What future for the social web?

Recent news of the demise of Ning and the possible closure of Bebo has seemed to underline the disintegrating space for social websites. It seems the power of facebook has taken over the whole space.
Phil Bradley though has an interesting blogpost entitled Alternatives to Ning.

Library 2.0 ning site may close

Nearly three years ago I mentioned Nings library 2.0 site created by Bill Drew. Well, I just recieved this email:-

Unless I hear a huge outcry over the next 24 hours, I will shut down this group effective Thursday evening , Feb. 25. Most people trying to join are spammers or just seeing what they can get into. I do not want to transfer the ownership of this group to anyone else. There have only been a few blog posts since the first of the year and hardly any discussions. The groups appear to be moribund as well.

I hope it doesn't close, because I thing when it was originally released it was great. I still go there and love reading the aricles by Araan Tay on there. But I don't add to the conversation anymore as work and life seem to take over. Bill, I hope you don't close it, but thanks for a great site if you do.

Eurostar gets wacked by twitter

With the Uk weather having a knock on effect on Eurostar needing to suspend services for a third day, the adverse treatment of customers has meant a backlash from the social media site such as twitter. One twitter in PR gave a neat appraisal of events here. There is good coverage of the event here.

My own wetpaint wiki

I decided to centralise all my social media information into one wiki, that can be found here. I've put my dissertation up there, which I previously said was on my website (but is no more). Anyhow, hope to add more features before long.

My five non-library blog reads

Well, as mentioned previously, Rachel Singer Gordon on liminal librarian asked which 5 non library blogs one reads. Here goes.

1. A VC blog. A VC discusses social software and sport and family.
2. Tim Anderson's Media Studies Gateway Page. A guy I bookmooched a book off months ago, gave me his blog address. The rest they say is history. Musings of a communications professor of Denison University on TV, relationships and the social web (not in that order).
3. Tom Coates blog plasticbag is always worth a read. He describes it as:-
'A weblog by Tom Coates - quitting the fire to cold complexions needing it
Concerning future media, social software, mass-amateurisation and the web of data.'

4. Jeff Jarvis' Buzzmachine for his idea's on blogging, television and the media.
5. Stephen O'hear's Social web for similar reasons to Jeff Jarvis. Though his love of Twitter is tiring.