Social networking is hot and companies of all shapes and sizes are jumping on board. Folks are starting to realize there is a finite number of ways these days to reach their customers.With broadband web access, Tivo (DVR) boxes, and portable media, consumers have taken control of how information is managed and consumed. Social sites like www.facebook.com are simple examples. Other tools such as www.itensil.com allow actual program extension by end users through the addition of workflows and Wiki links. Social Search battles search manipulation (i.e. Black Hat SEO ) by allowing users to block spam directly.

Students now produce a lot more content, for a much broader audience. Terry talks about how the new environment allows for "thinking out loud" instead of only "finished thoughts.".This seems very, very positive for learning. Students develop a portfolio of images. Students also have this same opportunity to work and share with other students around the country, via safe, monitored, discussion boards. Also in the online classroom students and teachers will have the chance to ask follow up question that time didn't allow us to get to during the videoconference as well as play related games, puzzles, take fun surveys, etc?

Interesting chap, broader scope of focus, totally into blogging, big on social networking. I pointed out it should be the WA blog awards, he indicated (fairly) but there is not a lot of bloggers in WA outside of Perth. Interesting people are everywhere, but we don't all get to search for them and read their knowledge or passions, it's just happens by word of mouth and refferal. Traditionally, it's only if a topic is hot or challenging that journalists seek out interesting people to interview, because they don't have the time nor the space in the newspaper to interview all the interesting people out there.

TechCrunch is the authority and so far, the benchmark for all other tech blogs. TechCrunch rocks, but it seems to have inspired a whole slew of what Dave Winer referred to as the third group of Web 2.0 (see http://www.scripting.com/2005 /12/22.html#bustedExpl ained ). TechCrunch notes that CNN is featuring Mixx, the Digg competitor, separately from other social bookmarking services. The link and logo goes beside the E-mail to a friend and Share links, so that is quite more space than the competition gets.

Check out the resources section. It's a US site, but many of the resources available are just as relevant to our local market here in New Zealand. Check out www.albertajobcast.com and let me know what you think? If an employer looking to recruit new staff, check out our free white-paper available from albertaJOBcast website - on the left side column.