None of that isn't true, but it's still a creepy thing to do. Googling someone's real name is different than trying to subvert anonymity. You're breaking boundaries and you know that.

I do agree though that it shouldn't just be a description of what women do to men.

No, she just wants to be friends. That's it. No friend zone.

It is, and it's terrible, and it's awesome that you are not such a guy! :)

That's not what normally happens? Maybe I should tell my husband to have that checked out.

Sometimes it's better not to burn a bridge, you know? If you have to see the guy regularly, things can get more awkward if you confront the situation. It may seem better (even when it's not) to try to save everyone's feelings by dodging the issue as long as possible.

But "the friend zone" is something that women put men into (as though women have two categories for guys—"have sex" and "just friends"). That's just not how it works in real life.

I don't know, acting like another person is a game or skill to be maxed out does sound pretty weird.

Yeah, it is weird. It's demonstrating a lack of respect for boundaries.

Nah, I know girls who are weird/creepy. That's not social awkwardness. That's being creepy. Being a creep is not gender specific (but the dynamics of interactions may be).

Your experience is not everyone else's experience. (Good for your sisters, though!)

Lol, I love this little story you've created!

Probably not. Women and men are socialized to act differently from early on.

And you know what? You may not be the kind of guy that this is directed at. You (hopefully) won't get adversarial when a woman let's you know that it's not meant to be.

Yes, absolutely, and it's creepy every time it happens.

• Plus, by never outright statingthat they're interested in you, these kinds of guys are making sure you can't ever actually acknowledge their attraction. It's a trap—if you do acknowledge it, then they're free to accuse you of being a self-absorbed bitch who thinks the world is in love with her.

"Painfully unfunny" is it exactly.

There is also an online component to the game, and a sexual predator could be using a game server OR their forums. The team is small, and if they want to deal with this appropriately, it diverts them from development.

I'll have to look it up!

Oh, you could have just said that you're a Clarkson fanboy/girl, and I would have ignored your ignorant and sexist comments to begin with. Because duh! Of course you're ignorant and sexist.