Footnote.com: Social Media Gets a Soul

Another report about the recent ifocus conference in Miami.

Most social networking sites connect people, their profiles and some contemporary happenings. Footnote.com is a platform that will let us add the human element to history.

The Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC is a moving monument but doesn't let you get into the human side to the period. Here's how Footnote.com will change that. Soon you will be able to go to their website, type in the name of a fallen soldier and the site instantaneously zooms onto the name highlighted on the wall. Think of it as hyperlinking images of the real-world to the virtual world. If you know the individual you can upload photographs, add information about his or her background and any additional personal information. This information becomes available to anyone with an interest. But it goes much further. The database can link you to others who served with this individual and information about the circumstances that lead to their demise. As the commentary by their living cohorts grows so do the richness our understanding.

Footnotes.com is in the process of digitizing all known photographs of World War II that will let us capture a rich history from the remaining people who lives through it. At the same time they have begun the ambitious project of digitizing the national archives.

Think about the what the technology enables. It is well recognized that every company has two organization, the formal one and the one that gets things done. Large companies like IBM recognize that much of the informal system and organizational knowledge is walking out the door with the retirement of baby boomers. A Footnote.com like system has the potential capture the dynamics of this system in a real and actionable way.