I read an interesting idea over at:
http://www.entrepreneur2be.com/2007/10/18/idea-datingmeeting-site-in-real-life/.
He's talking about using location-based information combined with
dating information for meeting people. He also muddles it with the
scenario of finding a professor who teaches subject X ("ANN"
in this case).
I think the concept is interesting, but think of it more
broadly: social networking. I'll go into more detail in a minute,
but first a scenario:
I recently looked through the friends' list of some of my
friends on a social networking site. You know, you see that Johnny
recently friend-ed Paul and you wonder, "How is Paul these days?
WHERE is Paul these days I haven't heard boo in over 10 years!" You
click on Paul and follow a few rabbit trails. You find a common
friends who you haven't friend-ed yet (and you do) and, one of them
lives in the same city as you. So someone who was a close friend
15+ years ago while you lived in a different country now lives in
the same city as you and you find them online by browsing the
friend list of a common friend whom you also knew 15+ years ago in
a different country but that person is now on the other side of the
globe. The beauty of the internet.
Anyways, let's say that my mobile phone was part o the social
network app/website/thingy. Let's say I put some information on
there as "allowed to be viewed by people nearby." Maybe a few
interests, a country I lived in, and the high school I went to, and
my name and a picture… maybe that's too much - let's leave
privacy out of this discussion for the moment - we're in Utopia
here.
So I happen to be in the mall one day and I get a beep: someone
else from my high school is in the mall. Except I don't live in the
same city as where I went to high school (not even the same
country) - so this is unusual. I click and find a name and can send
a message to that person and say "Hi."
This isn't social networking anymore, it's maybe
digital-network-enhanced-networking now. Seems like a good idea to
me. Oh yeah, sort out the privacy, right. But otherwise, a very
simple extension on the existing social networks.