these social networks

Marc’s Voice:

“So I apparently broke some rules on Orkut and have been banned. that is – my account is in ‘jail’.”

I took a tour through the wonderland that is Orkut myself last night: I feel too old to be there. All the listings indicate your relationship status (married, single, committed, open) which is something I rarely care about in a casual or more sustained relationship.

But more to the point, I think Scoble sums it up:

As a business person, my blog is far far far more useful than filling out a form of made up BS. Why? Because you can’t fake a blog for a long time if you use it for business purposes. If you lack integrity. If you are a jerk. If you are dishonest. It’ll be found out here.

What’s the old Bill Cosby joke about cocaine? He asked what was so great about it, and someone told him “it intensifies your personality.” Upon which point he pondered, “but what if you’re an asshole?”

Seriously, I can’t see the point of any of these: I think your network is an extension of what you do and who you are. If you contribute code to or write user docs for a project, your network/community stems from that involvement. If you’re an online commentator with some clue or insight on a topic (Daring Fireball or Freedom to Tinker come to mind), your network is drawn from your readers.

I’m not sure you can build one to order.

[Posted with ecto]