This paper discusses our view on sociable media and applications in which social connectedness is not limited to (re)connecting with (distant) lovers, friends and family and maintaining long-term relationships, but also encompasses casual connections to nearby `strangers'. Based on experiences at the Mobile Life Center, we discuss various aspects that need to be taken into account in design and evaluation of social connectedness applications. We argue against an overly quantitative approach to evaluation of social and affective aspects of media, services or `things' that facilitate social connectedness. We aim for a meaningful comparison between applications and their social-affective effects, without foregoing neither negative consequences of increased social awareness, nor the unique, wondrous experiences that might have never occurred without them.