I'm working on a project that will enable internet users to explore, express, and aggregate their identity on the web, and have fun doing it.
On the other side of the world, people are working on a project to blow up people who are trying to blow them up, because of religious, cultural, and national identity. It is not fun for anyone.
I have a friend who is struggling right now with her identity in terms of how she relates to others. Who does she want to be with? Who can she be herself with? You can't tell someone how to be themselves. They need to figure it out on their own. The only thing you can do is remind them that they shouldn't be anyone to anybody but who they want to be, and focus on people who accept them for who they are. Oh, and then, don't forget to accept them for who they are.
At Union Square, they're trying to identify a candidate that will be a good fit for the team... On one side they're trying to figure out what the profile of that person is, and on the other, there are some young people out there thinking about whether they would be a fit for that position.
But really, what does it all matter, unless you have a Facebook account. And, today, through the magic of being a faculty member, you can finally Facebook me! Fordham doesn't have alumni e-mail addresses (why, I have no idea... its just a simple forwarding thing)... so getting an account has proven difficult. However, now that I actually teach there, I legitimately got a profile. What amazes me is that its really a lot like Friendster, but what keeps it strong and useful is the offline relevency. When you can write what dorm and room you're in, you can know who's in your hallway before you even move in. I don't think any social network will ever get more relevent than that, unless someone builds Apartmentster for NYC and people agree to list where they live. I'm not sure I see that happening.