Hey, Cherie!

I have an Internet friend who pretty much bailed out on me, and it's kind of freaking me out. I am a 16-year-old girl who met a cool guy on an online community website.

He also liked my page so we started chatting. I live on the East Coast and he lives in Colorado; therefore, there was no way to actually meet. We talked by Webcam. I know that he is not an old guy around my dad's age; he is actually my age.

Don't worry, I didn't give him my phone number or even my cell number. His name is Vincent, and I have to say that we have more in common than any guy I'd ever talked with in person or on a social network site. We like the same bands, have the same political beliefs and even have similar families — our parents are still married and we are both the second child. When I used to come home from school, I would log on immediately to see if Vincent had something to say.

I say “used to” because Vincent disappeared about two weeks ago. He just quit writing to me and is never on instant messenger — it's like he's gone. I know that I'm silly, but I feel really hurt. Even if his parents barred him from the computer, he could find a way for one of his friends to e-mail me.

Am I crazy to feel this way? Does this happen a lot?

— Chelsey in the East

Hey, Chelsey!

According to a quick and admitted unscientific survey of social network users under the age of voting, you're not alone, not by a long shot. Almost everyone said that they've had the same type of online experiences. They also felt incredibly hurt when they got e-dumped without explanation; they didn't really even know if they were dumped and had no way to find out.

Lesson No. 1: Please don't act the same way to anyone else. If you're going to withdraw, remember that real people are behind those MySpace or Facebook profiles. Lesson No. 2: There is a limit to how close you should allow yourself to become with someone without meeting in person. Yes, I know, it can be so romantic to communicate without actually meeting, but there are downsides. You're in the midst of one. You could always blog about it — just kidding!

Hey, Cherie!

I think my friend cheats when she calls radio stations to try to win concert tickets. You know, when you're the seventh caller or something. She uses three phones!

Do you think this is wrong?

— Fair and Square

Hey, Fair!

I want to know how she “dials” three push-button phones at the same time, and knows which one to talk into at the right time. I suppose that some techies could have this process down to a science — the same way all the tickets to the great concerts disappear in around five minutes. But since you didn't say your friend has won tickets this way, maybe she's doing all this work for nothing.

To find out more about Cherie Bennett and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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