Sure, there are thousands of inane social networks popping up on the web, riding the tail of the Friendster craze. And, frankly, most of them are a complete and total waste of time. After the initial Pokemon-like thrill of collecting all your friends, you quickly realize you have no reason to actually use the network. Because, honestly, your friend’s friend’s friend and you likely have absolutely nothing in common. And you don’t really need another way to email your actual friends – almost by definition, you already have their contact information.

Even so, I’m exceedingly impressed by the new dodgeball.social, as it adds a real-world component to social networking. Here’s how it work: say I’m at a bar downtown grabbing drinks. I send a quick text message to the Dodgeball server saying ‘I’m at Luna Lounge’. Then, if any of the friends in my network are within a ten block radius, they get a quick text message saying ‘Joshua is at Luna Lounge’ and can pop on by. At least in my life, where I’m increasingly forced to schedule time to see friends weeks in advance, anything that promotes serendipity in relationships seems like an excellent idea.

So if we’re friends in real life, or if you simply think we would be if we actually met, join up, add me to your network, and let serendipity run its course.