your profile pic is nice BTW

For a guy to get your number, it used to be a big deal (unless out in town under the influence)...it used to mean something. Now tables have turned over recent years with the exploding popularity of social networking websites like Facebook. One only needs to search the individual they so desire and add as a friend with a witty, fun message, and then they can chat their way (shame free) into a date or something more.

I for one have had multiple problems with the ease Facebook gives to picking up. Especially as I seem to have a penchant for internet chatting. Such problems include:

#1 The random private message from some guy who I sold jeans to one time saying (amongst other things) that I should 'come hang with him and the boys sometime'.
#2 The private message with phone number included 'to meet up in town on Saturday' by a Facebook friend trying to take things to the next level.
#3 The private message saying I 'look familiar' and where do I 'live in Christchurch?' from a complete stranger with some Turkish name. I mean we all have encountered the strange foreigners who add friends with 'hot profile pics'.

All of the above may seem bad enough, but the worst of these encounters came from taking pity on a guy I got some notes off, but otherwise would not have given the time of day. Lets call him Doug. Not wanting to make it obvious I had only been friendly in order to get said notes I would embark on long and deep Facebook conversations with Doug. Yes, I can admit now I was guilty of enjoying being told multiple times how intelligent and good looking I was...I should have stopped it at the point where Doug would constantly talk about my long blond hair and try and touch it when I saw him.

Unfortunately exams were just around the corner and all the help I could get was required, so I endured this creepy behaviour. I mean having a hair fetish was harmless right?

WRONG. I began to get poems via email from Doug, he made me a CD with songs he 'thought I would like' on it; and then there were the stories. Short stories involving characters eerily similar to myself, and what Doug imagined he was like, arrived in my inbox. They had plot lines revolving around those of Mils and Boon.
OH SHIT I thought. However, I would write snarky poems back (yes I know I should not have indulged his creepy behaviour) and laugh off the similarities of the 'fictional' character Sandy with long sandy hair to myself.

Anyhow, I got much better marks than I expected in my exams and I have now deleted Doug off Facebook as a friend. Unfortunately, since Doug had my phone number I received some texts at 4am on a Saturday night:

- 'OMG I just realised what you did'
- 'You deleted me'

After not wanting to admit I had no idea a) who these were from as I had also deleted the phone number, and b) deleted from what; I generically replied. End of the story was that Doug was very upset I had deleted him, and I got a phone call to this effect last Saturday night at 2am. I sense a pattern. Unfortunately, I cannot recall the exact conversation that transpired (look it was late and I had been on the cocktails) and I got several texts saying he had always been there for me etc. A few days ago I replied to this saying it was inappropriate to call me at that time when I had been drinking and I get a reply:

- 'I know you want to be with me, you just need to cap the aggression'

Facebook needs to come with a user beware: WARNING- YOU ARE GOING TO BE EXPOSED TO COMPLETE WEIRDOS


love S