While I don’t exactly recall what the name of the restaurant was, I did have a pretty good idea of where it was located, which was partially confirmed after checking the location tag my iPhone appended to the picture. A quick search on Google Maps seemed to indicate that the establishment was – or at least is currently – a Jason’s Deli. I emailed back a response, which Jason passed along to his deprived friend.

The reason I post this is because it answers an infrequent but persistent question I get from friends and family: why do I post photos on Flickr for the world to see?  The primary answer to that question is pretty obvious – I want to share my photos with friends and family – but also some friends I haven’t met yet. This is one of the surprisingly gratifying aspects of social media – helping out an unknown stranger that had the insight to look for answers and make contact beyond those they know personally. I’m glad I could help out Jason and his friend, just as I’m glad that I can post a technical support question on some forum and have several people take time out of their lives to help me out.

While many people lament that the rise of the internet have driven a new antisocial generation, I believe that many of these same tools have the power to bring us all closer in many respects. How else would someone have figured out where his friend could find a Dublin Dr Pepper on tap, short of calling hundreds of restaurants or dating a beverage distributor’s daughter?