26-year-old Joe Hill, who is based in Boston, Masachussetts, was confused to find himself added to the 12,000-strong ‘Good or Bad Jersey Businesses’ community some years ago.
Pictured: Joe Hill’s post on the group.
And what followed was a rather spectacular: the island stranger was welcomed with open arms – and nearly 900 ‘likes’ – in a matter of hours.
Dozens piled in with praise for Jersey, while others invited him to come and stay. But first, they took to the vital issue of clarifying exactly where the island is.
Posting a map, Jane Pinel wrote: “Here we are. It’s regularly foggy here.” To which Joe responded: “Look at the size of it, I bet I’ve read posts from 2/3rds of your population.”
One islander quipped about the States Assembly politicians, provoking a reply from Joe alluding to the US’ own orange problem in a very big white house: “It could be worse… trust me.”
Summing up island life rather neatly, Joe Bouchard wrote: “We have cows on our money and we grow some bloody fine spuds eh! #allyouneedtoknow”
Melanie Le Maistre chipped in with a tribute that would make tourism officials proud: “Welcome to Jersey! There are issues wherever you live/visit and lots of people that enjoy a moan – but I love my little island and think it’s paradise – life is short so I choose to wear my rose tinted glasses, turn my head away from the grumpies and enjoy the best bits – like spectacular sun sets, beautiful beaches, lovely restaurants – but my favourite is a bbq on the beach with family and friends. #visitjersey and experience #theislandbreak”
Pictured: Islanders tried to entice Joe with talk of the island’s beautiful bays.
So keen were islanders to get Joe over that hotelier Alex Dolan of the Dolan Hotels Group offered a free stay, while the general manager of JBs threw in some free food.
Responding to the overwhelming response from islanders, Joe Hill told Express that he would love to take up the visit offer.
He did have one reservation, however: “My friends think this is some kind of trap like the land of lost hope from Jonathan Strange and Mr Norell, or the cult in Hot Fuzz… or maybe the place they’re describing in Hotel California by the Eagles… Maybe they’re right, but I’m willing to take the risk.”
Speaking about how he first got involved with the group, he said: “I don’t know how I ended up in the group, I noticed I was getting posts for Jersey businesses and at first assumed it was for the state of New Jersey, which is still a few hundred miles away from me. I tried to leave several times over the course of a few weeks but I somehow kept getting added back in.
“After a while I had grown too fond of the group to want to leave.”
So after the lashings of attention from local beans, what has been his highlight of being in the group?
Engaging with a “lovely woman” in the throes of a classic ‘Good or Bad Businesses’ rant.
“She was extraordinarily drunk and in an argument with about 30 Jersians(?). I was on her side because her level of pettiness and aggression was so intense it was admirable.”
Well, there’s little more to say than ‘Séyiz les beinv’nus’, Joe! Actually, might be a little too soon to introduce him to Jerriais…
Despite later realising that not only was the group completely unrelated to any area of the US, but was in fact a tiny nine-by-five island more than 5,200km away, he decided to stay put.
After years of absorbing food reviews, praise for removals companies and questions about whether B&Q is open on a Sunday, the non-Jersey member decided to finally break his silence:
“This is my favorite Facebook group. I’ve been in it for 4 years now and live in North America. Idk [I don’t know] how I ended up in here but I had previously never heard of Jersey and still only have the foggiest idea of where it is.
“But if anyone ever asks me I can tell them where not to get their car fixed in Jersey,” he jokingly wrote.