I don't usually bother pm'ing anybody unless something they posted on the boards caught my eye, made me think, got me a-chuckling, etc. and usually when I start a conversation that way it actually goes somewhere, so I agree with the first point.
On the second... in my book this is just further commentary on the sad state of interpersonal interaction these days and how paranoid everybody is anymore. My father LOVES finding people from Ohio, particularly if they come from common areas. He grew up around Boardman and Youngstown, went to school later at Kent State. That's a huge part of his identity and a defining element of his life experience and if he finds out that you're from Ohio or Pennsylvania he'll immediately ask which part and then talk your ear off if its any place he's ever heard of. His generation doesn't have "stalkerish" in its vocabulary, nor a list of "creepy" things people do that would garner them such a label. Maybe community simply isn't as important as it used to be. Or maybe people really are just paranoid.
In either case, it's just a little bit sad...
