social markers and social objects
I really like Hugh McLeod’s discussion of social markers and social objects on Gapingvoid. His definition of a social object is that it is the “node” that permits interaction between two people. A social marker is a type of social object that provides context of your position in a given social ecosystem.
For example, in NYC, a form of social marker is telling people what neighborhood you live in. If someone tells you that they live in Chelsea, and you do as well, then you have a shared context through that social marker. You may then proceed to discuss all the insider places to go in Chelsea (Grand Sichuan, Chelsea Markets, Cafe Grumpy, galleries, etc.). If someone tells you that they live in Williamsburg, and you live in Chelsea, you still have context through that social marker. It is an information point that *can* provide context for your interaction.
Hugh also has a calling card/biz card service where you can order blogcards and choose from a selection of his illustrations on one side of the card, and put your contact information on the other side. It is kinda funny that Hugh started out by drawing doodles on the back of business cards that were given to him, and now you can buy cards that have his illustrations and hand them out to others. Nice turn of events if you ask me!