PeopleAggregator - An Open Source Social Network

prostoalex writes "When Orkut, LinkedIn, Friendster, Zaibatsu and Tribe.net just don't cut it, meet PeopleAggregator, an open-source, PHP-written, FOAF-based social network. There's the site and there's the source in case you decide to launch your own. I found out about PeopleAggregator reading this interview with Mark Canter on Read/Write Web today." I wish such sites would provide profile-conversion tools to encourage jumping ship from one to another.

Wow

Another (better?) method to avoid coming in physical contact with other people.

Re:Wow

Face it, using the internet as our primary means of communicating is inevitable.

Please tell me where I can get off whatever train you're riding on, because I don't think your world is or will be a very nice place to live in.

75% of the communications I have with people are still good old fashioned face-to-face conversations, and I would venture a guess that for most people the number is not much different. For most people the internet is replacing the ways we would communicate over long distances (phone call, snail mail), but it's not, nor do I think it ever will be, a suitable replacement for real physical interactions. And if I am somehow proven wrong, please shoot me before it happens.

I agree with everything else you said. Developers have already decimated our town squares, traditional shopping districts, and other public spaces and replaced them with malls and other quasi-public areas, where the only speech and the only activities allowed are the ones they deem to be "appropriate". Why should we let them fully enclose our virtual commons as well?

Yes making funny comments on /.

Sad bastards who get marked funny on slashdot are well known to have no contact with people let alone physical contact with either sex.

Thank god I am not one of those.

Re:Yes making funny comments on /.

I'd flag you troll, or informative, or insightful, or flamebait, or anything else that's not funny out of pity, but they took my mod points away when I started pretending that I had a life.

I was only kidding... Stupid mods. I have no life! Come on guys!

Re:Wow

Social networks are only as useful as your own perceptions. While not a proponent myself, I've seen valid declarations for and against them (in general), open or closed (to the public), etc. It seems that those that look to them for substitutions for an actual social life are typically disappointed since male to female ratios are nominal at best. On the other hand those that look to these networks as opportunities to meet people (or keep in contact with people) from varied backgrounds and locations who share interests or needs (programming help, contractors, games, etc.) generally have much better luck than say randomly talking to someone in a bar.

If these networks were to try and cater to the lonely hearts out there, they would be no better than dating services, except they would likely prove to be disappointing in that regard, little better than just jumping into any of the myriad chat rooms out there. Perhaps this is validating invitation only networks (ala Orkut), who's to say?

A drawback to social networks is end user propagation and activity. Maintaining, checking, browsing and so on seems, to me at least, like a time consuming activity. One which I lack the desire and the time to follow. I tend to be a bit of a hermit, often times putting my IMs as away just to concentrate on the task at hand while I sit at my computer. I suppose when the "killer" social network comes along, I'll sign up and stay, until then they remain little more than academic interests in a field that is reaching oversaturation and little innovation.

Looks like

it aggregated too many people.

Re:Looks like

Looks like a sausagefest too. Marc? Ben? Roland? Sean?

I need Charlenes here people. Claires. Colettes. Tortured twentysomething souls who lean forward in sleazy web cam shots just to show a little cleavage.

Work with me here! :)

-fren

Future ideas

So true. And whereas this was an obvious Slashdot Effect joke, there is some insight hidden behind the idea.

Obviously the concept of a social network site where the entire network has to register with one site is going to be doomed to failure in the end.

The first problem is that in order to build a social network big enough to fit everyone interested in being registered on the network, you need a cluster big enough to store every user on the Internet. By my guess, Orkut is the only one with access to this kind of cluster size, because it is hosted by Google.

The second problem is that as soon as you have two social network sites, you have a problem where someone wants to be on both sites. Then you add a third site and you have a problem where that person wants to be on three sites. How many social network sites are there now?

This is the same problem we already see with instant messaging, and is why the newer, more sophisticated IM systems such as Jabber allow the servers to intercommunicate. You can be on whatever server you want, and have contacts on your list who are on whatever server they want.

So here is my idea: distribute the social networks. A user joins the server they want, is allocated a user id which is [e-mail], analogous to a Jabber ID, and they can add people to their network who exist on other servers.

Communities would work similarly with [e-mail], people join a community by registering their user ID on the server which hosts the community. For instance, the Slashdot community might be [e-mail].

Now, if all these communities can export FOAF and RDF and agree on how to do any other kind of data manipulation, any program can easily merge cross-site data together to form larger networks if they need, and the work won't have to be done by a single server, it can be done on the client at the user's leisure.

And more importantly, the solution will actually scale.

Who's with me?

Re:Future ideas

a friendster or orkut would have no incentive to do this.

their critical mass of millions of members is their biggest asset (and the thing that is hard to acquire -- the tech part is relatively easy; witness all the knockoffs); opening it up to all other comers (i.e. their competitors) would be foolish, just as it would be foolish for AOL/AIM to open up their user base to MSN, their biggest competitor (unless both user bases were equally sized, in which case they would both benefit equally, or the smaller network paid the larger one for access.)

-fren

Re:Future ideas

I agree with you both...FOAF doesn't work without interconnectivity and there's a huge disincentive for FOAF providers to open their network because the positive network effects are the entire reason behind doing this. That, of course, brings me to the open source issue.

The backend code for Slashter and PeopleAggregator are both GPL'd. That's great and very much in the flavor of "information wants to be free." The challenge is that the relationships here are the real information, and until this is all opened up there's really no freedom.

I met with a few MSFT reps to talk about the possibilities of Passport, and one of the diagrams they showed us had these relationships between user id and every connection you would want to make (web sites, email, chat, credit cards, online shopping, bill pay...pretty much all of it). Don't bother with the anti-MSFT stuff...I'm already a convert. But consider the big idea behind it: have one public id and one private id and free us to exchange with whomever we want. That's true freedom from the Yahoo!'s, AOLs and MSN's of the world.

We spend a huge amount of time thinking about platforms and software that we can give away for free but maybe that doesn't really matter. I don't care so much that all of these different open source word processors work...I care that they allow me to fulfill the task at hand and share my work with others. I don't care if I use Photoshop or Gimp, but I DO care if I can share high-quality images with my clients. And I don't care if I use a Yahoo! account or a Friendster account...what I want most is to just connect with services and people and let the rest of this all be transparent. And from my perspective, this sounds like the next big opportunity for true open source work. Replicate Passport, make it bulletproof and use it to power all of these services. Then you finally take away the power from the big corporations.

Of course, funding this indefinitely could be a problem. But you could argue the same thing about Linux...so there's a solution in there somewhere.

It's a damn good thing...

...email was invented and a widespread standard before the web appeared. Seriously, all the cool new applications on the net are completely fractured, competing with each other for eyeballs to bombard with advertisements.

I can only hope that we, the net citizens, will eventually push back on these mega sites to get some standards produced.

Imagine if each ISP ran a standards-compliant IM server for its users. No more "Do you use Yahoo or MSN? No, oh well, we can't chat." Instead, each IM server vendor would compete to have ISPs install their server but work with all other vendors' products instead of segregating users into disparate networks.

Re:Future ideas

Sounds interesting. I'm too busy reading slashdot all day to implement such a thing, though.

*cough*

Slashster [sourceforge.net]

Slashster is an Open Source PHP / Mysql based FOAF.

Congrats to PeopleAggregator for making Slashdot though. Dunno why my site didn't make front page... Heh.

What's the point ?

Even though opensource is a good thing, why make it so anyone can install it. If it's not certizilied, it's not going to make many hits or matchs. If it was two people like over /. or a message board, that would be different because you aren't looking for a stranger.

the wonders of PHP:

Warning: mysql_pconnect(): Too many connections in /usr/web/peopleaggregator/env_production/lib/adodb /drivers/adodb-mysql.inc.php on line 251

Warning: mysql_pconnect(): Too many connections in /usr/web/peopleaggregator/env_production/lib/adodb /drivers/adodb-mysql.inc.php on line 251

Session: connection failed

Warning: session_start(): Cannot send session cookie - headers already sent by (output started at /usr/web/peopleaggregator/env_production/lib/adodb /drivers/adodb-mysql.inc.php:251) in /usr/web/peopleaggregator/env_production/lib/main. php on line 36

Warning: session_start(): Cannot send session cache limiter - headers already sent (output started at /usr/web/peopleaggregator/env_production/lib/adodb /drivers/adodb-mysql.inc.php:251) in /usr/web/peopleaggregator/env_production/lib/main. php on line 36

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /usr/web/peopleaggregator/env_production/lib/adodb /drivers/adodb-mysql.inc.php:251) in /usr/web/peopleaggregator/env_production/lib/main. php on line 37

Re:the wonders of PHP:

That has nothing to do with PHP.

That comes from an incompetent server admin.

Rule #1 for production PHP:
php.ini -> display_errors = Off

Re:the wonders of PHP:

Errr, surely rule #1 is to make sure you allow more mysql processes than maximum apache children?

Is it a common php 'admin' mindset to just hide errors rather than make sure they don't happen in the first place?

Nerdy friend connection?

What ever happened to people meeting at the mall, bars, concerts, school, etc...??

I hate to admit it, but I imagine most of these social-network people are the nerdy type. Not that I'm saying that's bad, but most of us probably already have some nerdy friends. Why not get out and meet people in real life to havae a well-balanced friend social network?

Although the open-source project is cool.

--
These are the deals you can't pass up. Real-time updates on all the best stuff. You won't be sorry! Check out the hot deal search page too! [dealsites.net]

Re:Nerdy friend connection?

What ever happened to people meeting at the mall, bars, concerts, school, etc...??

You don't belong here.

Compare to plane fare

What ever happened to people meeting at the mall, bars, concerts, school, etc

Not everybody knows how to drive an automobile. Not everybody drinks alcohol. Not everybody can afford tickets to those few live performances offered at venues friendly to those who either by choice or by statute do not drink alcohol. Some students ride a bus to and from school and thus do not have time to meet beforehand or afterwards.

In addition, electronic FOAF systems are much cheaper than inter-city bus fare or airplane fare for meeting friends who have interests that aren't all that common in smaller cities of 50,000 or so.

Learn to Dance

What ever happened to people meeting at the mall, bars, concerts, school, etc...??

I'll second this.

I'm a nerdy, basically shy person myself.

Learning to dance saved my social life -- talking ballroom dance here, swing and waltz and foxtrot.

Women go for that stuff, trust me on this one. The fellow who knows how to waltz has got it made. You get to approach strangers, make conversation with them, lead them onto the dance floor, put your hands on them, your arms around them ... move them rhymthmically around the dance floor ... and they love it.

Paradise!

-kgj

Joy of Dance

It's not even a case of being a great dancer, or takeing someone home with you, it's just a case of doing something together, and having fun. And that's one of the first steps towards a social life.

Good points.

You make friends, you have fun.

Sure, it can be part of a courtship ritual -- yes, you might get laid -- hell, you might even get married: I did! -- but all that stuff can seem very secondary, when the dance is swinging just right ... it's a joyous thing to do.

-kgj

PS - Note to newbie dancers: stop worrying about it, nobody is staring and judging. It's not that you're invisible ... but in my experience, people go dancing to have a good time, not to be "better" than other dancers. Even really good dancers! Some of the best dances I ever danced, my partner was a professional dancer, way more experienced than my amateur self ... and she made me feel like I had all the right moves. Go on, try it -- you'll like it.

PPS - THE BIG SECRET: learn to lead. (Talking ballroom dance here -- it's different in some other forms of dance.) It's not really about steps! It's about leading ... which means, the leader decides what to do, and the follower follows. Yes yes, the way a follower follows does influence how a leader leads ... but there's the mystery, my friend: there's no way to explain leading a priori ... you simply have to do it until you get it. And when you do, the world's your oyster, mate!

Re:Learn to Dance

Women go for that stuff, trust me on this one. I can validate this comment. We do love men who know how to dance, and it doesn't have to be a trendy hip-hop or house style. You can waltz, tango, or practically anything else because it shows you have a cultural side.

But if you really want to earn points:

1. Know something about wine. All men. ALL MEN should know about wine. At least understand the types of wine and how to evaluate a wine's flavor/

2. Ditch the false bravado. Machismo is attractive initially, but it quickly wears.

3. Take an interest in your date. Don't let her walk all over you, but show her you appreciate the time you're spending with her.

4. Be clean. Shave. Use cologne sparingly. Make sure you shoes and your belt match.

5. Be passionate about something. Have a social cause. Love poetry or literature.

6. Open doors for ladies, but don't order our dinners without our permission.

7. It's okay to be a geek. Geeks are sexy. They think about things, but don't brag or act superior because you know more about a subject than your date. Let her know that your geekness includes aspirations.

8. Pay attention to our non-verbal signals. Women average about 150 non-verbal signals every minute.

9. Don't be late, but be forgiving if we are.

10. Above all else, do not end the date with a heart-felt, "Gawd, I'd like to finger you" while escorting your date to her door.

And as a bonus for you college guys: don't do her homework for her, do offer to help tutor her if you'd like to help. And when you take her out on a date, don't take her to see a movie. 2 hours of silence in a theater isn't going to help her get to know you. Take her to dinner - it doesn't have to be a fancy restaurant, but it should be better than a fast food restaurant. If all you can afford is a corner dive, well, tell her. And tell her that you would (and will someday) take her to someplace much better. At least she'll know you're not just cheap, but that you are hoping for future dates. If she is worth her weight in RAM, she'll appreciate the honesty and be understanding without being judgemental. Go for a walk around town. Sit at an outside cafe and have coffee or ice cream. Go browsing through a department store 45 minutes before it closes. Buy her flowers. These are all good things.

You clearly have no idea as to who is on these

All of the friends and acquaintances I know who use social networking are NOT geeky (but then i have few geeky friends, all of whom don't use social networking). All of the people I know using these sites are totally not geeky and are mostly somewhat trendy if a bit on the counter culture side of it believe it or not. I'm 19 however, and people of my age are significantly more tech savy. Perhaps as you get into older people technophobia creeps in.

Just go on friendster or myspace sometime and you'll notice the fact that most people there are not geeky at all, and that there's probably an even mix of boys and girls.

Re:Nerdy friend connection?

Although the open-source project is cool.

Yeah, with a name like PeopleAggregator it sounds *so* cool. I bet they spent a whole 5 minutes on that one.

-a

Reminds me of a joke...

hearing about technical people writing "social networking" software.

How do you tell if an engineer is an extrovert?

He looks at YOUR shoes when he's talking.

XFN

An open-source social protocol already exists... not a site, but an XML protocol for marking links as having a social significance. The recently announced Nvu [easyconnect.fr] supports links with XFN [gmpg.org] information. I would love to see if this network supports XFN, so that it could tie into other XFN-compliant networks and sites.

Note to everyone:

You don't need a program, website, or even a computer to make friends.
You just open the door, go outside and...OH MY GOD, the SUN, it BURNS&..&}=20 ]} } } }&..}=3Dr}'}"}[NO CARRIER]

Friendster and open source

A bit OT, but while the friendster code may not be open, sure looks like they love it on the backend

http://www.friendster.com/jobs/

They even use an acronymn, LAMP, to refer to Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP/PERL/Python

Re:Friendster and open source

sure looks like they love it on the backend

mysql_pconnect(): Too many connections in /usr/web/peopleaggregator/env_production/lib/adodb /drivers/adodb-mysql.inc.php on line 251

looks like this site just took it in the backend. :P

-fren

I get too many emails already.

Can someone build a PeopleGoAwaytor (tm)?

Re:I get too many emails already.

You mean like Introvertster [airbag.ca]?

Steal this book? No, steal this business!

Steal This Book [amazon.com]? No, steal this business!

And programmers wonder why they're unemployed. :)

Listen, this is great. I mean, I like receiving a gift as much as the next guy, but...

I always wonder what people are thinking when they start a business like this and then immediately open source the code and make it publicly available so that anyone and everyone can immediately compete.

Oh, wait. They're going to make their money on support. Or is it custom applications?

And just how do you explain this to the VC? How do you word this on the prospectus?

Think FOAF is fluff? It is -- but...

... but it can be one hell of a business tool, too. I've met people I'd never meet otherwise and gotten projects I'd never have heard about simply by starting up conversations on LinkedIn.

If you're a cubicle rat, then yeah, I guess the whole FOAF thing seems a little too much like high school dating logistics. But if you translate introductions into opportunities and know how to write a compelling message, then some of these social networks are godsends.

Social Networking Experiment

Anybody want to be my friend :) :) :) :)??? Post below ;)!





... :(

Experiment failed.

Re:Social Networking Experiment

I will be your friend.... oh, wait...

I can't do that, sorry. It just wouldn't work out between us.

I've seen your past comments, and I'm just looking for someone with a little more karma. Also, your UID is a little too high for my taste. You're just not my type.

It's not you, it's me.

Six more degrees

I've been carrying out an experiment over the past few months to get in touch with a famous author/mathematician. He's written on the subject and it just absolutely fascinates me. The idea is to send a few letters to friends and see how quickly it can reach the destination through the hops. Theoretically you could get to the author with just six or seven hops. I sent a few letters to some associates but these got only to the third or fourth level before dying out. I'm going to increase the initial broadcast with a different, more academic oriented group this time. Software like the link shows (well, what I got before the ./ing) is almost perfect to track the results.

On a related note, a book called "Nexus" by M. Buchanan discusses social and other networks. Decent treatment, but unfortunately no equations or numbers.

In case it gets slashdotted

In case the site gets taken down:

Damn.

Oh hell. We got slashdotted. And the main site wasn't even running the current code revision. Back in a bit. 19:14CST

oops..

The most interesting people ....

I've ever come in contact with can hardly read or write (some can't do either) and are not computer savvy and don't have computers. It seems to me that internet-based "society" will be as boring, and as socially stimulating as being a white anglosaxon protestant male and attending a white anglosaxon protestant male boarding school. ie. Lotsa self and group masturbation but no clue what the real planet is about.

Full text of the website.

"Damn. Oh hell. We got slashdotted. And the main site wasn't even running the current code revision. Back in a bit. 19:14CST"

Slashdot, the ultimate social network

One degree of separation. Everybody directly connected to Cowboy Neal. One word and all ready to crash the designated Web site. Sorry, PeopleAggregator...

hmmmm

It would be very cool of the Open Source network sites had a way of generating GUIDs for each user and the ability to link together.

What about an open source search engine instead?

There seem to be too many social networking sites these days. How many can one person possibly belong to? What would be cool is an open source search engine [nutch.org], although I don't know if that project is still active. One thing to consider is that open source works well for "products" like GNU/Linux but does not work as well for services like a social networking site. Even a service like our beloved Slashdot may use open source software but it is a commercially-operated ad-sponsored business.

---------
Create your wireless web site [chiralsoftware.net]

Speaking about Marc Canter

It appears his old baby, Macromedia's Director, just got it's development team dissolved/outsourced/offshored to India.

Don't know what to think.

me also

I wish such sites would provide profile-conversion tools to encourage jumping ship from one to another.

I wish people would go for the common good against their own best interest, too.

Bad joke...

... an open-source, PHP-written ...

Good Lord, I'll bet it even uses that PlySkool database, MySQL... It certainly can't be "enterprise" quality... Bahhhh!

What is FOAF

Since the site is down, could someone explain what FOAF is?

Re:What is FOAF

Friend of a Friend

Zzzz, call me anti-social, but

I never really saw the attraction in these. I have many non-overlapping "personal spaces" on the internet, but I've never had the urge to advertise that me here is the same person as me over in the goatse.cx Fan Club. If someone catches my eye as an interesting poster here, and I see the name again over there, I might mail/PM them, but I don't want every lurker suddenly deciding they want to be my friend just because of our shared interest in enormous arseholes.

Livejournal

Great social open source network with tons of communities for about everything.

I am like an adict to it.

But...

Is Slashdot not an Open Source Social Network?

--
I didn't read the article so sue me!

too many social networks!

The idea behind social networks is that in theory, when everyone participates in a social network, you can easily find people through your connections.
But once you have so many networks (and the craze is only starting) then even in theory you can't have all your friends on the same network.
At least I know can't possibly be active on all of them.

I think what networks are aspiring to do is unachievable because their scope is so small. We already have our social network, it's called Internet and it is successful because there is only one Internet.

Missing the point...

The success of a social networking tool depends on the people that use it - it doesn't depend on whether it is open source or not... If you are wanting to meet different beautiful people I suggest you stay away from a social network where the only people who are going to join are your existing group of friends!!

Apple style video rant

Ze has a Apple style video rant [zefrank.com] about Friendster that's worth watching.

FOAF?

Fart On A Friend?

OT I know, but couldn't resist.

PHP app... and it scales so well

It is currently offline. I wonder if PHP can actually handle high load.

I do not mean to troll, but I really dislike PHP. I find mod_perl and Java Servlets are such a better option for high traffic sites.

My sugessted possible use for this

Instead of trying to aggregate millions of users like friendster, orkut, etc. this could be used by companies, universities and other institutions to build a network of their own, where one's individual profile consists of abilities, skills etc. to make it more easy to build a team for a certain project.

Imagine you need someone to implement a special algorithm. Normaly either you or a project member could learn it, you ask random colleagues, or you post a message on a company/university board waiting for someone to hopefuly respond.

With a network like this you could quickly find someone who is able to do it easily and because it is a FOAF / colleague o.a. colleague it is easier to get together since there is a basic level of trust.

Or, you can do it in perl

Simon Cozens [simon-cozens.org] has written one of these. It's called Flox [simon-cozens.org], is written in perl using Apache::MVC (also known as Maypole [simon-cozens.org]), and is only 300 lines of code!

If only they would publish the data using MRN

All these social networks would be much more powerful if they could share data using a system like the Mailbox Reputation Network [polityresearch.com]

What about us married with children types ?

I have not had the chance to look into these social networks but they sound interesting and may be beneficial to me. I'm a little different then most of you. I'm staring square into the dubble barrel shotgun of 40 years old. Got a wife and 2 little kids and a more then full time job. Try meeting people with similar interests. There is no time. All our (family) social interaction is spent trying to find similar families so that we can all socialize meaning they must have at least one kid and I need to get along with the husband and my wife with the other wife. What then are the odds that this person also has an interest in computers and gadgets and motorcycles ? What about those of us just looking for friends not dates ? Do we count ? Gator

a social network site with a cool photo feature...

For all you digital photographers out there, I thought you would appreciate this. I've found a pretty cool website that allows you to share your photos online without much of a hassle. http://www.multiply.com What I like about this site is that you actually create a permanent online web presence for your photos. Instead of you sending a url that has your photos displayed and making people log in just to see your photos, people can just go to yourname.multiply.com and click on photos to see what you've got. It's very cool. This site has other features geared to the online social networking community but their photo display feature is simple and easy to use. It's definitely my favorite feature. It seems like you can upload as many photos as you want and the display qualities are great (photos are very large compared to the other sites I've tried). You can even select a border for your images (like a frame). Right now you can't order prints but I think it's a matter of time before that feature will be available (at least that's what it says in the Help section). Check it out. I think some might be pleasently surprised. I sure was.

Re:This passes for news?

Okay... So this is yet another social network. Except it open sourced. Hell, the blurb tells you how many social networks there already are. Why does this pass as news?

Because, since the source is open, we geeks can modify it work in ways the original author never dreamed. Like implementing a social network of one, or creating a network of AI friends. It would also be perfect for modeling the intricate relationships of the cast of ST:TNG. The possibilities are endless!

Could you do any of that with your proprietary invitation only network? I didn't think so.

Re:so what?

Whoops. Forgot my HTML tags.

Yeah... and imagine a beowulf cluster of these...

Last time I checked, a large gathering of people was called a party...

Re:Turn off the computer!!!!!

> I admit to being a geek and having a love for all things technological but I really don't understand all this whole social networking mumbo jumbo. Makes no sense to me. I like talking to people face to face as much as screen to screen.

I don't understand the fascination with face-to-face either. The graphics are better, but the AI still sucks. When the face-to-face ones can pass a Turing test, I'll play the Blue Room and Daystar Expansion Set. Not until then.

Full Interview Text

Ali: Wicked! T'day, I's 'ere wit me main man, Mark Canter an' 'e's 'ere to talk about da PeopleAggregator thing-guh.

Ali: So Mark, 'n' be hones' 'ere, 'ow much poonani are ya 'xpectin' to get offa dis 'ere web site?
Mark: Excuse me, what? I can't really understand you. Is that hemp I smell?
Ali: Fo'real, ain't cha ever been to 'urope?
Mark: You're not even wearing a suit. You look like you're some famous music star or som--
Ali: Thank you.
Mark: I'm not complementing you. You need to go back to journalist school and learn what goes into a good BJ [broadcast journalist].
Ali: Oh, b'lee me. Me knows what cha talkin' about. Respec, man.
Mark: No, I'm out of here. It was nice meeting you.
Ali: So does I get like a invitation in da mail or something? Where you 'eaded, mon? Eh, 'e was a 'tard anyway.

Re:Turn off the computer!!!!!

Is it really that bad?

It's pretty bad. It's a lonely, empty place out there, because there's no people. They're all at home, on their computers.

That's right. Deal with institutional racism...

...my modding down anyone who points it out.

Groups and cliques

Has there been any documented cases on social networks of "cool people", small groups that slightly larger groups of people wished would make them their virtual friends?

I'm wondering if the communities are being designed to promote, fight or ignore these things.