Social networking utilizing a dispersed storage network

1. A method for execution by a computing device of a social media dispersed storage network (DSN), the method comprises:

receiving, via the DSN, via an interface of the computing device, and from a first user device, social media data for storage in the social media DSN;

generating metadata regarding the social media data;

dispersed storage error encoding the social media data and the metadata in accordance with dispersed storage error encoding parameters to produce a plurality of sets of encoded data slices;

distributedly storing the plurality of sets of encoded data slices as a full record of the social media; data within a plurality of dispersed storage (DS) units that are respectively located at geographically diverse locations within the DSN, wherein each DS unit stores less than a read threshold number of encoded data slices of any one of the plurality of sets of encoded data slices;

generating a partial record based on the social media data and including at least a portion of the metadata;

determining a group to which the first user device is affiliated; and

providing, via the interface and via the DSN, the partial record to one or more other user devices affiliated with the group.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metadata comprises one or more of:

a group ID, a user device ID, key words, a reference to a media file, a timestamp, and a link to other social networking data.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the partial record further includes a summary of the social media data, the summary comprising one or more of:

a title, key points, fragments of text, thumbnails, reduced resolution of graphics, images, video, and other descriptive information regarding the full record.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

storing the plurality of sets of encoded data slices in storage units of the social media DSN; and

storing the full record in cache memory associated with the computing device after the partial record is sent to a requesting user.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the providing the partial record to one or more other user devices affiliated with the group comprises:

caching the partial record; and

sending a copy of the cached partial record to a second user device of the one or more other user devices affiliated with the group.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the providing the partial record to one or more other user devices affiliated with the group comprises:

dispersed storage error encoding the partial record to produce one or more sets of encoded partial record slices;

storing the one or more sets of encoded partial record slices in a set of storage units of the social media DSN; and

sending a copy of the one or more sets of encoded partial record slices to a second user device of the one or more other user devices affiliated with the group.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprises:

receiving a request for the full record from a second user device of the one or more other user devices affiliated with the group;

reconstructing the social media data from the plurality of sets of encoded data slices; and

sending the reconstructed social media data and the metadata to the second user device.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprises:

receiving a request for the full record from a second user device of the one or more other user devices affiliated with the group; and

sending the plurality of sets of encoded data slices to the second user device.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the partial record further includes a link to the full record.

10. A computing device comprises:

an interface;

memory; and

a processing module operably coupled to the interface and to the memory, wherein the processing module is operable to:

receive, from a first user device via the interface, social media data for storage in a social media dispersed storage network (DSN);

generate metadata regarding the social media data;

dispersed storage error encode the social media data and the metadata in accordance with dispersed storage error encoding parameters to produce a plurality of sets of encoded data slices;

output, via the interface, the plurality of sets of encoded data slices as a full record of the social media data for distributed storage within the social media DSN within a plurality of dispersed storage (DS) units that are respectively located at geographically diverse locations within the DSN, wherein each DS unit stores less than a read threshold number of encoded data slices of any one of the plurality of sets of encoded data slices;

generate a partial record based on the social media data and including at least a portion of the metadata;

determine a group to which the first user device is affiliated; and

provide, via the interface, the partial record to one or more other user devices affiliated with the group.

11. The computing device of claim 10 , wherein the metadata comprises one or more of:

a group ID, a user device ID, key words, a reference to a media file, a timestamp, and a link to other social networking data.

12. The computing device of claim 10 , wherein the partial record includes a summary of the social media data, the summary comprising one or more of:

a title, key points, fragments of text, thumbnails, reduced resolution of graphics, images, video, and other descriptive information regarding the full record.

13. The computing device of claim 10 , wherein the processing module is further operable to:

issue write commands for storing the plurality of sets of encoded data slices in storage units of the social media DSN; and

store the full record in cache memory associated with the computing device after the partial record is sent to a requesting user.

14. The computing device of claim 10 , wherein the processing module is further operable to provide the partial record to one or more other user devices affiliated with the group by:

caching the partial record; and

sending a copy of the cached partial record to a second user device of the one or more other user devices affiliated with the group.

15. The computing device of claim 10 , wherein the processing module is further operable to provide the partial record to one or more other user devices affiliated with the group by:

dispersed storage error encoding the partial record to produce one or more sets of encoded partial record slices;

storing the one or more sets of encoded partial record slices in a set of storage units of the social media DSN; and

sending a copy of the one or more sets of encoded partial record slices to a second user device of the one or more other user devices affiliated with the group.

16. The computing device of claim 10 , wherein the processing module is further operable to:

receive a request for the full record from a second user device of the one or more other user devices affiliated with the group;

reconstruct the social media data from the plurality of sets of encoded data slices; and

send, via the interface, the reconstructed social media data and the metadata to the second user device.

17. The computing device of claim 10 , wherein the processing module is further operable to:

receive a request for the full record from a second user device of the one or more other user devices affiliated with the group; and

send, via the interface, the plurality of sets of encoded data slices and the metadata to the second user device.

18. The computing device of claim 10 , wherein the partial record further includes a link to the full record.