Zimriding

Utilizing Facebook, a college graduate named John Zimmer has developed virtual hitchhiking.

If you join the group, you can find other Facebook members who just might be going your way - and hitch a ride with them! And he appears to have started something of a sensible sensation, as several other groups have popped-up with the same idea. I'm not sure if the search link will work or not, so just do a search for "zimride" if you want to see the others.

The brilliance in this idea is that the social networking helps you "know" who it is you are riding with! While other sites and applications could be useful in helping you find a ride somewhere - or even a roommate, romantic partner, and so forth - you don't always know much about the person. With Facebook, you can base your decisions on such things as how many friends the prospective ride has, his interests, how much of his profile is filled-out and available, and so on.

True, you still aren't going to really know who it is you are hitching a ride with, but catching a zimride - I mean, hitchhiking - just became a lot safer.

Zimmer's impetus for the model? He wanted to help young people save money on gas, as well as offer a viable "green" alternative to transportation.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008