Let's Get (meta) Physical?

Linkedin goes Social: now you can add applications and collaborate with your contact network. This is so boneheaded it beggars belief IMHO. I can see social objects as being useful to Linkedin in that they are social evidence of influence, popularity, or expertise. Thus, your sheer volume of network contacts speaks volumes about your rolodex if you are a sales director; your online presentations show you as an expert marketing person capable of speaking to C-Level executives at conferences; your embedded Google Spreadsheets show a deep understanding of risk and analytics. I have begun to think of Linkedin as a good forum for social validation of a contact (hey, what do you think of John, did he really do such a great job at company x?) and an extendable element into other environments (Everyone on SAP could now have a linkedin directory of both internal and external experts and contacts through a linkedin mashup).

We are the Adobe Reader here, the Recruiters are the Adobe Acrobat. Give the recruiters the heavy tools, just make it 3-click easy for us to use.

(and what's with the Meta-Physical? Linkedin encourages us to only linked with people we actually know, ie. real contacts).

Update: RWW seems to present the LinkedIn Applications in the mode of being Social Objects, which is fair enough, but I still think Linkedin needs to BE THE SOCIAL OBJECT, not be the place where you can bring your social objects.