The Social Checkin - Why it isn't relevant yet?

I've been feeding the social networking monster now for many years now.  I'm an early adopter and I'm amazed at everything that has been happening around such simple social interactions that the tools have enhanced.

What I mean by this is that I have been generously feeding it my pictures, movies, thoughts, people, places, things, ideas, etc.  When I go somewhere, I check in to leave my mark and share that check in with people that I allow in my social circle.

What has the monster given in return? So what has social networking done to improve my life?  What has it given in return? What has it done to help the world?

If I dig in to the various networks, I find that I have formed some relationships, I have gone places, I have taken pictures and in a very obscure way, I have created a series of stories.

The problem with these stories is that everything is dis-jointed, everything is just a scatter of different media, words and connections that takes a bit of work to create something that means something to me and more importantly, means something to someone else.

Today, social networking and the extension that is offered is still in it's infancy.  It's a dictionary of dis-jointed facts that live with very little context, very little meaning unless someone has the time and tools to take a lot of computing power and imagination to mine some use out of it.

Here's a few areas that I think need a lot of attention:

Planning

I've listened to a few people talk about this one.  Why is what happens before an event get left out?  It's so very important and adding this function helps to make a specific moment in time multi-dimensional.  I have a calendar that get's published at work.  I have a more informal social schedule.  

Most events in time doesn't start when I get to that moment, but rather sometime before then.  I don't just show up to an island in Hawaii for a vacation.  I take into account various things that lead up to a decision to go to Kauai, I find the funds, I pick a date (or dates), I book flights, etc.  Why not include all of that?  When I or someone else goes back and looks at that checkin, they may find so much more of a rich story behind the initial moment that they see.

One of the most important parts that get's missed in LBS apps is the end of a story.  It's important that an event have a beginning and show that something happens but it's as important that it have a conclusion.

Imagine you are reading a book and it's got a killer opening, it has an engaging story line with a plot that keeps you on the edge. How much would you enjoy that book if it never ended?  If there wasn't something there that made you reflect on what you read, would you still enjoy it?

Privacy

This one is easy and I am surprised that everyone misses it.

Rather than record and report on who is there, why not focus on the depth of talent that is at a place.  Don't focus on the names, instead highlight the diverse demographics of the people attending an event.  Don't show a list of who is at a place, show me that there are people at a function that would make for an engaging conversation, or that would be a good fit for a business partnership and facilitate a way for those conversations and relationships to take place.

A person is not a piece of data that arrives at a place at a certain time with a bunch of other name tags.  With the amount of data that is being recorded about all of the users on the various social networks, why can't the tools we have let me know that there's 20 people that love iPhones at function and facilitate a way for those 20 people to find each other and add to the story?  I know, it's not very stalker friendly but think how rich our lives would become?

Context

Everything we do in life, every day, every minute is part of a story.  For the most part, there's intent, anticipation, excitement, fear, happiness, sadness, sites, smells, sounds, people…  I think you get the idea.  Create a way to record more of what is going on rather than what is obvious and quite frankly not as important.

There are a lot of checkins I see that involve dining and just food in general. You see where the people are, when, who they are with and lot's pictures of really delicious looking food.  What's missing here is all of the things that REALLY makes food a reason that people leave their house for.  What about the atmosphere, the smells, the sounds, how the people feel out what's happening?  In a lot of ways, it's far more important than the food itself. 

There's no "Y" in social networking

One area that all apps and sites miss is that Y factor.  Why is a person at a place?  Why is it fun?  Why does it take a year to get a reservation to get a table?  Why is the band so good?

For the most part, all it would take is a couple of questions that get posed to someone that is recording an event on why they are there or why is the moment important that would make the moment mean something.

The flip side of this is on the data level.  Having the contextual data that is attached that creates meaning for the moment would be valuable to the user later on but also to advertisers, marketers, owners, bands, etc.

What's next?

I'm believe strongly that social networking, when the providers get it, will be how we document our lives.  It will be how we plan, it will greatly enhance how we communicate and interact with each other.

Social networking will be how we get our news, it will be our calendars, it will be how we record our time cards, it will be how we get paid and it will allow all of us to live forever in some small way.

It will also be the science on how people sell us stuff.  It will be how governments get a really good picture of how well (or badly) they are doing?

While there are some elements of this happening today, we aren't there yet.  One day, there will be a currency surrounding all of these stories.  Once it starts getting implemented right and providers start sharing the common data and start focusing on how to make all of that data mean something, it will drastically change everything.

Thnx - AmyD