Augmenting Social Networks

see Group Forming Networks, Social Networking

aka Augmented Social Network - 2004 concept

from Ken Jordan: Suppose you're working on a solar energy project and need to find someone with very specific expertise to answer a difficult question. You post the question to the three solar lists you are a member of, you use Google, but you don't find an answer. The ASN would allow you to pass the question forward through a targeted series of friends-of-friends who are solar experts, in a semi-automated manner, crossing the borders of distinct social networks, vastly increasing your chance of connecting with someone who can help you.

Also Ken Jordan: Another example: you are looking for someone to help execute a Solar Power project in Honduras. You have lined up the funding, but you need an engineer on the ground in Honduras who has experience doing solar projects. The ASN would enable you to connect to an engineer with the appropriate expertise through a series of third party recommendations, so you can feel with some certainty that this person can be trusted.

AugmentedSocialNetworks scenarios section https://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/download/1068/988?inline=1#j3 (see also Augmenting Social Networks, Social Networking)

A lot of what the ASN guys focus on is:

• finding people with specific expertise (either already knowing the answer to something, or having the ability to perform some work)
• establishing whether they are who they say they are (Digital Identity)
• establishing whether you can "trust" them (Reputation Management), which I'd break down into at least (a) being able to deliver the goods, (b) being an Ethical partner, and (c) being pleasant to work with

How much of this can be accomplished with FOAF and people having WebLog-s (or WikiLog-s)?

• Seb Paquet agrees and Clay Shirky points to postings by Dina Mehta (My Blog is my Social Software and my Social Network) and Lilia Efimova (Networking: YASNs vs. blogs)