INSIDE EDITION talks to the man who tackled his loneliness in a bold manner, by posting his phone number on the streets of New York City.
Jeff Ragsdale had just broken up with his girlfriend and felt completely alone, even though he was in a city of 8 million people. That's when the lonely guy had a bold idea.
"I kept seeing signs for dog walkers and babysitters and I thought, you know what? I'm just going to be bold and put up a sign with a very simple message, something like 'Call me,'" Ragsdale told INSIDE EDITION.
And guess what? Someone took a picture of his flyer and put it online. People started sharing it on Facebook and calls started pouring in from around the globe.
"In the 9 months I've been doing this, I have had 70,000 calls texts and messages," said Ragsdale.
Ragsdale told INSIDE EDITION, many of the calls are supportive, saying things like "I want you to know you are not alone, stay strong, chin up. Things always do get better."
Many are from guys and girls who are going through their own break-ups. One caller told Ragsdale, "Yesterday my girlfriend dumped me. I'm sitting in a car at a train station eating donuts. Is that sad, or what?"
He gets lots of calls from people who've had too much to drink because of their own turmoil. They leave messages such as: "I saved your number as someone I would probably drunk dial which is actually what is happening tonight, to see, you know, does he really exist? Yes you do, that's awesome!"
And then there are calls that can break your heart.
"I live here alone and I think of myself as being in a city with so many people and yet I am truly alone," said one caller.
The response was so surprising that Ragsdale, a standup comic, just wrote a book about the experience.
"I've become a confession booth, a relationship expert and sex therapist," said Ragsdale.
But the best part? Jeff's no longer a lonely guy.
Ragsdale said, "I was a cynic going into this, I was hoping to get one friend and now I have thousands."
