Social networking utilizing a dispersed storage network

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 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;
• and
• 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.