Social Networking for the Dead

As I was at lunch at the FamilySearch Developer’s conference (11 March 2009), one of the individuals at my table (Daniel) said “what we need is social networking for the dead.” As I thought about it, I became more and more enthusiastic about the concept.

Why not have pages for our ancestors, containing information about them and the people they came in contact with--their friends and associates? Why not let their descendants browse not only information and records about their ancestor, but also about their ancestors’ friends—those who lived in the same area at the same time, who participated in the same events, belonged to the same religious or ethnic groups, served in the same military regiment, immigrated in the same group or traveled on the same ship or wagon train?

We could have a social network for our ancestors, linking them to others in with things in common. If our ancestors didn't leave a journal about the voyage or the regiment, maybe once of their friends did. This would allow us to learn more about the history and background of our ancestors' lives. This idea has merit, and may be well worth pursuing.