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Dear You, Love Me: Flirting Gone Viral

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at JMU chapter.

Picture yourself walking across the quad and notice an extremely attractive guy walking with his buddies. You want to get to know him, but it’s not like you can interrupt his blossoming bromance. What’s a savvy collegiette™like yourself to do? Publicize it of course!

“At White Hall: Female, Blonde
I keep on seeing your beautiful, golden locks walk in and out of this building and I never have enough courage to ask you on a carriage date at the Arboretum. Maybe someday I will.”
 

“At UREC: Male, Brunette

It seems like you are always swiping my card and you are really cute and have a great smile! We’ve talked a little but I want to get to know you better :)”

“At GPHIL 101: Male, Black Hair

You’re in my gphil101 class and you wear a black Florida Marlins hat everyday. I think you’re in a fraternity but I’m not sure which one. You’re the reason I get up to go to that class (:”

With the new website, Likealittle.com, college students can post about their on-campus crushes in about the same way you would post a tweet. The messages are short, sweet, and definitely make the point that you’re interested in that guy from philosophy class all from the safety of your computer.

The website was designed as a “flirt facilitating platform” with college students in mind, allowing them to voice their opinions about other students on campus while remaining completely anonymous. Think of it as a virtual “Darts & Pats,” only Like A Little specifically bans negative postings and actual names. Plus you don’t have to wait for an issue to be published; your crush is declared is on the spot!

Each “flirt” is personalized with the location of the sighting as well as your new crush’s gender and hair color. Messages can be as general as “hope to see you again,” or can be specific and describe clothing and actions, in hopes that they might notice your post.
In which case they can anonymously respond under a fruit-themed penname to let you know they appreciate the love.

Posts appear in a newsfeed style format, and serve as top-notch reading material to help pass the time in between classes at Carrier. In an environment where drunken hookups and “complicated” relationships reign supreme, Like A Little (LAL) proves that even JMU’s underrepresented male population can be shockingly romantic!      

Think that anonymous Internet flirting has no potential to go anywhere? Think again! The “stories” section of Like A Little features actual accounts of budding romances made possible through a simple shout out. Countless students have used LAL’s messaging feature after discovering a post was about them, resulting in hang out sessions, dates, and full blown relationships.

“I think the idea is so cute, I would love it if someone wrote anything about me! I think I’ve found a new way to avoid homework,” gushed freshman Megan Kerns after surfing posts for just a few seconds. Megan is definitely not alone in those sentiments, as the site now has branches at over 100 college campuses after only being launched in October 2010. 

Already, CEO and Stanford grad Evan Reas is promising some impressive upcoming features. These include allowing people to text their sightings to the site, being notified if a post describes you (i.e., “female, blonde hair), and having a wall of “most liked” submissions. 

Next time you notice that certain someone out of the corner of your eye and don’t have the guts to introduce yourself, make sure to post about your encounter on Like a Little. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, you never know who could be hit by Cupid’s digital arrow – or who could be aiming it at you.

Sarah Robertson is a senior at James Madison University, with a major in Writing and Rhetoric and minor in Creative Writing. She is involved in the Public Relations Student Society of America, Society for Technical Communicators, as well as Sigma Kappa sorority where she serves as a member on the Judicial Board. At JMU, she is also a member on the e-Vision editorial board. She is from a small town in the Northern Neck of Virginia where she can't get enough of the hidden beaches and spectacular sunsets it has to offer. Sarah is currently interning in New York City at a radio network, Dial-Global, where she hopes to gain experience in broadcasting. In her spare time, Sarah enjoys reading fashion magazines cover-to-cover, learning how to cook without smoking out a house, as well as finding gems in thrift stores. She takes pleasure in writing and blogging while listening to great music including two of her favorites: John Butler Trio and Phoenix. After college, Sarah plans to attend journalism school to pursue a career in broadcast journalism and she hopes to eventally work for Vanity Fair.