Social networking sites see surge of interest in 'crush finder' services
- Source: Global Times
- [08:21 April 21 2011]
- Comments
By Yan Shuang
In the footsteps of Facebook, several Chinese websites and microblogs have launched new "crush finder" applications to help secret admirers find out whether their love is requited.
An application called CrazyBoutYa on renren.com, a well-known Chinese social networking website, has gathered around 5,000 fans so far. As with Facebook's Crush Notifier, CrazyBoutYa allows users to select friends for whom they have feelings. If someone reciprocates, both will be alerted.
However, renren.com's version comes with certain restrictions. Users cannot choose a crush of the same sex or declare a crush on themselves. According to the application's administrator, at least 500 couples have been matched by CrazyBoutYa so far.
CrazyBoutYa launched in March, according to a renren.com PR employee, yet has suddenly experienced a surge in popularity in the past two days.
Similar applications are also available on Sina's microblogging service and the Douban social networking platform, where Web users enter the IDs or user names of their crushes in hopes of a response.
"That sounds nice, but what if my target changes his microblog ID after I send out the message?" user Dear Miaomiao posted via microblog.
"Secret admiration seems a little out-of-date. Many people with higher education and in their 30s are more reserved than those born in the 1990s, and they're afraid to express their feelings," said writer and love expert Qiang Jiujiu. He added that the approach was too passive and that people should actively seek happiness.
