the
guardian

takes a half-hearted

whack at social software

. although it’s not entirely coherent, it does get bonus points for
capturing the lack of consensus on what exactly social software
is

:

“Social software is the next big thing: everybody’s
talking about it. A lot of people are developing exciting new
programs to aid social interaction. Social software is being
massively overhyped. It’s just a sideshow run by a few geeks with a
tenuous grip on reality. Social software isn’t new: we’ve been
using it for decades. We already have email, Usenet newsgroups,
chatrooms, instant messaging, bulletin boards, multi-user games and
more. Social software isn’t a new technology at all, it just
reflects changes in society. Take your pick…”

beyond being a nifty umbrella to organize all
the things that prove that

“it’s the communication, stupid”

, i’m not sure how useful the phrase is. i hereby predict that it
will die the horrible that awaits every bit of buzzword bingo that means all things
to all people – meaninglessness.