I arrived in Paris this morning and everything went smoothly except the hotel, which is kinda depressing to be in, I think the next time I'll stay in a Bed and Breakfast instead a 2 star hotel.

Having said that I went to a meetup (via a social network) that I would not have been able to do when I first visited Paris 20 years ago; in fact, even 5 years I would have been hard pressed to find a way to connect up with total strangers the way I did this afternoon at Maxim's Art Nouveau Museum.  The meetup organizer, Chiaki, was very helpful and friendly giving me tips about where to go (see ST. Martin's Canal) and she, as well as others, told me about a nearby Starbucks, where I am now.

To me, Social Networks make possible events like what happened this afternoon at Maxim's - which was a wonderful tour of Pierre Cardin's collection of Art Nouveau art from the turn of the 19th Century.   I felt very much at home at Maxim's; where ordinarily, I would never have gone.

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And that's part to the value of Social Networks - because I've said that what Social Networks enable is interactions that could not have happened without them- that's, perhaps, the best way to show the effectiveness of a Social Network, in my opinion.

"…I often advise my clients to at least visit
the Musee d?Art Nouveau de Maxim, which
is a huge private collection of the renowned
fashion designer Pierre Cardin who is
an admirer of Art Nouveau as I am when
they don?t have enough time to extend
their visit to Nancy or to stroll around Passy.

This museum certainly can be a good
substitute for those Art Nouveau visits.
As a very successful businessman,
Pierre Cardin has traveled all over
the world and has created this Art
Nouveau Museum above of his restaurant,
MAXIM. Here you may find early works
of Tiffany or some personal belongings
of Sarah Bernhardt and paintings of
Toulouse Lautrec."

Now, let's see how Seesmic.com does (can I go to a party on Wednesday night or even something Monday night that I'd never have gone to save through Seesmic?