Tired Of Online Dating? Try A Billboard Instead

Name: Harold…45 years old…single… never married…no kids… 5’8" tall…153 lbs…brown hair…blue eyes. Sounds like a lot of the descriptive ads posted by men on online dating sites, right? Well, the online site this posting came from isn’t a traditional online dating site; it’s from a personal website created by a long-haul trucker who finally decided that the best way to meet his soulmate would be to take his campaign to the streets. Harold began his campaign by creating a website, willworkforawife.org, and everything else blossomed from there. The idea started with those signs that destitute people hold saying, "Will work for food." But Harold's slogan is a more personal one: "Will work for a wife." Harold’s primary problem is that he doesn't meet women often because he’s a truck driver. He meets people on the road, but at home, he doesn’t have a way to meet any women.

After creating his site and launching it, Harold decided to increase his exposure by renting a billboard in Omaha, Nebraska, which will begin later this month displaying a picture of him holding a sign with the name of his website. He took his campaign further still on Tuesday by donning a picket-style sign and standing on the corner of 72nd and Dodge Streets in Omaha, greeting passers-by and handing out business cards. He plans to spend as much time as he can standing on street corners, weather permitting. "I'm looking at this as a summer campaign," Harold said. "This is my summer project." The billboard, signs, and business cards have driven flocks of people to Harold’s website, which gives a lot of details about his lifestyle, his beliefs, his hobbies and interests, and what he’s looking for in a mate. "I want a woman who is kind, who is polite, courteous, that treats other people with respect, dignity, and integrity," Harold said. "I would like to be married by Christmas, if you want the truth on it, but I don't think that'll happen."

So far Harold has spent about $1000 looking for his soulmate. "How much will I spend? That's an open-ended question. How much am I willing to spend? Five to $10,000," Harold said. Although some may think his spending limit is extravagant, Harold is pragmatic about his reasoning, saying it’s "cheaper than getting a mail-order bride." According to his website, Harold a good cook, does his own laundry, irons his own shirts, mows his own lawn, and tries to keep his house clean. He’s "not to much into name-brand clothes" and finds himself "as comfortable in Levi's as I am a suit." He says that the main question he usually gets from women is, "What are you willing to do for a wife?" His best answer to that question is, "I’m willing to be a husband."

Harold knows his approach is not a conventional way to meet women, but it might turn out to be a lot of fun and bring two very lucky people together. However, Harold won’t let it make him miserable if his campaign fails. "If this doesn't work, then my brothers and I will have something to laugh about for years to come. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?"