept whereby you can communicate with a person you already have in mind.”

Before establishing the online service, McAdam undertook a survey of single men and women to find the reasons behind the rising number of unattached twenty and thirty-somethings, 98% of whom regretted a missed opportunity in their love lives. As such, the website has been structured for a range of the most common scenarios.

For brief encounters, you can post a message under ‘I Saw You’, or choose ‘Secret Admirers’ if you see the object of your affections regularly. You can find a lost love in the ‘Relight My Fire’ section, or chat to other singles in the ‘Flirtroom’ if you have no-one specific in mind.

The site, which has been supported by a loan from the Princes Trust, protects anonymity by only allowing browsers to view messages which match their search criteria. Users can create a profile to give more information about themselves, and make a ‘mini-mee’ cartoon avatar to show what they look like.

In addition, all visitors to the site are given a username which can be used as a search tool- perfect for scribbling on a scrap of paper and giving out in bars and clubs if you’re too shy to seize the day there and then.

McAdam pointed out: “I'm a single parent and know through personal experience that in the 21st Century it’s very difficult to find someone special. But you only regret what you didn’t do. Traditional ways of meeting people seem to have lost out to online dating where people email each other for weeks without even knowing if they’re attracted in reality. Our research suggested that people don’t want to meet total strangers, they just want a second chance with someone they’ve already come into contact with.”

She added: “The service is completely free and confidential. Unlike most ‘dating' sites, we haven’t established Second Chance Cupid to make money; we’ve established it because we believe it’s a service that should exist.”

“Ethics are important to us, and eventually we intend to donate a percentage of advertising revenue to a range of selected charities. But initially the aim is simply to help re-acquaint people who wouldn’t otherwise come together.”

Find out more at Secondchancecupid.com.