I have a list I keep of a bunch of different applications for social networks (Yes, I'm incrediably lame...). I see them as insanely powerful, and yet we're left with... MySpace. Like any other internet technology, social networks have been pioneered by smut. Slowly though, it seems people are starting to deliver on the promise of the medium.

Slashdot had a post regarding a new service called Illumio (oh god... I feel some sort of harry potter joke coming on, and I'm not sure how I'll be able to include mike propst) that turns your social network into a knowledge net. Ask a question, and it will seek out an answer through your friends group. There's not much intelligence going on in that scenario, outside of keeping track of who is able to answer what, but it should work decently.

If you're thinking something like this does not have much application or utility, replace the word 'friends' with 'co-workers' and maybe it'll become clear how this kind of approach could really benefit a distributed team or company (one of decent size, at least, bigger than Weblogs, Inc.)

From a technical point of view, there's not much exciting to see. From a "big picture" view of social network applications outside of friendster-clones though, it's kinda fun.

Slashdot had an article yesterday talking about misunderstood e-mails. Working virtually, we're constantly dealing with email and IM, and naturally, miscommunication can sometimes happen. Usually it just takes an added email or im to clarify things, but still something that comes up now and again.

When things are moving quickly and there is a lot on the table, I tend to be pretty direct. It's not intended to offend or come across as gruff, I just state my case, sometimes a bit thoroughly, fire and forget. Gavin and I have worked so much together, we're able to just bark out needs and concerns, and go about our business as usual. I guess it just takes enough personal face to face interaction with someone to have that level of trust, where you know its nothing personal, it's just about getting things done. It's those types of factors that make our CodeJam's so worthwhile. We're able to get a better feeling for each person and their style of interactions. It really helps build our virtual team.

The article Slashdot referenced is at Christian Science Monitor, and is a decent (if not obvious) read. They do make some suggestions on how to better avoid these types of situations. Mainly to reread things and check tone and consistency. Read it sarcastically, read it serious, read it in different lights, and see if your message is still coming across. Sounds great (if not obvious), but also sounds like it would increase the time I spend in e-mail 300%. I'd imagine a great deal of the miscommunication happens (at least in my case) when someone is short on time to begin with...

Those that know me well are aware of my 'hobby' involvements.

I'm really into leadership, team dynamics, goal setting, personal development, and all that other 'soft factor' managerial stuff. I'm an advisor for a fraternity up at the University of Maryland, which is an extension of my earlier involvement back in my undergraduate days. One of the primary reasons I stick around is so I can do all those geeky activities at retreats. I'm not sure why, but I've always been into soft factors, and really love passing on the lessons of leadership to others (or alternatively, when someone passes them on to me ;)

Thats a big reason why I chose my masters degree (one day I'll find time to finish) to be centered on knowledge management (with a side focus on usability, but thats neither here nor there). I see a huge lack of software geared towards managing soft factors. Engineers, naturally I guess, may not have the social skills to see the potential applications.

Anyway, reading techcrunch this morning, I saw they had a write up on a site called Mecanbe. It appears to be more centered around personal development, but there is mention of a team aspect to it. Planning, charting and monitoring team performance is something that may turn out to be their money maker. Much of teamwork is simply getting (and staying) on the same page -- fighting for the same cause. That's where goal setting exercises come in handy. As more and more of our teams become virtual, the idea that we can take these activities online seems appealing, but simple chat room sessions just can't cut it.