Friend 1: I think I am in love with him.

Friend 2: But, sweetie...

Friend 1: No really, it's serious this time.

Friend 2: But, you've only seen him on Facebook?

Oh, the joys of college networking. I would love to say that conversation existed between two Tech students, but alas, we are still living in the dark ages. That's right. Our campus is one of the last colleges to be added to the list of Facebook participants.

Students from almost 450 colleges and universities are enjoying one of the biggest technology trends to hit our generation, and hardly anyone knows about it at Tech -- because it doesn't exist here.

My friend is Facebook's (http://www.thefacebook.com) biggest fan. "Oh you can spend hours on it," she said. And she does. The Penn sophomore has Facebook stalkers, and does some stalking herself. From finding that hot friend of a friend and inviting him to be her friend, to getting creeped out and scared when a not so hot friend of a friend sends her a Facebook message, she is constantly keeping track of her social network with this Internet site.

And so is everybody else, except for us. In the past month, I have been asked by friends from Alabama, Princeton, New Hampshire and Cornell what my Facebook user name was so they could add me. I feel like such a dork that I can't say I am on it. (Actually, that probably makes me even dorkier that I feel left out).

So, what's the big deal? It's apparently an addiction. Think of the other networking sites like Friendster and My Space. Everyone is listed on the network, and then you start adding friends. Only, with Facebook, you can type in that girl's name who you met in the elevator or that guy's name who you met at the party, and voila! Instant profile. If they look cool enough, you can send a request to be their friend. They can either confirm or deny your request, but according to many Facebook addicts, hardly anyone says no.

Some have hundreds of friends, and popularity contest or not, the more friends one has, the more the addiction to get more friends becomes part of one's daily life. "It becomes part of your life," said my friend. "It's a part of your campus life."

Yes, the Facebook actually has been said to change the way a campus is united. Each campus has its own private network, but users can branch out to other schools when it comes to making friends. Novelty groups can be formed like "Awkies Anonymous" and "Coalition against popped collars," and people can instant message others anytime.

Go to http://www.thefacebook.com/contact.php and suggest Louisiana Tech as their next school. If enough of us sign up, we will be added to the list of non-behind-the-times colleges and universities already a part of it. It's about time we can make new friends like the rest of the college students out there. Facebook me, please!

Julie Miller is a senior journalism major from Shreveport and serves as associate editor for The Tech Talk. E-mail comments to jem028@latech.edu.