Episode 1 - a podcast by BBC Radio 4

Alan Dein attempts to cross the world on a series of late night excursions via Facebook and Skype - discovering the real life dramas behind the online profiles across two programmes.

It's a hesitant start as Alan starts from a "Friend" count of zero, struggling to lure users away from the anonymity of the keyboard to the glare of the webcam - and engage in real verbal communication. Yet over five long late nights, he gradually builds up a circle of friends, crossing the time zones and discovering some startling stories.In programme one, Alan's in the realm of love and loss - online and offline. He connects with a single parent snowbound in Nova Scotia, an Egyptian whose online romance turned sour and a Pakistani yearning for a girl from the wrong caste.

In programme two, he's among those dreaming of freedom, talking to a man car-jacked in Caracas, and an Iranian evading the electronic eavesdropping of the authorities.Previously, Alan Dein brought us the acclaimed Don't Hang Up, in which he set himself the task of calling phone boxes around the world to see who picked up. This time, the project reaches a whole new scale.

Producers: Laurence Grissell and Sarah Bowen.

Further episodes of Don't Log Off

Further podcasts by BBC Radio 4

Website of BBC Radio 4