Published: 27 December, 2007, 02:32
Edited: 27 December, 2007, 02:32
More and more Russians are finding long-lost friends, as the popularity of social networking websites soars. They're using the virtual community as a tool to hook up in the real world.
Virtual love story – 34 years later
Andrey Shabaev often reminisces about his school days, despite losing touch with his classroom friends.
When he heard of Russia's social networking website Odnoklassniki, or Classmates, he logged on. And while strolling through cyberspace he bumped into his old sweetheart.
“It was such a surprise when she wrote to me because 34 years have passed since we last saw each other. We were happy to have found each other after all this time,” Andrey says.
And their virtual reunion soon turned to reality.
Andrey said it was a great pleasure to see her again. In his eyes, she hasn't changed much – she is still very attractive.
This blast from the past was a welcome sight for Andrey, but his wife felt threatened.
“Usually I can see who he's talking to online, but this time I could tell he was hiding something. When he told me he was meeting his first love I felt so jealous!” Angela Shabaeva said.
Andrey says his curiosity has now been satisfied and he's promised he'll only communicate with his old flame in the online world.
A hit with long lost friends
Analysts say the popularity of social networking websites has boomed in Russia, Odnoklassniki is the most widely used. Its membership has doubled to six million in the last three months.
“The reason it's become so popular is that people use their real names, not nicknames. It's convenient to find friend's profiles by searching for the school you went to. You can observe the changes in their lives and browse through their photos,” Internet analyst Aleksandr Plushev said.
Odnoklassniki has proved a hit with many long lost friends who haven't seen each other since leaving school. They say that these websites are great because you get to know what's happening in everyone's lives. And former classmates then have a chance of meeting face-to-face.
It's good to talk and there's nothing better than a good old chatter with friends you haven't seen for years. But it's only through Odnoklassniki that many old classmates have the chance to relive memories and rekindle old friendships.