I can certainly see your point about the idea of belonging to “yet another social network”, however I feel that you may have the wrong idea about what Spock actually is.

Spock is first and foremost a people search that connects you to where other people are on the Web. With Spock you don’t need to be a member to search, however you must be a user to contribute information. By organizing publicly available information across the web, Spock acts more as a launching pad for all the other areas you are on the web. You may want to think of it as Google for people, instead of another Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.

Spock is convenient because it enables people to search by name, email, or tag (a personal piece of information – blind, web developer, Duke Alum, etc). By giving people the ability to claim a search result you can contribute and edit information accordingly. The fact that you are updated about any changes to your own search result creates an environment where you can be as active as you choose.

Spock is great for both professional and personal search. Since its likely that everyone you know is not on Facebook or LinkedIn, we feel that Spock can help you organize and find out more.

While we certainly have social networking features such as Trust Requests, these are aimed at making a search more relevant. With Trust Requests people who mutually accept a Trust Request can share contact information and send messages. Those who you trust are then put in a separate search network so that your connections and theirs can be easily searched. This is great for specific searches such as finding a tennis partner, or a plumber that your friend might know.

If you have any other questions about Spock.com please email me at patrick@corp.spock.com