Community: “A group of people with a common characteristic or interest…”, this is how Webster’s defines a community. This idea is something very crucial to our species. Humans are social beings that build communities. Look around you, you live in a town community, you work in an office community. You belong to local communities and organizations and you enjoy these things. It is almost weird, not to be part of the community. “Outsiders, ewww, gross.” We all want to be part of something. To interact and engage is to be part of the community. The keywords in this phrase being interaction and I.

Social networks are enablers for creating interaction and engagement which are the foundation for community building. Instantaneous information allows individuals to discover those individuals with similar interests. I can go on Facebook and find other people with the taste in music, art, food, weekend activity, you name it, there is probably a group for it. By joining the group I become part of the community and am able to contribute through interactions and engagement.

I can go on Twitter and search for people who tweet about things that I am interested in. Perhaps it’s a cool new restaurant or a popular topic in the news. I am able to share my opinions just like we were having a face to face conversation. I can subscribe to lists and search hash tags to keep up with the conversations. A community has been formed and I am now a contributing member.

Or I can hop on LinkedIn and find like-minded professionals with valuable insights into my profession. Once I find my peers, I can check out the groups that they are in, join those groups and you guessed it, interact and engage the members of said groups. Viola! A new community has been formed.

You may think, well what good is a community if it’s spread half-way around the world. The reality is that, social networks can be vast, but you can focus on the specific by finding those individuals in your already existing, real-life communities. This is where the community building takes off: the ability to find common interests with locals and then interact and engage with the locals. Prior to social networks, I may have to talk to 50 people before I found someone who likes Fugazi, one of the weird bands I listen to. However now, I can easily find the Fugazi fans out there and we can discuss the classics.

As businesses, consider the possibilities. You define your target consumers with specific characteristics. Take those characteristics and define what type of communities they would be found in. Perhaps the characteristics you chose were A.independent, B.young, C.socially conscious and D. empowered. These individuals may be found in online communities centered on politics or local social movements. My point being is that the people are there, they are organized and social networks have enabled the building of your community, whatever your interests.

So with that,Welcome to our community, feel free to share a comment and interact with us; become part of the community!

The Apple Tablet?

The online grape vines are a-buzz with talks of Apple’s proposed tablet computer which could possibly “change the news media”, what Steve Jobs says is “the most important thing he has ever done” and what one Twitter user claims “to be able to remove lipstick from collar.”  Okay so maybe it won’t do all those things, but 2/3 isnt bad.  Get ready world; the itablet cometh, at least thats what’ve heard.

On Wednesday, Jan. 27th Apple will quiet all these rumors with a press event titled “Come See Our Latest Creation.” Although, there are no specifics as to what will be unveiled, there is visual evidence that an event is being planned. To witness the event first hand, you can watch live via Gizmodo.

So what you can expect from Apple this Wednesday:

• The rumor mill is leaning heavily towards the unveiling of a tablet computer for Apple. For Steve Jobs to come out and unveil something different would be a complete let down for tech-fans across the globe. Plus, Paddy Power, a UK bookkeeping service, is taking bets on the tablet’s name. So far “islate” is favorited with 4/5 odds and ‘itablet” is at 6/1 odds.

• A tablet computer with multi-touch screen interface, 3G connectivity, Wi-Fi and the ability to download print media including books, magazines, newspapers and textbooks. These are the supposed key features for the tablet, which is beginning to sound a lot like a large version of the iphone. The separating factor will be the subscriptions offered for traditional print media.

• A device that looks and acts like an enlarged iphone. Online concepts stay true to the iphone’s design. The user-interface will most likely include Apple’s multi-touch technology, which is being introduced across an array of Apple  products.

• An explosion of tweets leading up to and following the event in San Francisco. Search #itablet in Twitter and you can keep up to date with all the rumors and add your own thoughts to the mix.

The proposed Apple tablet computer will be entering markets occupied by net books and e-readers like the Kindle. But, as we can always expect from Apple, the tablet will be something completely unique and stand in a field of its own. Just as the ipods did in the portable mp3 market and the iphone in the cell phone market. The big question is who will provide service to the tablet computer and will it be determined by the size of their map?

With iPhones, 3Gs and the ubiquitous Google; us humans have become accustomed to having answers at our finger tips. Just as long as we could type in our question.  However, how often have you been out with friends staring at some big monumental piece of architecture and wondered, hmmmm, I wonder what this is but have no way to describe it? Or perhaps you have a book you are interested in learning about but don’t have enough motivation to type in the title.  Or maybe even you receive a business card and would like more information on the company but once again do not desire to type in the full contact information.

Viola! Your wants and desires are once again satiated by Google.  Google Labs released Google Goggles on Monday.  Google Goggles is a visual search tool for Android Devices.  Snap a photo and Google Goggles is able to decipher what your picture is and search based on your picture.

Due to its freshness, the new technology does have its limitations.  For now, Google Goggles is only available on Android enabled smart phones.  (Don’t fret iPhone users, you can utilize other augmented reality applications for your visual search needs.)  Also, not all subjects are easily recognized by Google Goggles; think more general objects like food, cars, animals and people.  The Goggles will recognize artwork, business cards, landmarks, logos and books.

This technology could open up new realms of search optimization and internet marketing. Imagine a world where search optimization plays a roll in the manufacturing phase of products and buildings.   Will search’s influence continue to grow and take us to this level?