With Belmont Crushes’ Twitter demise at the end of last year, a new Facebook page called Belmont Admirers has risen from its ashes.
The concept of the page is similar to the previously created Crushes account, but the creators of the Facebook page were unaware of the Twitter before they created their own.
“The idea for this profile is not a new one. Many college campuses have similar pages,” said the moderators of the page in a message to the Vision to preserve anonymity.
The posts range from sincere missed connections in places such as the cafeteria or Massey to the beautifully articulated “To that hot girl I saw on campus, you’re hot.”
Some are increasingly specific, such as, “To the girl who complimented a tall guy in a sweater and tie outside of Pembroke around 6:00, wowza!”
Still others seem to err on the side of poetic.
“You are quite literally too beautiful for words to accurately describe. I would try to… But it would all be in vain. Please marry me so that I may spend the rest of my life making you unrealistically happy. And if you ask really nicely I’ll write you the sweetest most romantic love letter you’ve ever read to reveal my secret identity,” said one anonymous admirer.
While the page may be popular, with over 1000 friends following, many don’t necessarily follow it in hopes of making a post.
Erin Zins, a sophomore music business major, found the page only because a friend shared or was tagged in a post.
“You can look at it and see if your friends pop up on it or someone you know is on it,” said Zins. “Pretty sure I have 30 mutual friends with it.”
Zins also has never utilized the site, as a joke or otherwise, noting that mostly freshmen are using this page.
“I kinda just see it as a thing where you should actually go tell a person if you are serious instead of anonymously posting on a social media,” said Zins.
However, the moderators are not wanting to use the page as a Belmont version of a Missed Connections page.
“We are not trying to be a substitute for verbal compliments or face-to-face interaction, we are instead simply trying to be an outlet for positive expression, a place where people can use the power of words to make someone happy in a realm where this often fails to happen. Everyone deserves to know when someone is thinking of them so this account serves as a safe place to spread those kind words and brighten someone’s day, no strings attached,” said the owners.
The page is fairly popular, wavering between days where no messages come in and others that receive numbers up into double digits.
Unlike the Belmont Crushes’ Twitter page, which would often include racy or sexually explicit messages, the Admirers staff does censor the messages that come in.
“Every post submitted is censored before being re-posted. We try to avoid being overbearing to avoid hindering anyone from expressing their thoughts, but in order to maintain the integrity of the page and a focus on sharing positivity, we reserve the right to not post any message we deem inappropriate or a misuse of the service,” said the moderators. “Also, anyone who receives a post directed towards them has the right to request we take it down which we will do immediately, no questions asked.”
Other pages have popped up due to the success of both the Belmont Admirers and the Belmont Crushes pages, including one entitled Belmont Beautiez.
Belmont Admirers had some issues at the beginning, causing them to delete, wait and restart their account, and the Belmont Beautiez appeared to fill the void.
The Admirers staff seems to have no ill will towards the other site.
“They were very kind and there was no conflict or harsh feelings at all. We are all working towards the same goal: Spread the Love.”