Aspiring Social Networks: Stop Designing Out The Fun
mechanicalrobotfish.com
mechanicalrobotfish.com
Everyone has different levels and skills in socialization. Like anything, you can get better with practice. However, I can see certain social rituals being a burden. Gift giving is often tough. I wouldn't mind that a social network help me figure out what gift to give friends/coworkers. Being thoughtful is tough. We know lots of people nowadays, and it's simply hard to write a personalized note for so many people. Simply helping remembering people that you just met once before would be something I'd rather outsource than micromanage.
Here's what I'd say:
A system which keeps track of all the gifts that you've given friends/coworkers? Great! That system is helping you to manage the gifts, but you are still in control.
A system in which the gifts get chosen and sent automatically? Not so great. What's the algorithm? If it's "give everyone fruitcake", why do I need a computer to figure that out? If it's "spy on their gmail accounts to figure out what they like"... well, that's pure evil. Your co-workers will be completely creeped out by your eerily specific gifts... Christmas will feel like the Twilight Zone. And I'm not convinced there's much middle ground between these two models. After all, if you find it hard to be thoughtful, how on earth do you expect the Googlebot to find it easy? The Googlebot may cost more than you, but it is not remotely as thoughtful.
Meanwhile, I too long for the day when my iPhone will remember the names of everyone I meet. I just don't think that it should be put in charge of answering my mail, or writing my dialogue. And I seriously doubt that it will be any good at telling the difference between my first meeting with the new mailman, my first meeting with an annoying traveling salesman, my first meeting with my future wife, and my first meeting with Linus Torvalds. That will still be my job.
Amazon wishlist? (Granted, it does require the participation of the recipients, but that's the price of privacy.)
Edit: There could easily be an automated system where you type in things you know the recipient has and likes, and then it trawls through an Amazon-style recommendation system to find similar items.