From what I *think* you’re saying, I offer this.

I believe that meaningful connections will emerge. I believe that the tools will also emerge to make this possible. I believe this because I believe a culture creates the tools it needs to fulfill its desires.

The big question is how will the tools be distributed? Will they be used to enable the disenfranchised or simply to further enable the already enabled? (eg: greed v good)

This, of course, is largely a matter of access and a matter of human will and endeavour rather than technology advance.

Meaningful connections like anything meaningful and of value takes time.

Thanks for the thoughts.

Where you from Brian, BTW?

Dave

If only we were able. Something of this is the oldest and most rugged of all writings.

Is it universality we are yearning, or enabling, or mere value for cost? Damn but it will be difficult to finish your post. Because we’re excited that links to pages has evolved toward links to faces, will meaningful connections emerge beyond 2.0?

Laurel’s post does highlight some way forward or at least part of the qualitative puzzle….even though it’s still looking a lot like quantitative statistics.

You know, when writing the ‘isolation’ post, I had a reference to our musings about the long tail jewels.
http://dnwallace.com/blog/2006/02/17/equality-on-the-blogosphere-no-gaping-voids/
Specifically these bits " We just want to start a conversation about IDENTIFYING ‘disconnected stuff‘ in the LongTail and DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
…
Lots of unrealised potential value goes untapped in the long tail."

I was thinking how that’s relevent for this concept of being connected and not isolated. So much value (in people) in the long tail.

You right though re Laurel’s post – these tools do show the importance of connection. BUT we must remember the issue and debate we had around Shirkey’s law – qualitative analysis must resist the temptation to value things in the short head more just because they exist in the short head.

As to DIRC providing value – you’re still talking about ME whenever you talk about DIRC and this stuff. I’M TIRED. Ask me later.

Thanks to Laurel for her post:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LaurelPapworth-OnlineCommunities-AustraliaAndGlobal/~3/151774460/facebook-at-work-analytics-is-your.html

For a timely hint about the intersection of QUALITATIVE and QUANTITATIVE – ie tools wot can measure extent of network (connectedness) and potentially impact of stories.

Gotta be a way for DIRC to provide value to government and clients here somewhere.

Fang – Mike Seyfang