How to Leave Your Lover, Web 2.0 Style

Breaking up with someone can be awkward. Can Web 2.0 tools like Twitter and YouTube help? You bet!

By Edward N. Albro, PCWorld

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YouTube

If you feel that your romantic splits just aren't humiliating enough, you should consider shooting for a spectacular relationship flameout witnessed by a live audience of thousands--and viewed online nearly 2.5 million times. This time we didn't have to make it up: It happened not only to this guy, but apparently to a number of other guys on YouTube. The lesson: No one likes having to answer a question while appearing on a Jumbotron.

For further investigations of the nexus between technology and romance, check out these fine stories:

Online Dating Adds Video, Goes Local

Valentine's Day Fun for Geeks

5 Ways to Flirt Online

Online Dating Horror Stories

Twitter

Breaking another person's heart is never easy, but most of the psychologists we talked to for this story...well, okay, we didn't actually talk to any psychologists for this story; but if we had, we're pretty sure they would have said that a quick, clean break is the most humane. So what could be more humane than 140 characters or less--including punctuation!

Twitter Direct Messages

Recent figures show that Twitter is one of the most active social networks on the Web, so for certain complicated personal reasons, you may want to announce your breakup a little more privately. That's when Twitter's direct message mode can come in handy.

I Can Haz Cheezburger

Some people's minds respond best to verbal stimuli, while others respond more readily to images. And a fortunate few are most receptive to cute pictures of cats with absurdly spelled captions. If your significant other falls into this third group, I Can Haz Cheezburger might be the best venue for delivering a Dear John note.

Facebook

Every relationship exists in a social context. So you can't just break up with your lover, you also have to tell all your friends and family that the two of you are no longer an item. Who has time for all that?

Fortunately, the intricate social network that is Facebook lets you do both at the same time. Leave a message like this on your significant other's Wall, and you'll be sundered in no time.

Flickr

Web 2.0 culture embraces multimedia. Exhibit A is Flickr, where you can learn seemingly everything you need to know about a person from her photostream--maybe with a little help from captions.