An attractive 20-year old guy from Massachusetts named Ryan Fitzgerland posted his phone number in a video message on YouTube last Friday, saying that he just wanted to talk to people, wasn’t judgmental, and was open to meeting with people. He stayed up for 36 hours answering over 5,000 calls over the weekend while he had free minutes on his cell. In a CNN interview available online (follow link from article) he comes across as completely earnest about it and really wanting to listen to people and help them out.

The biggest reason I did it, was… for the people that are at their house, 4 in the morning, any time of day, that just need someone to talk to.. You want to tell me your life story, I’ve had people do that.. I’ve gotten calls from all over the world, Cyprus, Mexico, Tokyo, I’ve taken calls from everybody.

I try to pick up every call I can. I do check the voicemail, and I do return calls…

[Transcribed from CNN video]

He said his minutes on his cell phone had run out at that point, and that his dad, who he lives with, wasn’t really supportive and didn’t understand why he was doing it.

Here’s CNN’s article about it:

Ryan Fitzgerald is unemployed, lives with his father and has a little bit of time on his hands.

So, he decided to offer his ear, to anyone who wants to call. After posting a video with his cell phone number on YouTube on Friday, the 20-year-old told The Boston Globe he has received more than 5,000 calls and text messages.

Fitzgerald said he wanted to “be there,” for anyone who needed to talk. “I never met you, but I do care,” a spiky-haired Fitzgerald said into the camera on his YouTube posting. (Watch what happened to Fitzgerald after he posted his cell phone number on YouTube Video)

He planned to take and return as many calls he could, but on Monday at 5 a.m., his T-Mobile cell phone payment will begin charging him for his generosity when he is no longer eligible for free weekend minutes.

“I haven’t quite figured out what I’m going to do about it,” he said. “Come Monday, no way I’m going to just hang up on people and say, ‘I don’t have the minutes.”‘

Fitzgerald, who said people consider him “easy to talk to,” was inspired by Juan Mann. YouTube video clips of Mann offering “Free Hugs” to strangers became wildly popular on the user-controlled Internet site.

“Some people’s own mothers won’t take the time to sit down and talk with them and have a conversation,” Fitzgerald said. “But some stranger on YouTube will. After six seconds, you’re not a stranger anymore, you’re a new kid I just met.”

There are now quite a few copycat videos on YouTube, with other brave souls offering their phone numbers to the wild. I tried to reach the guy who calls himself the “real Ryan Fitzgerald” and said he was surprised to see a person with the same name offering up his phone number. His video tells people to give him a call and that he can beat Ryan’s record of 5,000 calls and do impressions. He doesn’t sound like he really wants to listen to people though. That number led to a voicemail mailbox.

I called another guy, Sean, from the Sean Trammell show on YouTube and just got his voicemail too.

When I tried to call the famous Ryan at 774-253-1962 I got his voicemail and a message that his mailbox was full and to call him back. Hopefully he’ll find a way to pay for all those overage charges.

This kind of reminds me of those e-mail chain letters asking people to help out an elementary school class that wants to see how many responses they’ll get. It always ends up to be something they wish they never started in the first place.