Yesterday, I pointed out how Facebook’s automated attempts at peppering me with relevant information had the unintended consequence of creating a virtual seance – connecting with the dead. I don’t really blame Facebook per se, because no one has yet filed to archive Scott’s wall as a memorial account. However, there are still major gaps on the road to real relevance that will be critical for communication and networking, and the team that figures out the right algorithm for relevance will have the juice to dethrone anyone. This means you, Google and Facebook.

classof1987At issue is a simple invitation to related to my high school, that appeared within the ad stream:

Look up high school profiles from the Class of 1987 now. Reconnect with old friends from the Class of 1987 today.

Apparently, the ad server pulls information from my profile with regards to my birth date, but somehow ignores the actual graduation year listed in my Education section.

Yes, I am picking nits, but if you (as Facebook or as an advertiser therein) are trying to feign a personal touch, then get it right.

matrixmorpheus1Relevance is the missing link to the next age of the internet, because automated relevance that works takes social networks away from being an appliance that you actively engage, and into a passive extension of your intelligence. No, this isn’t Neo wiring into the Matrix, but it’s the serving of the information that you wanted before you knew it existed to want.

There are others exploring this space. Facebook has the most eyeballs attuned to the News Feed experiment, where the most popular and clicked items in your feed bubble to the top. As Peter Shankman likes to say, however, it ought to be populated with the people I am most connected to now, not with people who are popular but irrelevant to me today. (I would venture to guess that Peter is less than happy with the results he sees.)

AideRSS tries to attack relevance through PostRank, and algorithm that grades and pulls the very best of a feed. But that is only the best as rated by others, not by your tastes and discrimination.

Google Reader recently added a setting to Sort by Magic, which takes into account new items from the feeds you click on the most, or click on earlier in browsing sessions.

There’s a lot to consider in getting it right, and a number of approaches to the recipe. As there should be, because whoever plants that flag first stands a great chance of locking down the market for several years (or getting bought out handsomely by deeper pockets.)

But I won’t believe there are enough people working on it until I see invitations to connect with classmates who graduated with me in 1986.