Introduce Your Passion To Its Own Social Network

Last year I was invited to join a site called Dailymile.com. It’s a social training log for runners, triathletes and cyclists. I looked at it and immediately understood it. Log your work-outs so your friends can see what you have done and you can see what they have done. We you get a little lazy and haven’t posted a work out then a friend can nudge you with a little encouragement. You set goals for races and off you go. Building a little network of friends all training their way through life and staying motivated at the same time.

Then this past month, I was turned onto Foodspotting.com. Again, I looked at it and immediately got it. Since I eat out a bit and I’m always taking pictures of my meals, now I can post these pictures on an app (foodspotting app) and the pictures will get geo tagged with a comment from me about the meal along with the location of the restaurant. Foodspotting answers the question “What’s good around here?” by making finding and sharing food recommendations as easy as snapping a photo. Sounds simple enough right?

Well it is.

Now, two passions of mine are triathlons and eating great food. I eat… therefore I tri… as in train for triathlons or else I would weigh a whole bunch more than I do now.

I got to thinking. There are so many apps out there that allow us to connect to whatever we are passionate about. If that is the case, wouldn’t life be a little more fun for if we got to share them with like minded people… or like passion’d people?

Now I can go to dailymile and encourage someone who is about to compete in a big race or I can comment on someone’s workout for the day. That kind of thing interests me. You don’t have to be into it, but I am and some others are too. That’s the beauty of it. It’s your choice… and mine.

It’s the same thing with taking pictures of food. I have friends who think it’s stupid we take pictures of food. I happen to think it’s stupid of them to be a stick in the mud over us having a little fun with our food. It’s my iPhone camera and I’ll twitpic goodness if I want too… so back off downer of food pics:)

My point is… there’s a network out there for everyone. A place we can all call our online home. A place to connect with people who like what I like… and you like… and we like together.

And the best part about it? We don’t have to build the biggest network of followers any more to legitimize our passions. It’s about connecting with the quality of the person not the quantity of people.

So… if you are training for a race or you want to train for a race. EVEN if it’s a couch to 5k!! Come join me on DailyMile.

If you’re a weird guy like me and my other fun non-stick-in-the-mud friends and you like to take pictures of food. Come join me at Foodspotting.

I told Randy Elrod today while we were eating Chicken and Sausage Gumbo at 55 South, Foursquare is boring when business don’t participate. Who cares if you’re a mayor when you aren’t rewarded for it by the business you purchase from? I like Foodspotting because it is about the food and because of geotagging. It’s more like the best of foursquare and Gowalla all centered around food.

You see… I like that. Now this is what’s fun about exploring new technologies with a little passion thrown in.

I get to partner my passions with my online presence and walk into a tribe that is built for me.

What social networks or apps have you introduced to your passion?