Social networking utilizing a dispersed storage network

1. A method for use in conjunction with a dispersed storage processing unit coupled to a data network, the method comprising:

receiving social networking data at the dispersed storage processing unit, the social networking data associated with at least one of a plurality of user devices, the social networking data including user profile data associated with a user and shared with other users associated with selected ones of the plurality of user devices in accordance with a social networking application;

generating dispersed storage metadata associated with the social networking data;

generating a full record and at least one partial record based on the social networking data and further based on the dispersed storage metadata;

storing the full record in a dispersed storage network at a plurality of geographically diverse storage locations that are different from the plurality of user devices by encoding the full record into a plurality of slices and storing the plurality of slices in the plurality of geographically diverse storage locations such that each of the geographically diverse storage locations stores less than a read threshold number of slices, wherein the read threshold number of slices is less than a total number of the plurality of slices; and

pushing the at least one partial record to at least one other of the plurality of user devices via the data network.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

storing the at least one partial record in a dispersed storage network.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one partial record includes a link to the full record.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the full record and the at least one partial record includes:

generating a summary of the full record;

wherein the at least one partial record includes the dispersed storage metadata and the summary.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

storing the social networking data and the dispersed storage metadata in a cache of the dispersed storage processing unit; and

updating a remaining cache capacity of the cache.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein generating the full record and the at least one partial record is initiated based on the remaining cache capacity.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising;

determining the at least one other of the plurality of user devices.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein determining the at least one other of the plurality of user devices includes:

determining a user associated with the at least one of the plurality of user devices;

retrieving an affinity group that includes the user associated with the at least one of the plurality of user devices;

identifying at least one other user based the affinity group; and

identifying the at least one other of the plurality of user devices, based on the identification of the at least one other user.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein identifying the at least one other of the plurality of user devices includes;

determining if the at least one other user is currently coupled to the dispersed storage processing unit via the data network; and

identifying a network address associated with the at least one other of the plurality of user devices.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein membership in the affinity group is generated based on at least one of:

invitation to join the affinity group from the user associated with the at least one of the plurality of user devices and acceptance by the at least one other user;

comparison of a first profile associated with the user associated with the at least one of the plurality of user devices, with a second profile associated with the at least one other user; and

comparison of subject matter of the partial record to the second profile.

11. A method for use in conjunction with a dispersed storage processing unit coupled to a data network, the method comprising:

receiving a request for social networking data at the dispersed storage processing unit, the request associated with at least one of a plurality of user devices, wherein the social networking data includes user profile data associated with a user and shared with other users associated with selected ones of the plurality of user devices in accordance with a social networking application;

retrieving at least one partial record from a dispersed storage network, based on the request for social networking data, wherein the partial record is associated with a full record stored in the dispersed storage network as a plurality of slices in a plurality of geographically diverse storage locations such that each of the geographically diverse storage locations stores less than a read threshold number of slices, wherein the read threshold number of slices is less than a total number of the plurality of slices;

sending the at least one partial record to at least one of the plurality of user devices via the data network.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the at least one partial record includes a summary of the full record.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the at least one partial record includes a link to the full record.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

retrieving the full record from a dispersed storage network at a plurality of geographically diverse storage locations that are different from the plurality of user devices, based on the request for social networking data;

storing the full record in a cache of the dispersed storage processing unit.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising;

receiving a request for the full record at the dispersed storage processing unit, the request sent via the data network from at least one of a plurality of user devices;

retrieving the full record from the cache;

sending the full record to at least one of the plurality of user devices via the data network.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

purging the cache in response to retrieving the full record from the cache.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

purging the cache after expiration of a time out period.

18. The method of claim 11 further comprising;

determining the at least one partial record, based on the request for social networking data.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein determining the at least one partial record includes:

determining a user associated with the request for social networking data;

retrieving an affinity group that includes the user associated with the request for social networking data; and

identifying at least one partial record based on the affinity group.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein membership in the affinity group is generated based on at least one of:

invitation to join the affinity group from the user associated with request for social networking data and acceptance by at least one other user;

comparison of a first profile associated with the user associated with request for social networking data, with a second profile associated with the at least one other user; and

comparison of subject matter of the partial record to a profile associated with the affinity group.