You were on your bike on the sidewalk Sunday. I was walking the opposite direction. You had a plastic parrot on your handlebars. I smiled. You said "Hi" and smiled back. You won my undying admiration for not wearing a football jersey. That's it. Coffee or a drink? A missed connection is a type of personal advertisement which arises after two people meet but are too shy or otherwise unable to exchange contact details.
The feature was started by Jim Buckmaster , Craigslist's CEO, after he noticed a common type of posting in their personal ads, which he characterized as "you-smiled-at-me-on-the-subway-platform". He sees the format as addressing a common human need and being ideal for romantic comedy, "Missed Connections give people that second chance They represent persistence in the face of long odds, which definitely adds to their artistic appeal.
Other major cities have similar columns in Craigslist and their own local media. London's Metro newspaper has a "Rush-hour Crush" column for commuters who exchange glances but nothing more. Many connections are re-established and couples have become married in this way, such as "tall rugby player" and "beautiful lady in the red dress with long brown curly hair". The nature and location of missed connections have been analyzed.
In the Pacific Northwest , the most common location was public transportation. In the Pacific Southwest , it was the gym. In the Northeastern United States , it was the subway and train. In the Midwestern United States , it was the supermarket. In Texas and the Gulf Coast region , it was Walmart. The online format for this on Craigslist scrolls so that postings disappear after 45 days. This gives a second possibility of loss as the posting might not be seen in time to reunite the couple.
Protocols for facilitating such encounters more safely have been proposed. The topic has been used as a theme by artists and authors. Other artistic uses of the theme include Missed Connections NY, a theatrical presentation of thirteen vignettes and comic songs performed by the Upright Citizens Brigade and the long-running Missed Connections: An Exploration into the Online Postings of Desperate Romantics.
