Does your cell phone help you pick up attractive women? (Or men?)

Well, it might if you subscribed to Dodgeball, a social service for mobiles whose founders, Dennis Crowley and Alex Rainert, talked to our own Russell Shaw (right) recently.

The idea is that you and your friends subscribe to Dodgeball, then text your location to one another at night, so you can get together. (And if they have friends with them, and those friends are attractive, voila!)

Absolut Vodka sponsored a "nightlife channel" on the service last year, like a traditional media buy, so Dodgeball members could associate the brand as a "friend." (Beats having an AA sponsor, I guess.) Now they're looking to make more money from things like Premium SMS and applications.

So far this is very much a nightlife application, meaning there is enormous danger of it becoming a short-term trend. (Next on VH1's "I Love the Zeroes -- Remember Dodgeball?")

What advice would I have for these folks? Think about Monday, gentlemen.

1. Think of businesses that could use this functionality -- journalism, sales, etc. -- and create custom apps for them under other names.
   
2. How about a version for trade shows that will invite specific people to specific parties without broadcasting the location?
   
3. Find a way to package this for use by businesses, and sell the software.
   
4. Two words, Mr. College Professor: Field Trip!
   

I have nothing against software that enables social interaction. It's just a really tough place to build a business that will last past the next hangover, or the next generation of party-goers.

Put it this way. A party generation lasts about as long as a mobile phone. You don't want to be the one still holding your glass when the music stops.