Can you find true love for $10K?

Maybe The Beatles are right, and you can’t buy love, but Chas McFeely is hoping $10,000 will at least get him an introduction to Mrs. Right. The 40-year-old creative advertising exec from San Francisco has designed a website, HookChasUp.com that promises a cash prize to the person who sets him up with his soulmate.

While it might sound like the plot of a romantic comedy starring Kate Hudson and Ashton Kutcher, the offer is serious. “Introduce me to the girl I end up marrying, and I’ll give you ten grand,” writes Chas on the homepage. Visitors are invited to send an e-mail with information and photos, if they are so inclined, introducing Chas to the girl of his dreams.

Overall, Chas seems like a nice, normal guy. He even has a sense of humor – despite the fact that he is a successful entrepreneur and copywriter, his resume includes past work experience as a yacht club dock boy, cinema projectionist, seafood market clerk, and the curious “dancing alligator.” So why does he need to go to such extreme lengths to meet a girl?  His reasoning is simple: “I work a lot and never had much luck with online dating. I figured, why not create a site where I’m the only guy.” And it seems to be working. According to a recent interview with the Village Voice, he’s already gotten about 700 replies.

Maybe he’s on to something. After all, money is a powerful motivator, and as long as its being offered to the person making the connection rather than the potential love interest, it could net effective results. We’ve all set friends up on dates, but think how much more time we’d put into our choices if there was the possibility of a “signing bonus” of sorts?

Here are a few ideas for ways that existing social networking websites could take a cue from Chas’ strategy:

Facebook “More Than Friends”:
Instead of suggesting “people you may know,” this app would let users could suggest “people you might date” with Facebook credits awarded for introductions that are “liked” by both parties.

Kickstarter For Relationships:
Developed as a funding platform for lonely singles, the website would allow well-intentioned friends to donate towards a goal amount that is awarded to the person (or dating service) that facilitates a successful match.

PandoraMatch.com
For a premium membership fee of $10,000, this service uses a complex algorithm to analyze the social network profiles of ex-partners (both photos and interest) and suggest new potential mates. The user can either thumbs up or thumbs down these suggestions, and the feedback is taken into account for future introductions.

All jokes aside, what are ways you’ve seen the digital world effect the landscape of love in modern times? Share your stories in the comments!