Gawker: valleywag, brett petersel

New low for guy who can't buy a date: rejected by Julia Allison

Nicholas Carlson — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 13:25:30 EST

Silicon Alley meetup impresario Brett Petersel, roundly mocked here and elsewhere for offering to pay anyone $25 to set him up on a date, has had a taste of fame and can't get enough. He's even planning to start a business based on the "buzz." Problem is, Petersel isn't as good at leveraging his newfound microcelebrity as he is hosting meetups for Silicon Alley wantrepreneurs and their VC patrons. His latest blunder?

Sending a Facebook message to geek aficionado and Star editor-at-large Julia Allison and asking her if she'd like to create a parody site called BrettandJulia.com. This, only a week after Allison's ex-boyfriend Jakob Lodwick quit JakobandJulia.com. Allison's reply, ""Oh, HELLLLLLLLLLLLL no." Here's the message.

Guy who can't buy a date gets free eHarmony account

Nicholas Carlson — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 14:33:19 EST

You remember Brett Petersel. He's the self-promoting Silicon Alley tech-meetup organizer who ~~opened~~ widened himself to public ridicule by posting a Facebook note offering $25 to anyone who'd set him up on a date. Maybe you felt bad for him. Don't. So far the Lodwickesque exhibitionism is paying off. Petersel says his Facebook inbox is jammed full and yes, gay-hating dating site eHarmony gave him a free membership. But then came Petersel's really bad idea.

Petersel told me he and fellow wantrepreneur Oz Sultan plan to launch a dating-advice widget for Facebook. That's kind of like ExxonMobil opening a resort on Prince William Sound. Here's a better idea, Brett. See if BrettandJulia.com is still available to register.

$25 for anyone who can get this guy a date

Nicholas Carlson — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 16:12:36 EST

Brett Petersel can gather most of the New York tech scene on a whim, organizing events such as October's Lunch 2.0 in Soho and last month's Web 2.0 Social Networking Tech Meetup in Chelsea. But the guy can't can't get a date. So he's decided to pay for one. "I will give $25 (US) to anyone who sets me up on a date, and then another $25 (US) if a second date occurs," Petersel wrote in a Facebook note. Here's the whole ad.

So how about it: Can you help a brother geek out?