I have accounts on facebook, linkedin, myspace, tumblr and a few “networks” I’ve forgotten. I won’t say “I don’t get it”, I could easily say MySpace Tom got lucky, the design just sucks, or bitch, bitch, bitch about why or how I missed the social network craze. But instead, I’ll tell you this……

On my way to work, which is about an hour drive on an almost empty road, I saw three examples, each of which represents why social networks kind of lose their value…tick-blink, tick-blink, tick-blink.

Turning without your signal. I know you didn’t MEAN to do it. Nobody strikes out to reek havoc on purpose. You could have used your signal every time previous to this time, but regardless, the trust level of the strangers behind you now goes to at most 50%. You are being watched. YOU are now unpredictable.

Going straight with your signal. I know you have your radio turned up, and your wheel tilts exactly in front of the blinking light, I know, it’s ok. Really. You are now careless and lazy, you don’t care about anyone but you, or you are elderly, which means it ok to care only about yourself, you’ve earned it. It’s an accident, we know, you didn’t mean to do it, but hey there MORON the consequence is real, and doesn’t really impact you, at first. But this thing grows……..

100% Perfect Signal Execution. I want to be your friend. Not because you drive well, but because you care. If you care about this, you must care about important things too. You must be trustworthy. I wish I could ONLY get LinkedIn invites from people who use their signals, whether I know them or not doesn’t matter.

Back to my problem with social networks, I might only invite the people who use their turn signals, but other don’t. Damn.