Wednesday night I was reminded of an article I wrote a while back under a pseudonym for a dating website. I was crushed by a long time crush when she told me about her long distance relationship. Mixed emotions filled my head until I thought back to my last weekend relationship and its perils.
Statistically, relationships where partners only see each other occasionally last about five months. One partner usually becomes frustrated with the lack of contact and the other usually has extracurricular activities when their partner isn’t around. Most couples usually start to question the relationship around the fourth month.
For this article I’m not going to be a relationship guru; rather, I’m putting on my technology hat and throwing out some ideas to keep them alive. Because most start with online dating, weekenders are used to communicating with technology.
Skype seems to be the favorite among my friends who have endeavored into the distance horror show. Because Skype is a free video chat service, it provides a great means to not only hear the person but see them and their expressions. Provided the quality of the camera and connection is decent Skype offers a good substitute for being in the same room.
When my daughter showed me Snapchat a few months ago and then told me she Snapchats her boyfriend all the time I was a bit perplexed. See, Snapchat is a phone application that sends a somewhat private picture or video message to another user. Unlike texting a picture, Snapchat is setup so the picture or video self destructs within seconds.
One of my long time friend’s husband was stationed in Afghanistan for longer than expected. During that time she relied on Facebook to publish pictures of her and the kids so he could see them. Because Facebook was easily accessible in the barracks she also used the website’s messaging service to keep in constant contact.
When I learned of my ex-wife’s recurrence of cancer a couple years back I picked up an iPhone. Both my daughters have iPhones so I figured I’d take advantage of a free utility called Facetime which can be used anywhere. Like Skype, Facetime allows users of iPhones to make video calls. No matter the carrier, any iPhone owner can Facetime any other iPhone user.
Back in the days before all this newfangled technology I dated a woman who did a stint of time in Florida. I looked forward to talking on the phone nightly. I could hear the intonations in her voice as she spoke. Ultimately the relationship ended because I felt guilty of things I had done which made our last phone call the hardest.
For those who question their partner and want to keep closer tabs on them Google has a neat service that’s free. Though it’s not designed for keeping tabs it can very easily function as a GPS tracking device. With location services enabled on a phone and Google Maps turned on, the service will draw a map that other users of Google Circle can view.
Keeping a weekend only relationship alive is tough and requires using technology to its fullest extent. The start of any relationship is the most fun; when the lovey dovey texts and pictures soar back and forth. But when the sexy messages turn sour it’s time to unplug the relationship. Technology mixed with occasional visits, in my opinion, is not enough to develop and maintain a lasting relationship.
(Jeromy Patriquin is the President of Laptop & Computer Repair, Inc. located at 509 Main St. in Gardner. You can call him at (978) 919-8059 or visit www.LocalComputerWiz.com.)