Imagine walking along the street. A pleasant-looking woman comes up to you and passes you a card. She smiles and walks away.

A cheeky little thought crosses your mind - Is she trying to pick me up? Dream on.

Then you think, oh, now they've taken to printing flyers in card format.

You're headed to the nearest dustbin to discard the card into oblivion, but then you give it a cursory glance.

You realise it isn't a flyer.

The front has a quaintly designed title that reads ' hitchoo.com'.

Inscribed below is a username to some site and what looks like a pass number. You flip to the back of the card and see the phrase, spelt out in generous big letters: 'You made my day!'

Now your interest is piqued.

Welcome to the world of Hitchoo, where approaching a complete stranger you are attracted to may have suddenly become a whole lot easier.

Here's how it works. Hitchoo is actually like a dating site but with a more creative twist. Members sign up and create their own profile. They are assigned a unique passkey that will be printed on their Hitchoo cards.

Armed with the personal cards, they can then go out into a world of endless possibilities.

A person who is handed a card from an interested party simply needs to log on to the site, enter the other person's passkey, and access his/ her profile online, thereby allowing for further follow-ups if desired.

The site says that its card are 'printed on specially chosen Ice Gold paper', showing that the giver is 'naturally friendly, stylish, and confident'.

Registration is free and comes with an initial set of eight cards. Subsequently, additional cards can be bought at 12 per pack for $18.

The man behind the concept is Mr Hu Ying Han (centre in pic), 25, a former investment associate at GIC - a global investment management company - who gave up a lucrative career to pursue a passion.

The Hitchoo team

"The main inspiration I have was from Hitch the movie and the Free Hugs campaign," says Mr Hu.

In Hitch, actor Will Smith plays the role of the consummate matchmaker, who makes a living getting people hitched. The Free Hugs campaign was a movement by Juan Mann in Australia to spread his message of love and peace.

"They made me realise that it's very important to enjoy one's job and find meaning in whatever one does," adds Mr Hu.

"Money is a factor, but should not be the main concern".

He explains: "For me, I find meaning in making others happy by matching them up. In addition, I think it is very enjoyable and fun to be a matchmaker like Hitch, and very exciting to start a company, solve problems, and juggle different things at the same time."

"Our target age group is 21 to 35, but we do have some members who are in their 40s, 50s and 60s. Our oldest member is 62.

"This shows the universality of the Hitchoo concept - the idea that love can happen anywhere, any time and at any age!" enthuses the site founder.

Launched only two months ago on May 15, the site currently has 908 members.

Commenting on the catch phrase of his cards, Mr Hu points out: "We rejected more than 40 phrases like "Hey babe" before finally arriving at You made my day"

As for the name itself, a statement posted on the website explains: "We believe that dating should be fun and light-hearted; so we simply added 2 'o's to the end of Hitch, and hey, we have our name! Our friends have told us many times that the name sounds like woohoo and ah-choo, we found that quite funny; thus the name stuck."

"We are in our beta test phase and will be launching something exciting by the end of the year. However, this will not be the conventional social networking/ dating site; it will be something very different and something that will bring much value to our users," explains Mr Hu.

He has been kept busy with various preparations and marketing drives for this baby.

He has already tapped into the undergraduate market. According to Mr Hu, Hitchoo has tied up with NUS and SMU to use the cards during their pageants. For example, Mr and Ms popular will be determined by how many Hitchoo cards they receive from fellow students.

Mr Hu presenting the winner of Mr Popularity for the NUSSU orientation camp pageant with a card.

Mr Hu elaborates on how the Hitchoo concept can liven up the campus: "It increases the social interaction among students, and between the finalists and their supporters.

"It's a true reflection of friendliness/ popularity because each card/ registration is unique, hence there won't be a problem of multiple votes (unlike SMS voting) ".

Other marketing blitzes include a tie-up with the Speak Good English Movement, Golden Village and Stomp to launch a Hitchoo Phrase Contest.

Singaporeans are encouraged to submit their favourite phrase to replace the current one on the card - "You made my day!" - after which, there will be an online poll to choose the top phrase out of the entries.

This will be launched on July 31, in conjunction with the launch of this year's Speak Good English Movement.

"Our team has been expanding, with some people volunteering to work at Hitchoo for free simply because they believe in the concept and hopes it succeeds!" declares Mr Hu.

Asked whether he thinks the trend will take flight in a conservative Asian society like Singapore where even the cursory eye-contact can be daunting for some, he says: "I think the concept will work very well in Asian societies, precisely because of the fact that people are more conservative and concerned about their own privacy."

"Hitchoo addresses the problem of being conservative because it is a discreet way to express interest in someone else. It also shows that the card giver has 'gentle confidence', because what the Hitchoo card says about the card giver is that 'I find you attractive and hope to get to know you better. But if it is inconvenient, it's perfectly fine! I won't be moping about just because you don't reply.

"It shows that the card giver is confident enough to put the ball into the other person's court. As such, it is quite suitable for Asian girls.

"One of the favourite ways our women members use their Hitchoo card is this: Just when the MRT train is pulling into the station, they will give out the card to the guy they are attracted to, smile, and walk away. Classy, and no one would notice their blushing," says Mr Hu.

As for privacy, he adds: "Because no mobile number (or workplace in the case of namecards) is on the card, Singaporeans will feel safer giving out the Hitchoo card."

Clubbers and friends from NUS.

"As such, it is very suitable for clubbing scenarios: In a club, when a guy asks a girl for her number, instead of giving out her actual number, she could give out her Hitchoo card.

"The card works very well in a clubbing scenario where it's often too dark and noisy to get the other person's contact," he says.

It seems the Hitchoo idea has set many blogging fires ablaze with discussions about whether it will work.

Mr Hu himself posted on a blog: "One could use the Hitchoo card as a conversational ice-breaker, because it's mysterious right now."

"Who knows, after using the Hitchoo card to start a conversation, you could jolly well get his/her number in the end!"

He also went further on some potential uses: "A current member suggested that when girls go clubbing, they should carry the Hitchoo card. And when guys ask them for their number, girls could give out their Hitchoo card instead of their actual number."

"Sort of a reverse use of the Hitchoo card, which protects a girl's privacy, while allowing her to keep in contact with the guy who's interested!"

Some remain skeptical however, with one forum user commenting: "Personally I can see the concept working, until too many people are doing it."

"At the moment it will work because it's different, it's a mystery. But when the day comes where a girl at MOS gets 10 cards in a night, then we will know that men truly have lost the courage and ability to just talk to the girl, and that will be sad."

Another says: "What happens when every shy geek in town uses these cards? Imagine how many of these a hot waitress would be given in one week."

"A Hitchoo card would end up signalling you were shy and scared - girls might end up stereotying guys that used it as losers."

To such potential pitfalls, Ying Han says: "We believe that giving of a Hitchoo card actually projects an image of gentle confidence, rather than shyness."

As for the cards becoming too common, he says: "That's why we set a value on the card so that giving/ receiving a card means something, and both parties know it."

"We too wouldn't want the Hitchoo card to end up as a common flyer. We have put in place security measures to prevent users from registering multiple free accounts."

For now, the supporters seem to outnumber the skeptics.

Says one user on a forum: "I love the concept, I think personal name cards have been neglected for awhile."

Commented another: "This is a pretty good idea. The entire premise of the Internet as a superior communication tool is predicated on how it insulates us all from direct (and hence awkward) contact."

Explained a supporter: "I foresee Hitchoo card users remaining rather niche and hence in the minority. Which is not to say it's a bad thing; the guy will feel like he's doing something different as opposed to something pedestrian (which is the reason none of us bother to use the line "Can you be my friend?"). The girl, in turn, will not be jaded."

"Hitchoo.com does give men slightly more bargaining power in the love trenches."

And how about the girls?

"If anything, they will be chief beneficiaries under the system (more men to choose from, since more will have the courage)," posted that reader.

Mr Hu says that it's still too early to tell whether any couples have resulted from Hitchoo, and some who do become couples may have yet to give their feedback.

"But we do know of people who have made friends through the Hitchoo card," he adds.

"That's the beauty of the Hitchoo concept: That it's simply great to make another friend, and if things develop from there, great! But if not, you would still have made a valuable friend.

"We have gotten loads of emails saying that Hitchoo is a great concept and that they love it."

It seems he won't have any manpower problems either.

"Many of the people emailing us also offered to volunteer to work at Hitchoo for free!" he says.

"In addition, some members of the public have emailed us with constructive feedback on how we can improve, and we are incorporating these suggestions to make our site better for our users.

"The present team consists of friends and volunteers who are similarly inspired by the Hitchoo concept of wanting to change things in Singapore."

In the ethereal world of the Internet where websites come and go, and ideas may be as transient as the wind, it seems this young 'technopreneur' is willing to take a risk and give it all he's got.

"In short, 20, 30, 50 years down the road, I want to look back and say: It was a great trip," says Mr Hu.

Interested parties can view more details or sign up at Hitchoo.com

All photos, courtesy of Hu Ying Han