Make Money and Meaning?

Well things are still going great. We are getting more interest from other investors so I'm pretty pleased with that. The new template for bodbook is 75% Complete and we should finally be able to do a Beta this summer at McMaster.

I have a tremendous confidence that bodbook is going to turn into something great. The more I understand the underlying principles of social influence the more I think that bodbook has even greater potential to shift social behaviour in positive ways. For example, introducing critical causes to the most social connected and influential persons in a social network has the potential to rapidly create "Tipping Points" that will move masses of people to social action...such as that needed for Darfur. This is an exciting prospect as the viral spreading of information between social peers holds the potential for generating action greater than any mass media has ever done. Even causes that broke through all barriers such as the "LiveAid" concert of the mid 80's, or more recently "Live8" concerts of 2005 were less an effect of mass media exposure than the result of some of the most connected and influential persons in our worldwide social network (musicians) using their influence to effect change. The musicians created change because their status as persons to be admired made them influential in shaping our own views on what needs to be done to effect change in the world.

It is my hope of course that bodbook makes money, but I would be far prouder if it made meaning. If we are correct in our calculations of what really makes a person the most connected and influential then we may be on the road to making the world a little better.