Calls on the @SpottendWageningenUR account. Students looking for love had to do without the online Cupid for almost two years but now it’s back — under the name @SpottedWageningenUR. Nicely in time to surprise your secret crush for Valentine’s Day.
Those who have been here for a few years might know @GespotWageningenUR or may even still remember Gespot UB:WUR. The admins of these accounts helped students anonymously contact that one attractive student (M/F/X) they spotted but didn’t dare speak to directly.
‘This account was created at the end of last year for selfish reasons,’ admits the administrator, who wants to remain anonymous. ‘I met someone who I would’ve liked to see more of, but I hadn’t asked for their contact details. I didn’t like not knowing anything about this person, so I looked up the Gespot account in the hope that I could get in contact that way. However, that account turned out to no longer be active, so I started a new one myself.’
Unfortunately, the potential date who was the incentive for creating the new Spotted account has not yet been found, but judging by the number of new followers, the concept seems to be a hit – just like a few years ago. ‘The account had about 1500 followers within no time. But I still don’t get a lot of messages, around 20 since November. Maybe people are too shy to submit something or respond in public. I also think most people follow the account because they like reading the posts. Sometimes people send me private messages to say they think they recognize the person from the description. I then pass that on to the person who started the search.’
Date updates
‘I ask everyone who found their match how things are going after a few weeks. Sometimes they don’t get a response, but sometimes I hear they’ve already been on a date. One match has already resulted from the calls on this account.’
One match has already resulted from calls on this account
A lot of care has gone into the layout of the messages. ‘I do my best to make sure the messages look good. But managing the account doesn’t take a whole lot of time. I create images and sometimes I have to translate messages into Dutch or English, because you can submit texts in either language. I just enjoy doing it, and I hope many more matches will follow.’
