VANCOUVER (CUP) — A new social app designed by a University of British Columbia grad may soon move flirting at campus pubs to the internet.

Designed by UBC grad Duncan Bays, the app, called Electric Courage, aims to connect people in clubs and bars in Vancouver. It lets you check into any club or bar that you’re at and throw out a “Flirt,” posted on the bar’s “Flirt Wall.”

“We’re hoping that Electric Courage will mean that you never have to ask yourself ‘what if . . . ?’ again,” said Bays.

“Because each location’s Flirt Wall is public, everyone checked in to Electric Courage can read the Live Flirt Stream and get in on the flirting action,” he said.

Some spots at UBC, such as the Pit and the Gallery, already have their own Flirt Wall.

“They’re just waiting to get some action,” said Bays. He also said that there is the option to add new locations on the app for places that don’t have their own Flirt Wall, and it doesn’t have to be a bar or nightclub.

“Maybe a Flirt turns into a date, maybe it’s just a drink, but either way it’s a fun way to meet someone new.”

Second-year arts student Michelle Lee thought the app had something to offer for UBC students.

“It sounds interesting . . . I think I’d give it a shot. If it catches on and becomes popular, I think it might be useful,” she said. “If there’s lots of activity in one bar, I’d probably go to that one instead of one with fewer people.”

If you see that your flirt might be headed somewhere, there’s always the option to make things more private using the messaging function. “It’s exactly the same as text messaging, but you don’t have to exchange phone numbers,” said Bays.

In addition, the Electric Courage Heat Map shows you the Hot Flirt Zones (bars or events) where singles are partying in your city before you head out for the night. The heat map reflects the number of people checked in and flirting in a given location.

UBC’s student union beverage manager Michael Anthony said that he’s noticed the effects mobile phone culture has on the way people interact in pubs.

“Now you see [people on dates] interacting with their phones and in some odd cases are actually texting each other from across the booth,” he said.

While he doesn’t think an app like Electric Courage is necessary, he did see the positive aspects of it.

“If it helps a guy break the ice with a girl that he has his eye on and otherwise wouldn’t have had the courage to just walk right up to her, then good for him!”