If you have a 23andMe account, my user name is andrewyates. Send me an invite! (under account => My Profiles) I promise to only use your genetic information for tweaking clones, raising your health insurance premiums, and raising venture capital.

Yes, bask in the all encompassing Power of WE!

Anne Wojcicki:

“We’re at the beginning of a revolution that combines genetics and the Internet. Wikipedia, YouTube and MySpace have all changed the world by empowering individuals to share information. We believe this same phenomenon can revolutionize healthcare.”

The press reads this and thinks that 23andMe (and by proxy, deCODEme) is “yet another social network.” It’s not. It could help collect more genomic samples for research, which would benefit everyone, but so far, that’s a stretch considering that phenotypes are self-reported. (update: report on 23andWe coming soon)

Mark Hopkins of social networking news site Mashable:

One of the ideas floated to them from the press, one that was warmly received by both Linda and Anne, was a social network available at 23andMe where social connections were made for you by DNA genotype similarity. It was described by the press member asking the question as “the ultimate in social networking,” a sentiment that seemed to be echoed in tone by Linda and Anne.

I can’t imagine the usefulness or entertainment value in such a system, but then I’m not much of a geneticist (perhaps someone out there with a bit more of a background in it can explain the inside joke I seem to be missing).

Is “the ultimate social network” some kind of tongue-in-cheek joke? Can middle-aged wives of billionaires be snarky about the Silicon Valley press echo chamber when Rupert Murdoch entertains your questions about your stinky piss internet quiz? If you were one degree away from valley’s most connected company, and the success of your startup was independent of sucking everyone who could write a check, would silicon-valley-buzz like “the ultimate in social networking” be a big in-house joke?

I’m just saying, if I was a bored 30-something billionaire…