Certainly the ego-driven component you describe is there, but as with group events, there is a balanced version, and then there are the networking whores that d

Certainly the ego-driven component you describe is there, but as with group events, there is a balanced version, and then there are the networking whores that don't understand the difference between having a natural connection with someone and "hi my name is X, here's my card, let's have lunch!" You don't have to post navel-gazing facebook status updates. It is also a very elegant way to share family and friend group photos and plan events. Do you even remember how hard it was to plan events with Evite? That was incredibly horrible, and yet people were thrilled because it was better than nothing.