A while back I actually thought about connecting people in a club with each other through an online profile managed instantly from their mobile phone. As soon as they walked into a club it would be like friendster on steroids. If they were looking for love, then it would attempt to find a match with someone that was on the same page. You can imagine the possibilities. I also thought of building a proprietary system that I could then lease to clubs. I kept this idea pretty under wraps only sharing with a small group of people to test the idea. As it turns out, with over 6 billion minds on this planet sometimes two or more think of the same thing. This kind of dating is now available in the clubs of Europe and America, so I no longer have the jump on the market. But, I still envision a world much more networked today. Yes, we are at our computers a great deal of the day, but wouldn’t it be nice to have some technological ice breakers when we go out for coffee. I’d like to be able to walk in to Starbucks and find out there was someone in there with my same interests and also wanted to go see a movie tonight. Of course at a flip of a switch I would be “invisible”, and be able to choose whether or not I wanted to be bothered (e.g., my message going out to others). The possibilities are endless. You could be somewhere and need to settle an argument and an expert could be immediately found (maybe in person or virtual). In this day of age where most don’t know their neighbors, I think it would be great.
Update: Sounds like this is taking off.

In Japan, the cultural shift in mating practices has been driven even faster by new phone technologies. So-called proximity dating services use the ability of new generation phone networks to pinpoint the location of mobile handsets. By entering their own profile and the profile of their dream partner, Japanese teens can rely on their phone to alert them – and offer an introduction – whenever a potential mate is around the corner. The service is massively popular. – The Sydney Morning Herald

Update (1/21/07):
Hooking Up in the Information Age
Mobile dating platforms offer revenue-generating opportunities, but security concerns slow down uptake on the LBS component.
Update (1/21/07):
“SK Telecom and Psynet are launching a truly revolutionary service. Weekend clubbing will never be the same. Subscribers are starting to plan their evenings out based on receiving location-based date notifications on their mobile phones,” said Tasso Roumeliotis, CEO of WaveMarket. “While this is the first launch of its kind – one that uses carrier-based location – we foresee that many other operators in the world will be able to use location data to enable a whole new range of dating and social applications.”