I like this approach to trying to turn buddy lists, address books etc into more dynamic, personal representations: Social Fabric ~ Thesis 2005 (via Infosthetics)
The Social Fabric is a representation of your social world, displayed as a single visual array on your mobile phone. It does not replace your address book or calendar but keeps you subtly informed about which relationships are prospering, which you have neglected, and the overall state of your social fabric.