Wired Reach: Peer-To-Peer Is Here
I knew this was going to happen. There have been rumblings for some time now that SNS 2.0 needs to move to the desktop and connect via P2P services. Stowe Boyd reports (with a screenshot) of a new service launched by WiredReach, Dallas-based startup that has released a very interesting new Social Networking application.
WiredReach offers a decentralized service and ensures that the owner's identity is secure from start to finish. I COMPLETELY agree with this stance and think it's great to see a system that implements it at this stage of the game. And don't think this is vaporware, it seems the fellows there have been working on this since 2002 so I'm going to assume they've thought long and hard on the related issues.
As their site notes:
The vision of WiredReach is simple: "To connect people and keep them connected through a trusted referral network". WiredReach is a general purpose networking tool that leverages the Internet to increase the network reach of individuals across different personal and business contexts without compromising user privacy and security. One of the challenges for effective networking is locating the right person in a given context. The other is keeping your most valuable contacts always up to date and within easy reach. WiredReach makes both of these a snap.
Although I have many questions about the WiredReach service and, more generally, about the completeness of a pure P2P system, I want to reserve judgment until I've hopefully had a chance to experience it on my own. I will share a small snippet from my thoughts on "Personal Content Management" for consideration in this context:
When it comes to managing one's own personal content, there are several simple truths that cannot be violated:
- Universal - it's got to store everything, regardless of how free-form it is
- Unlimited - it's got to store anything regardless of how big it is
- Uninterruptible - it's got to be available all the time, any time, from anywhere
- Unbreakable - it's got to be secure