It’s a pesky problem for the 21st century: The person you’ve been pining over just friended you on Facebook, but your crush has opted not to list his or her relationship status online.
So how are you supposed to know if you can extend that non-threatening coffee invitation? Rather than search through pictures for context clues, now all curious users have to do is “ask.”
Virtually that is.
Facebook has rolled out a new button that allows users to ask status-less friends whether they are single or in a relationship. You can include a personal note with your request, and there’s even an option to send along your own relationship status — in case they were curious as well. The recipient then receives an option of posting his or her relationship status publicly or sending it directly to the interested party.
Fortunately, Mashable notes that the ask button is only available to people you’re already friends with, so you won’t be getting any random requests from enthusiastic users who have taken a liking to your profile picture.
Along with inquiring about friends’ love lives, Facebook users can also ask their friends about other unlisted information, such as hometowns, addresses, phone numbers, emails and more. While the new feature opens up a new way for people to learn more about their friends, the particulars also give the site added ammunition for marketers looking to make more tailored advertisements.
Of course, all of this can be avoided using the good old fashioned-method of talking, but where’s the fun in that?
