In general, the thought of another “social network”, another login and password, or another place on the internet to have to go and do things stresses me out.  This is different – the specificity of the information and the mystery algorithm’s potential to find someone with who I am intellectually sympatico turned me into an instant addict. It’s less MySpace and more of a nerdy, bleeding heart, semi-celebrity eHarmony. I have already exchanged emails with one of my “matches”.

The timing of this is genius – I am looking forward to this year’s event even more and feel like I already have an agenda of kindred spirits to meet. Simultaneously, they have opened registration for next year’s TED 2011. So, lessons?

- TED is the master of optimizing the full year – not just an event, but the lead up to and the follow up after. Each is a moment for meaningful engagement
- Amazon-like connection suggestions - By collecting so much information from me, TED was able to offer me truly tailored “matches”. Many events offer you a list of who is attending and offer you the chance to make a connection, but this is the first time that I’ve had a truly relevant list presented to me.
- Facilitate Sparking Personal Relationships – Beyond the phenomenal lineup of speakers, the appeal of the event is belonging to the community of “TEDsters” and there’s no better way to integrate a new member than to empower them to start Day 1 with live connections.