Finding Connections

I read about a new social network today called Hachi.  It is still in beta testing and can only be joined by invitation right now.  The concept is interesting, though, because part of the goal behind this network is the ability to find connections to people you haven't yet met.

I watched the video presentation on their home page (www.gohachi.com).  The idea is that you can locate the person you are wanting to contact in the network.  The program will then look at your contacts ... and their contacts ... and the contacts of those people ... to find the best way for you to be connected to the person you are ultimately seeking, through recommendations.

This seems like an interesting application.  In a sense, it merges together the idea of social networking with mapping software (like Yahoo! Maps).  That ability to easily determine the mutual connections between yourself and another person could be useful.

I suppose my reservation is the fact that I'm not sure I would want to be put in the position of introducing a friend to a friend -- knowing that their ultimate goal might be to sell something.  That's like trying to decide who to invite to an Amway presentation.

However, the truth is that this is not a social network so much as it is a professional network.  I would not be introducing a friend to a friend; instead, I would be introducing one professional associate to another colleague.  This is not a Facebook competitor, but a LinkedIn competitor.  And if everyone who joins keeps that in mind, then this could be a powerful tool for making business connections.

It will be interesting to see how this network grows, particularly after it exits the beta-testing stage.  This certainly seems like a good way to get plugged in once that network starts to grow.