Carrie D. Griffin, a second-year law student, the third link in one of these chains, addressed Hulsey as "oh struggling one" and proceeded to explain to him that women are looking for men who anticipate their needs.

"People who got it forwarded it on--and it just mushroomed," said Griffin, who sent it to at least seven other women, mostly her undergraduate friends from Swarthmore.

Hulsey's theories that men and women could not communicate did ring true to at least some of the women.

"Women wish men knew what they wanted without having to be told," Valerie Y.C. Hung said.

Dotson-Westphalen said the main reason people joined in was for the humor factor, but more serious issues came into play.

"I think it's partly that it's helping out one hapless member of the male gender," Dotson-Westphalen said.

But to most, the whole thing was a joke. "It's always good to have an excuse to tell people what they want," said Nina A. Kohn, a second-year law student. "I don't think it's commentary on male-female relations."

Hulsey and Dotson-Westphalen both noted the fact that the responses were so wide ranging.