Ever wonder if that “poke” you got from a friend on Facebook was really more of an invitation for sex rather than a friendly “hello”?

Well, now you can get around the awkward wondering with a new app that notifies other friends if the two of you want to “bang.”

Here is the breakdown: A person installs the “Bang With Friends” app. That person clicks any friends they might want to sleep with. The friends they might want to sleep with will only be notified of the desire should that same friend also have clicked the desire to sleep with that person.

Long and the short is, people don’t have to worry about if the other person is going to feel awkward about their advances.

Now, there are some obvious problems with the whole plan, namely the whole friends having sex thing. Sex is already an awkward situation for some folks, and then, adding that to a friendship can quickly destroy the relationship.

Those worries aside, this app appears to be a marvelous bit of technological advancement for all those out there that are not afraid of “no strings” sex and see it as healthy.

Yes, the app goes against many religious teachings and some more traditional outlooks toward relationships and fornication, but those folks that dislike it won’t know about what does or does not go on as they will never be notified due to the way the program is set up.

A big fear with the program though is when those under 18 start using it as there are always ways around any age restrictions involved in using the app. But then, problems like that already exist when using Facebook anyways, and with time, the program should have a lot of those problems covered.

As of now, the app appears to be more centered around men and their desire to get down, which makes sense given men tend to be a bit more talkative about constant sexual desire. As the app matures, maybe it will come to encompass homosexuality and alter its marketing to target more than the Y chromosome or just heterosexuals.

There is also the possibility for someone to just click all of their friends as would-be partners just to see who is going to click them for some intimate times without actually having any intention of following through with it.

That could result in some serious embarrassment for those using the app. However, why would people want to have a friend who was enough of a jerk to do something of that sort? Maybe this app will finally help people to stop accepting every random person they meet as a “friend.”

Complaints about the death of personal communication will be stirred fully by this new way to circumvent actual in-real-life getting-to-know-you conversation. Those fears will be around as long as technology and the Internet continue to offer people new means to do things. So cast them aside. It isn’t as if this is any worse than spending hours in a bar trying to get enough liquid and regular courage together to hit on, with the likely intent of sleeping with, that certain someone.

It could be said the app is hardly different from dating sites currently available, and those people would be right. Really, all the app does is cut out some of the time people might spend cruising the “one night stand” preferences but with one big difference: The app cuts out most of the creepy folks that someone looking just for a hookup is bombarded by.

Yes, this app is likely going to be a headache for some women as they discover that almost every male friend they have wants to get in their pants, but a little honesty can go a long way.

Who knows, the app could finally begin to show some men out there that women are sexual creatures the same as men when guys realize the girls they are into had to be in the same mindset for the app to function. “By your powers combined, we are sexuality!”

Use of the app doesn’t even have to be for sex; it could just be so people know the attraction is there and, therefore, get the ball rolling for a date. Or it could eliminate the wonder of if a date should end with a nice handshake or a trip to the bedroom.

Maybe, just maybe, the app will allow some friends who never would otherwise have gotten up the nerve to express their healthy sexual desires to jump into the sack. Just having that release granted from sexual activity, or merely knowing that they are desired, could be a huge moral boost to a lot of people.

Obviously, this app isn’t for everyone, but for those who enjoy sex as a fun and health activity, it is something to look into.

In the immortal words of Rodney Dangerfield in his first film appearance, “Caddyshack:” “Hey everybody, we’re all gonna get laid!“

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Gabriel Stoffa is a graduate student in political science from Ottumwa, Iowa.