Vault: He Thinks His Email Got Him Blocked on Facebook

Summary

The Bert Show Podcast Summary

Episode: Vault: He Thinks His Email Got Him Blocked on Facebook
Date: May 28, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode of The Bert Show brings together Bert Show regulars and guest "Commuter Dude" (John Gerard) from Atlanta’s 11 Alive news for a lively, relatable conversation. The primary focus is a humorous and candid discussion about digital era dating etiquette—centered on Commuter Dude's experience of sending a Facebook message to a woman after seeing her in photos from a party he missed, only to find himself promptly blocked. Along the way, the crew weighs in on traffic woes, steel plates in the road, and audience-driven advice on how to handle social connections in the age of social media. The tone is playful, self-deprecating, and honest throughout.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Meet "Commuter Dude" and His Job (00:31–05:04)

• Introduction to Commuter Dude:

  • John Gerard, known on-air as “Commuter Dude,” discusses how he helps Atlantans with traffic-related problems, from potholes to elusive steel plates.
  • He shares the evolution of his role from reporting traffic to consumer advocacy, often involving helping residents recoup repair costs caused by poor road conditions.
  • Quote (Commuter Dude, 01:18):

    "It has quickly kind of evolved into this. Me being kind of a consumer advocate for all things traffic and helping people put a few bucks back in their wallet."

• Road Problem Anecdotes:

  • Callers and co-hosts share experiences with dangerous potholes and loose steel plates.
  • The group jokes about how confusing Atlanta's road systems can be, especially around areas like Atlantic Station.

2. Commuter Dude's Facebook Fiasco (05:04–14:21)

• The Message:

  • Commuter Dude recounts missing a coworker's party, seeing a “cute girl” in the photos, obtaining her name, and then messaging her on Facebook.
  • He describes himself as “unconventional” and prefers being bold, though he’s aware this could be misunderstood.

• Reading the Email (07:47–09:25):

  • The hosts dissect the actual message, which is direct but polite; he mentions mutual friends, the themed “white trash party,” and expresses interest in the woman.
  • Quote (John Gerard reading the message, 08:20):

    ‘I regretted missing it for two reasons. One, it looked like a blast. And two, I saw you in one of the shots...I hope this isn't too weird and creepy. If it is, no worries. Just ignore it. :)’

• Group Reactions:

  • The co-hosts (Christina, Laurie, Jeff) debate whether the email comes off as creepy or simply bold.
  • General consensus: The message is direct but not overtly offensive, though using the word “creepy” may have inadvertently set off red flags.
  • Quote (Christina, 12:07):

    “You know, I would say that the only part of the email that I would change is when you use the word ‘creepy.’ There’s no reason to use that word in there at all.”

• The Outcome:

  • Commuter Dude realizes he’s been blocked after the recipient’s Facebook profile picture and hyperlink disappear from his sent messages.
  • The hosts theorize possible reasons—miscommunication, negative relay by mutual friends, or simply bad luck in a cautious digital dating world.
  • Quote (Commuter Dude, 10:27):

    “That is from that note. She blocked me.”

3. Audience Calls & Further Advice (12:36–14:21)

• Listener Feedback:

  • Callers and hosts offer suggestions—be briefer, avoid certain words, and perhaps don’t mention “creepy.”
  • Others argue that being too brief can seem even less genuine.

• Memorable Listener Call (13:35):

  • Caller Christina:

    “The one thing that would turn me off about that email is him saying, ‘What’s your situation?’ I think you could have said it a little bit, you know, nicer than ‘what’s your situation.’”

• Commuter Dude’s Response (13:45):

  • Appreciates the listener advice and is open to constructive criticism.
  • Jokes about potentially blocking people who send him pothole emails.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On online etiquette:
  • Laurie (11:15):

    “The only people I’ve ever blocked are like random, you know, X-rated spam crap that has come through...but just one message? I don’t understand.”

• On being unconventional:
  • Commuter Dude (05:21):

    “I'm a little bit unconventional by nature. Even if it doesn't work out for me perfectly, I'm kind of fine walking my own line.”

• On “creepy” language:
  • Christina (12:07):

    “There’s no reason to use that word in there at all.”

• On handling rejection:
  • Commuter Dude (12:04):

    “I’m one and out. If I don’t get a response, I’m done. You know, because why bother?”

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Important Timestamps & Segments

• 00:31–04:58: Commuter Dude describes his TV segment, handles Atlanta's traffic drama, audience shares road woes.
• 05:04–07:57: Story setup—Commuter Dude explains how he met the woman and introduces the Facebook message.
• 07:47–09:25: Hosts read and analyze the message line by line.
• 09:28–12:36: The group discusses Facebook etiquette, blocking, and interpretations of the message.
• 12:36–14:21: Listener calls and final advice, light-hearted wrap-up with shout-outs to Commuter Dude’s TV segment.

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Tone and Atmosphere

• Conversational, authentic, and self-deprecating humor.
• Encouraging audience participation and honest, constructive critique.
• The group seamlessly blends light-hearted banter with real-life advice on the nuances of digital-age social interaction.

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Conclusion

This episode of The Bert Show delivers laughs, relatability, and some helpful insights on modern friendship, dating, and rejection. The thoughtful unpacking of Commuter Dude’s blocked-on-Facebook story offers both empathy and practical advice, making it an entertaining listen that resonates with anyone who’s navigated the tricky waters of social media communication.

Transcript

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[John Gerard]

The Bird Show. John Gerard Here is from 11 lie.

[Commuter Dude]

This is community without the vest, but nobody can see anyway. I know that's weird.

[John Gerard]

It's a little Clark Kentish. Like, I mean, just because he had glasses on, nobody could tell he wasn't super.

[Commuter Dude]

You know what? I used to make fun of that, but it's the craziest thing. If I've got that vest on, I mean, people are spotting me left and right. I take it off and they. I can walk down the street unaffected completely. So it works out.

[John Gerard]

If you haven't seen this segment on 11 Alive, I was just talking to John about it. He could not have picked a better city to do a segment like this on.

[Commuter Dude]

Definitely. There's so many problems out there. I get so much email from people. I kind of feel bad because we're helping people, but there's such a need that I feel like we can't get to everyone, you know. But it's been tremendously successful, very popular, and keep sending the emails in and I'll keep fixing your problems.

[Jeff]

Do you prefer to. Cause I don't know if. I don't know if I feel comfortable calling you John, like, commuter.

[Laurie]

It's commuter dude.

[Commuter Dude]

It's commuter dude. Yeah. I've kind of taken on this alter ego. I guess I am commuter dude now. Yeah.

[Jeff]

So what do you.

[Commuter Dude]

What do you prefer that we call you, Dude? John. Commuter dude. I answer to almost anything. Yeah.

[Christina]

What do you think is the most significant problem that you've helped fix already?

[Commuter Dude]

You know, there are a lot of people right now that are. There's huge craters all over the city. I know you've seen these things. People are hitting them. They're blowing tires, they're bending rims. So it's kind of a small thing. But at the same time, when it costs you 5, 6, 700 bucks, you know, to get your car fixed, that's a big deal. So I'm in the process now of trying to help people get some of that money back on these potholes and craters that have been reported and so filing damage Claims. So even though it's kind of an individual problem, it's a citywide thing. And I think it, you know, it's hurting people in the wallet, and that's really impactful, especially this time of year.

[John Gerard]

So is the segment really have two definitions, then people can email you and tell you where, like, these potholes are, where they're bad road signs. And the second part of it is asking you for help to try to get some cash back.

[Commuter Dude]

Yeah. And, you know, that just kind of evolved. I mean, I didn't even. We didn't really know completely what this job was going to be like when I started. We were all kind of developing it. So it was, yeah, just help people with their traffic problems. But then they started emailing me and calling me saying, hey, I'm out 400 bucks. Can you help me? So it has quickly kind of evolved into this. Me being kind of a consumer advocate for all things traffic and helping people put a few bucks back in their wallet.

[John Gerard]

Awesome.

[Commuter Dude]

Yeah.

[Laurie]

Has anybody ever had their car damage from these steel plates that they put?

[John Gerard]

Yeah, I want to ask about.

[Laurie]

Fascinated by that.

[Commuter Dude]

I did a segment on that guy blew out his tire. And he's in the process right now filing a damage claim with the city and we shot a segment on it.

[Caller]

Yeah.

[John Gerard]

What's the law on that? Because I know there was one on Windsor Parkway for a while where the steel plate had separated a little bit from the hole. I mean, it wasn't huge. I mean, you couldn't drive over it and lose your tire directly into it. But it was getting there.

[Jeff]

But you gotta be careful because those holes, you know, they're portals to hell. Yeah.

[John Gerard]

Never see you again.

[Jeff]

That's the seventh gate to hell.

[Laurie]

Or it sends you straight to China. And it's just really weird how that happens.

[John Gerard]

Like, as soon as you see separation, are you supposed to call or is there a certain amount of separation that is safe?

[Commuter Dude]

Well, you know, I mean, when the trucks and big cars hit those things, they move. That's just the nature. There should be a better way to do that steel plate thing, but there isn't. So we're kind of stuck with what we have. But yeah, as soon as you see those things separating, a lot of people are on their phones too. They're talking, they're not really paying attention. Next thing you know, you know, slam, they're in it. So you just gotta be aware out there and keep your head up.

[Christina]

Can I ask commuter dude a qualification commuter dude a clarification question?

[Commuter Dude]

Yeah, he's right.

[Christina]

Next to me. Okay, well, I was just sure if we were going to trigger the email or not.

[Jeff]

Okay, you're gonna want to turn to your.

[John Gerard]

You're want to turn to your left.

[Jeff]

Remember what we told you? Speak confidently and look him in the eyes.

[Christina]

He's standing rhymes here. Nervous commuter dude. Okay, so my question is Atlantic Station. Okay. I do not understand how you're supposed to turn right into Atlantic Station with all those bus lanes. Yeah, they have like the hov lane, the regular people lane, if you're in the car by yourself. And then there's the bus lane on the right.

[Commuter Dude]

It's tricky.

[Christina]

So how do I turn to go shopping or to the movie theater to do I cut off a bus?

[Commuter Dude]

You close your eyes and go, jen, I didn't say that. I didn't say you close your eyes and you say a little prayer and you go, yeah, that's what I do.

[Christina]

Because I don't know what the right thing to do. Do you get over into the bus lane and then turn or do you just. I don't know, it just seems to me.

[Commuter Dude]

Yeah, no, I. You know what? And I'm not an expert on the legal aspect of a lot of things. I'm still learning too. This is my first commuter dude esque type job. I've been a reporter all my life. But I mean, I think you gotta use common sense out there if you're gonna be merging over to the right, you know, even though it is a bus lane, you gotta look around and take your time and make that merge. You can't wait till the last set. You can't be in the center lane taking a right.

[Christina]

Right. Okay.

[John Gerard]

It's all really confusing.

[Commuter Dude]

Don't go to Atlantic Station. Go see a movie somewhere else, I think is the answer to that question.

[John Gerard]

Commuter dude emailed us and found himself in a weird situation.

[Commuter Dude]

Oh, man.

[John Gerard]

One of these weird Facebook situations where you think you're doing the right thing, but then it may be received the wrong way. And then all of a sudden you look like the creeper and you're not really sure if you did the.

[Commuter Dude]

It was definitely received the wrong way, I can tell you that. I feel good about what I did, though, because I'm a little bit unconventional by nature. I don't usually kind of follow the rules. Even if it doesn't work out for me perfectly, I'm kind of fine. Walk in my own line. But anyway, I was invited to a party by a co worker. She invited a group of us. Couldn't go to the party, but the next day, she had pictures posted on Facebook. So I checked them out, and I saw in one of the pictures a really cute girl that I wanted to know more about. So I asked her.

[Jeff]

Potential commuter. Dudet.

[Commuter Dude]

Right. Commuter chick, I like to call her. Okay. Okay. So I'm like, wow, this girl's really cute. So I asked my coworker, can you kind of get the info so I can find out about her? She comes back with a name. I look this girl up on Facebook, and because I'm a little bit unconventional, I just message her out of the blue and I say, hey, I was supposed to go to that party. I didn't. I think you're cute. I wish I went. It looked like fun.

[John Gerard]

All right, so let's just define this. Like, you're not dropping somebody's name that might be sort of an ambassador between you and commuter chicken.

[Commuter Dude]

I will. I mean, I've got fake names worked up for all those guys, so we're cool. My co worker, I'm calling Bonnie.

[John Gerard]

Okay.

[Commuter Dude]

Okay. Her mutual friend is Jenny. And then the girl I was trying to reach was Cindy. Okay, so Bonnie and Jenny are friends. And then Cindy is a friend of Jenny's, and I'm a friend of Bonnie.

[Laurie]

Okay.

[Commuter Dude]

So that's. And that's how I presented it in the email. I'm like, hey, I'm a friend of Bonnie. I work at 11, so isn't a total stranger thing. I know. And I was supposed to be at that party too. And that's the thing.

[John Gerard]

And he's dropping names, so it's not a complete stranger.

[Commuter Dude]

I could even read the email verbatim if you were interested.

[John Gerard]

Okay, let me do that. And let's take it line by line.

[Commuter Dude]

Okay? We're gonna break it down.

[John Gerard]

We're gonna break it down and define, all right? Because in his mind, he didn't say anything that was commuter creepy related. Okay, but you guys might. All right.

[Christina]

Okay.

[Commuter Dude]

Yeah. And I need your honest opinion on this. But again, I mean, I am a little bit unconventional, so I would rather approach somebody in a way that's kind of bold and daring.

[John Gerard]

But you guys have to play the part of the girl that's getting the email.

[Laurie]

So where's Cindy?

[Commuter Dude]

Okay.

[John Gerard]

She doesn't know that you're bold and unconventional. All she has is the email. All right, so as women, let's break.

[Jeff]

All right.

[John Gerard]

I'm not including myself in there.

[Commuter Dude]

Yes. Let's do this together.

[Jeff]

A technical question before I even read this. Are you wearing the orange vest in your Facebook profile picture?

[Commuter Dude]

I have that picture somewhere on my page.

[Jeff]

It's not the profile.

[Commuter Dude]

No, it is not.

[Jeff]

Are you wearing clothes in your profile?

[Commuter Dude]

No, I'm completely naked. All right. I don't see anything wrong with that.

[John Gerard]

He's unconventional and black.

[Commuter Dude]

I am unconventional.

[Christina]

Daring.

[John Gerard]

All right, it says this. I, um. Hi. I can say her name, right?

[Commuter Dude]

It's. I've already put the fake names in here. Well, here. Here's a. Here's a copy with the fake name version.

[Jeff]

Yeah.

[John Gerard]

Hi, Cindy. My name is John Gerard.

[Commuter Dude]

That's a real name, by the way.

[John Gerard]

And I work with Bonnie, a friend of Jenny at 11 alive. Bonnie invited me to the white trash party on Friday.

[Commuter Dude]

I don't know that we needed to say that, but. Okay.

[John Gerard]

Okay.

[Jeff]

No, those are fun.

[Laurie]

There's plenty of white trash parties around.

[Commuter Dude]

Okay.

[Christina]

Yeah, there's lots of them.

[Laurie]

Yeah.

[John Gerard]

But unfortunately, I couldn't go afterwards. When looking at the pics, I regretted missing it for two reasons. One, it looked like a blast. Here we go.

[Jeff]

Now, wait a minute.

[Commuter Dude]

Hold on. Cause I just approach down the rabbit

[John Gerard]

hole approaching Creeper Avenue.

[Commuter Dude]

Don't.

[Christina]

Don't. Influence.

[John Gerard]

Okay, okay, okay.

[Jeff]

Well, here's my question, though. Because you called it a white trash party, Was it a legitimate. Was that the theme of the party? Or did you evaluate that after seeing the pictures?

[Commuter Dude]

That's just how I was gonna go. That's just my nature. So that's how I was gonna go.

[John Gerard]

Maybe that's what she was offended by.

[Commuter Dude]

It wasn't all my tr.

[Jeff]

Maybe it was at her house.

[Christina]

I wear jean shorts all the time. I'll appreciate that as a gator family.

[John Gerard]

So he says. I regretted missing it for two reasons. One, it looked like a blast. And two, I saw you in one of the shots, so I asked Bonnie to find out your name so I could message you and ask about your situation again. I hope this isn't too weird and creepy. If it is, no worries. Just ignore it. And here's the offensive part. The little smiley face.

[Commuter Dude]

I know.

[Caller]

Yeah.

[John Gerard]

That's where.

[Commuter Dude]

Yeah. You can't leave smiley faces.

[Christina]

Smiley, and then that's it.

[Commuter Dude]

Yeah.

[John Gerard]

Then a little smiley, and then John.

[Commuter Dude]

Pretty tame, right?

[Christina]

So what'd she do?

[Commuter Dude]

Pretty tame.

[Laurie]

I wouldn't have been offended by that.

[Commuter Dude]

Okay, well, here's what I mean. Everyone knows that proper Facebook etiquette is if you're not interested, you just ignore it, Right? Ideally, you'd love to get a little message back that says, thanks, not interested, whatever. But if you're not interested, ignore it. I think that's Proper Facebook etiquette. She blocked me. She blocked me from being able to tell the difference. Well, here's what happened. I was checking through my sent folders on an unrelated topic, and I happened to look and browse that email, and I saw that her picture was gone. That's kind of odd. And then the name that was hyperlinked, that was gone too. And I was talking to a friend. I'm like, I think Facebook is broken. Because I emailed this girl, and her picture's gone and the hyperlink's gone.

[Jeff]

It's not Facebook that's broken at your heart.

[Commuter Dude]

Well, that is true. Jeff.

[John Gerard]

Oh, my God.

[Commuter Dude]

So easily. But that's Jeff for you. So anyway, I'm like. And he's like, no, dude, she blocked you. If the picture's gone, the hyperlink's gone. She blocked you. And I'm like, wow, that is from that note. She blocked me.

[John Gerard]

It seemed like it was.

[Commuter Dude]

It seemed like it was overtly hostile.

[John Gerard]

Here's the thing is that you don't know what her.

[Christina]

Or just defensive.

[John Gerard]

You don't know what her history is. Like, maybe she's had to deal with, like, email creepers before.

[Christina]

That's what I mean.

[John Gerard]

And she's just playing it really, really conservative because based on my feminine opinion, there's not a lot. There's nothing in here, really.

[Laurie]

That's offensive because you reference friends.

[Christina]

I think it's flattering.

[Jeff]

I think that your friend, either your friend or your friend of a friend, sold you out. In what way? Like, I think Bonnie or the. I think. What's the name of the girl that you. That you messaged? The name you gave.

[Commuter Dude]

Cindy.

[Jeff]

I think Cindy went back and did a little recon and went back to either your co worker, the co worker's friend. I was like, what's up with this John dude? And they're like, I mean, he's nice enough, but he's weird.

[John Gerard]

He's bold.

[Commuter Dude]

Yeah.

[Jeff]

He's unconventional.

[Commuter Dude]

Weird.

[John Gerard]

I think she said weird. Weird.

[Commuter Dude]

Odd.

[Christina]

I know.

[Commuter Dude]

But even still is that worthy of a block, and that was pretty much the question I wanted to ask you guys was that block. Was that it would all be block worthy.

[John Gerard]

Well, it depends. I mean, if this. If Jeff's scenario in his head is true, and she goes to get a scouting report from the one person that knows the both of you, and you don't get a really passing grade.

[Commuter Dude]

So this is Bonnie's fault. She's listening right now.

[Laurie]

Bonnie, I see that what you're saying, but if you only message. Yeah, that's not worth blocking. Like, the only people I've ever blocked are like random, you know, X rated spam crap that has come through. I've blocked that. And the only person I've ever defriended was a friend in the past where there was drama and they kept, kept, kept messaging me. And it's like I've tried to ignore you and you're not getting the hint. So I defriended them. But just one. I don't understand.

[Commuter Dude]

And that's how I'm one and out. If I don't get a response, I'm done. You know, because why bother?

[Christina]

You know, I would say that the only part of the email that I would change is when you use the word creepy. There's no reason to use that word in there at all.

[John Gerard]

I hope this isn't too weird.

[Christina]

And I think you could say, I think you say, I hope this isn't inappropriate. Yeah, and that would have been, that would have been it. But I think maybe, maybe her red flag went off because you said weird and creepy because you were trying not to be. And like, I don't know, just using those words might have flagged it, but it certainly wouldn't have been block Word.

[Commuter Dude]

Block word.

[Jeff]

Not worth a book.

[Commuter Dude]

Block.

[John Gerard]

Hey, Laurie. Good Morning. You're on Q100.

[Caller]

Oh, hey. I just had a little advice. I think instead of writing like this whole long paragraph, I think he should have just been like, hey, what's up? You know, I was supposed to go to that party, but I didn't. And I saw your picture. I think you're cute, but I don't know, I just think he like, explained himself too much and was like, I didn't go. Number one, it looked like a blast. Number two, I saw you were there. I don't know, it was just like a little too much detail. I think if you would have been more brief, then she would have been like, okay, sounds I like that you

[John Gerard]

dropped a couple of names that she knows too.

[Laurie]

I mean, I see what you're saying, but still, I think the issue is whether he should have been blocked.

[Christina]

Well, and too brief to me would be like, he's cruisin' or think it's even better that there was a little more meat to the, to the message because it was just tailored to her. If it was like, hey, baby, you're cute.

[Laurie]

What's up?

[Christina]

Sorry I missed the party. It's like you could have sent that to every single person in all of the pictures.

[Commuter Dude]

Well, I did. No, I did. I'm just kidding.

[John Gerard]

Just one more piece of advice on this. Hey, Christina, Good morning. You're on with Commuter Dude.

[Caller]

Good morning. I just wanted to say the one thing that would turn me off about that email is him saying, what's your situation? I think he could have said it a little bit, you know, nicer than what's your situation.

[Commuter Dude]

I love that your listeners are. They're editing me. I love that. Oh, yeah, I think that's great.

[Laurie]

You came to the table.

[Commuter Dude]

That's why I'm here.

[Jeff]

Do you think she got all excited for a quick second thinking you were Marc Arum, and then when she realized you were.

[Commuter Dude]

No, I think she thought it was Jim Basile and was excited. And then when she realized I wasn't Jim Basile, it all went straight to hell.

[John Gerard]

Check out commuter dude on 11 Alive.

[Commuter Dude]

When are you on in the morning? 6:15 to 6:30. It kind of depends on what's going on that day and when we can get you guys on.

[Jeff]

Follows him every single day.

[Commuter Dude]

We are either before or after. We're kind of in the same ballpark, though.

[John Gerard]

Okay. Or you can always email commuter dude@11alive as well and tell him where all the potholes are.

[Commuter Dude]

Yeah, but I might block you. Hey, the bird show.