Social Networks - The Winds of Change

Can social networks change the world? Yes, they can, in the words of Barack Obama's election campaign. That campaign itself provided evidence that the tools of "Web 2.0" - the community-driven web - can really make a difference.

I read online that Tim O'Reilly founder of O'Reilly Media, challenged the Web 2.0 community to come up with something more productive than time-wasting Facebook applications - singling out "Superpoke" (got to agree with him...I hated getting superpoked), which invites users to interact with their friends by throwing imaginary sheep or is it goats at each other (among other things).

After this challenge was issued, the Obama election campaign launched the Obama '08 iPhone application. The application organised and prioritised contacts in key battleground states, "making it easy for campaigners to reach out and make an impact quickly".The application also showed how the user's call statistics compared with the national average - this would make those campaigners feel like they're part of something bigger.

There is certainly one network site that I can think of off hand that would satisfy O'Reilly's challenge. That site is Accesscity, for example, it is a social networking site through which a community of Londoners are helping to identify the simplest routes across the city for those with mobility issues - be it pushing a baby buggy to carrying heavy bags.

'Goodwill points'

At the other end of the spectrum, there is a social network (sorry the name eludes me right now) that has helped people around the world to meet up in 20-strong groups to share thoughts on the leading economic issues of the day. The site provided a counterpoint to the G-20 back in April, when finance ministers and central bank governors from the world's leading economies met in London. This site aims to draw solutions from the community discussion, rather than relying on politicians to lead the way. If anything, it at least gives people a voice.

One social network that deserves a mention and is already beginning to deliver on its aims is Zimride. Zimride is a carpool scheme powered by Google maps, a social network and, according to the Zimride site, a "ride-matching algorithm". Since its inception in 2007, Zimride claims to have enabled some 300,000 users worldwide to carpool who might otherwise never have met. Could be a great way to meet a potential mate as well:) Social media applications like this one might be the way of the future. Facebook users might one day compete to see who can gain the most "global good will points", - working for the greater good, rather than for their own amusement.