As I was putting my Google+ circles together, I thought.  Hmmm… How would Dante do his circles?  Yes I wonder these things.. And here is how his circles would look.

Had to do a bit of Photoshop to get these in order.  Then I thought: How would Dante’s Google+ circles map to today’s grouping?  Actually, pretty well.

  1. LIMBO — This is where you put the people that you may have met, but really do not know what you want to do about this connection. Its not like they did anything wrong, its just that you don’t care. This corresponds to “acquaintances” in most people’s circles.
  2. LUST — Pretty easy right?  People you WISH you knew or want to know better, if you know what I mean.
  3. GLUTTONY — I think this circle is best for people you follow just because you want to, even though they post far too many updates, such as media stars, self-appointed internet pundits, and other attention whores.
  4. GREED — Another easy one.  These are your business contacts.  This one maps directly to what most people would call their “professional” circle.
  5. ANGER — I had to think about this one.  I decided all my news organizations would go here, Fox News especially.
  6. HERESY — Another hard one.  My first thought is there is where you put your “on the edge” bloggers, or cutting edge people. Unlike Dante I would not could these people as “sinners,” but rather just those that are outside the accepted mainstream.
  7. VIOLENCE — Rugby players.
  8. FRAUD — Politicians, Wall Street bankers, mortgage brokers, spammers, and social media gurus go here.
  9. TREACHERY — Past lovers, friends that betrayed you, business partners that screwed you over, and the like. I really hope this is an empty circle.

So there you go. It might not be the way Dante imagined the circles of hell, but it’s the way he would do it if he were on Google+ today. What are your thoughts?

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