Visualizing Personal Networks
There is a useful article posted yesterday on the New York Times Technology section on "Software to Look for Experts Among Your Friends".
This is a really interesting way to explore the kind of networking afforded by web applications like OpenBC, LinkedIn, Ecademy, MySpace, Passado, Orkut, iWiW, or one of the many other Social and Business networking service providers.
There is also potential to exploit the Friend of a Friend (FOAF) markup language within companies. A way to manage and develop your value network (or Guanxi as the Chinese call it) as well as establish the knowedge flow within business and personal relationships.
Clearly a beneficial Knowledge Management tool, particularly in deciding the composition of Project Groups.
I consider this a better and more secure route than using services such as Plaxo linked to your private address book, though if you are a dedicated Outlook user then something like Cortege may suite your needs.
What we really need is a service that offers:
1. method to easily collect and aggregate "people content", far beyond what Plaxo offers
2. help the user to visualize their network and help to make intelligent cross-connections between people who share certain interests,memberships, employees etc..
3. let the user manage and classify, automated or manually, in accordance to what he wants to achieve, like "show me all people who are translators in my area and set up an automatic request for their language skills so I can arrange a dinner";
4. help the user to share information and files instantly, with their peers, friends or other "people clouds" were defined in steps 1-3.
5. to do this in a visual and intuitive way.
This will require combining sematic webs, social networking, mind mapping and folksonomies.
