The new craze.. solve problems

Solving problems online. Seems like a cool idea but it turns out that the definitions of problems are whole lot different in this arena. From what I've learnt, there exists basically two types of problems which can be solved online:

1. Real World Problems: In the online context, solving real world problems not at all means solving poverty or child labour problem, here we deal with solving problems that makes meaning to make life comfortable and things which makes meaning in the sense they sort of become required for day to day life. So orkut is solving real world problem of connecting to friends. But take the example of twitter. Its not required but its fun sharing what you are doing with friends.

2. Virtual World Problems: Solving these problems are sort of add ons on day to day life. Twitter has set a good example of how solving virtual world problem can become a phenomena.

Though there exists no clear way of classifying the two types of problems. e.g., twitter one day may be solving real world problem replacing orkut and orkut may be solving then the virtual world problem. Now suppose an app which tells users to update what fun they have done and send tweets to the interested users who want to know about such things, twitter wil be solving real world problem then. There may be cases when some solution is solving real world problems for some people while solving virtual world problem for others.

So thats the background you should be knowing. A month back I was having a discussion with Vineesh creating a virtual world application similar to google maps but creating a new virtual world where everything will start from scratch with a hope that 10 years later may be people are setting up their business over the app. And thats the same talk where started the loxlog (LOG your LOCationS) concept solving some real world problems using mobi alerts.

The craze now of solving problems is bubbling up from inside and out(at my app in dev :P).
to be continued...