It started over a year ago. A dear friend called me in a panic and the terror in her voice was apparent. "Please help me!" she said, her tone quivering with impending danger.
"Anything! What do you need?" I said trying to calm her down. I knew she was out of town and figured she was stranded somewhere. Uneasy about the tiny size of my bank account, I crossed my fingers that she didn't need money.
Since this was a phone call, I wasn't worried about it being some kind of hacker, who pretends to be a friend and says they're stuck in England and needs thousands to get home. I've had those kind of text messages and emails and had the fortune to recognize it for what it was: a scam. No, I knew her voice and, besides, my cell showed that her phone number was correct. No, this wasn't a scam, my friend was in serious trouble. My husband, who'd been making dinner, came out of the kitchen, hearing the concern in my voice, and put a reassuring hand on my shoulder.
"What is it?" his eyes said.
"I don't know," my eyes replied.
I waited with bated breath for my friend to explain her dilemma…
"My crops are about to wither and I can't get internet access here!" she cried. I was relieved and somewhat bewildered. I bit my lip to keep from belting out a huge guffaw. We were Farmville neighbors so I knew what she meant. She gave me her Facebook password and I resolved her problem.
Over the past year, I've become a VirtualHero for some dozen or so friends who've had similar panic attacks. I've even received emails from one friend or another asking if I could tend their crops, or whatever, while they were on vacation.
Armed with superhuman strength, I've supplied my talents to feeding virtual fish, petting SuperPets, sending back gifts, completing quests--you name it--if its a game on Facebook, I've helped out.
Which brings me to the inevitable question: Why hasn't some enterprising go-getter, started a business for this? If there's a need, there's always a business created to fill it. Right?
Image by TZA via Flickr
