Apparently, there's a new kind of drought that's being experienced by those of the feminine persuasion. To put that more simply, women are having trouble keeping men interested in them, and SMS could be one of the culprits.

According to a report from News.com.au, that's what came out of a recent dating workshop held in Sydney to coincide with the publication of the latest book on finding and keeping a man by relationships advice columnist Dr Cindy Pan and radio personality Bianca Dye.

Both women, who drew on their own experiences to write their "guide to love and the modern girl" in the book "How to Play Hard to Get: How to Catch and Keep Mr Right, Not Mr Right Now," said that the advent of instant communication, such as SMS, has spawned a whole host of problems.

One of these is chronic insecurity. Sending someone an SMS and then turning yourself into a nervous wreck over the fact that that certain someone hasn't replied yet after five minutes is a sure sign of chronic insecurity (except of course if it's in the context of an actual life-and-death emergency).

So, what advice do the experts have? Turn off your mobile phone. Stop logging on to your computer at midnight and checking emails. "Women need to back away," said Dr. Pan. "They need to trust themselves, trust their attractiveness, and maintain a certain amount of reserve. Don't chase."