This contribution was originally entered as a comment by Spock. I thought his words were important enough to be added as a stand alone posting:

“Social” is the new buzz, I agree. It’s been around since the early days of the internet, but these days there is a new kind of “social” force on the web. Blogs, photo sharing, content-oriented encounters, social networks are all the initial forms of the new social revolution. It goes way beyond just making connections. Maybe even better described as “socialist”, not just “social”. There is a fundamental shift of power in the way the web is created, drvien and used. Society, communities, individuals and the networks they create take center stage side by side as equals with the old monarchs - centralized service and information providers, corporations, merchants and customers.

However, as far as personal networking is concerned, I don’t believe we should expect an all-in-one service. I make a distinction between making new connections, and maintaining useful ones.

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