This relates to a recent idea I had - "true social software" or perhaps "locally social software". Many people comment on the irony of how the modern world mak

This relates to a recent idea I had - "true social software" or perhaps "locally social software". Many people comment on the irony of how the modern world makes people feel isolated despite giving them more means of communication than ever before. For example, I don't know anyone that lives in my neighborhood, and I think this is common. Social software doesn't help with this, typing "A/S/L" into an AOL chat room doesn't really enhance my social life, neither does posting a pic on Myspace. Now think of the appeal of geographically local communication tools. For example, maybe a chat room would be localized so as to only cover a local coffee shop. People in the chat room could leave away messages about what they're reading, and others would comment on it. After a good IM conversation, people might walk a few feet and have a conversation in real life. I might meet someone everytime I go to the coffee shop, whereas now I might meet a new person every few months. "True social" software facilitates socialization in meat space and helps to break down the social barriers that prevent us from knowing our neighbors. Another example, I would like to have a bulletin board that only covered the community where I live. Then I could post messages about the barbecues we have and I would finally be able to meet people that live around me. Craigslist is "true social", and so are dating sites today. I would like to see the genre expanded.