Well, from what I can tell of the OP, Bob was looking to "casually" bump into her via MySpace, which is less "casually bumping into someone" and more "creepy."

But it's basically the minimum amount of effort he could put into it. He could have put months into learning computer hacking and hacked into the FBI database to see if he could track down her number, in order to drive to her house, break in, and hide under her bed so he could hop out and surprise her at her most vulnerable moment with a, "Hey, we met at that con or whatever, wanna go out for coffee sometime?"

Basically Bob is putting so little effort into this stalking business it is pathetic really! He is amateur at best.

You're on the right path. Best of luck next year.

Yeah, man. Sorry 'bout this. Good luck.

Or next year you can hack the largest display there and show her picture with "Are you here?" (or a crude sketch if you lack a picture). Show that you care before she even sees you.

Did I miss anyone?

Yes, Bob's inevitable arrest and imprisonment would be as nothing in the face of his pure undying magical luuuuuuuuv~

zomg u guyz it'd totally be just liek Shakespeare n shit

...but seriously, Bob, I think you did well to take the pleasant conversation for what it was and not to get nosy. Think of it like this: should the situation arise (unlikely as it may be) that she should ever see you again, her memory of you, should she have any, is "that pleasant fellow I talked to at a convention" instead of "that creepy asshole who thought a brief conversation was justification enough to track me and my family down on MySpace". You're generally always better off erring on the side of respecting a woman's boundaries.

As for everyone else: If I ever find myself in the midst of a romantic problem, the first thing I'm gonna do is ask the NPF for advice. Then I will read that advice and make a point of disregarding whatever you all told me to do, because whatever it is (a) can't possibly be a good idea and (b) is probably illegal.

Mac

Sheesh, the "hide under their bed and pop out to surprise them while they're getting dressed" routine has gotten me tons of datescourt dates with chicks.

That ones a given though.