I don’t much care for social networks. I use LinkedIn (profile here if you’re interested) very lightly, and not at all for ’social’ reasons. There’s little value for me in MySpace, Facebook, Bebo, or any of the other countless platforms as I am simply not interested in the collecting “friends” mechanic on a personal level. Obviously, there’s no disputing that millions of people find social networks very useful. I’m just not one of them. I also dislike cell phones and rarely carry mine (of course, I also work from a home office, making it less useful than it might otherwise be) because I’m not a fan of feeling like I’m always on a leash that anyone can yank. I often leave my IM status set to ‘away’ for the same reason, as people don’t get offended when I ignore non-essential IMs that way.

Today though, a friend pointed me at a new network focused on being unsocial called NOSO. From their FAQ:

“NOSO is a real-world platform for temporary disengagement from social networking environments. The NOSO experience offers a unique opportunity to create NO Connections by scheduling NO Events with other NO Friends.

These “NO” events, called NOSOs, take place in designated cafes, parks, libraries, bookstores, and other public spaces. Participants - whose identities remain unknown to one another - agree to arrive at an assigned time and remain alone, quiet and un-connected, while at the same time knowing that another “Friend” is present in the space.

NOSOs are scheduled by users through the NOSO website. They last for a duration of 1 - 30 minutes, after which participants disperse and return to their regular activities.”

It is like they read my mind. I am all for participating in social events in which I don’t have to even acknowledge the presence of the other participants barring those I show up with (such as Eileen and, if it is a dog-friendly unsocial event, Nixon).

Here is a handy YouTube video-less video that will tell you more. It’s an interview with CBC up in the frozen north. I did create a profile on NOSO but I feel it’s most appropriate if I don’t provide anyone a link to it and if I never visit it again.