Joho the Blog
An Entry from the Archives

Is social software just old hat?
I don't think so. If You look at it from a technical viewpoint it may be, but it's hard to dismiss that there's a lot of buzz around it. And sometimes that kind of buzz is a sign that things are changing. If social software - and not just the hype - takes off, it's because we're ready for it, and because it can get critical mass in an environment that is able to support the idea.

Like you cannot keep a dolphin in a 20 gallon fishtank, you cannot make social software happen in a small environment where only few people have access to - let alone experience with - online computers.
And like you cannot MAKE people aware of a new phenomenon if there's another more easily understood close to it, you'd have had a hard time selling social software, when e-mail was the next new thing, and when websites with 3d buttons was the next new thing.
I don't think that social software is technically new, but right now stuff is happening. I can feel it with my clients. They're moving on.

Part of the new-ness here is about less technology, not more technology.

Weblogs aren't high-technology. They are content management systems stripped down and simplified.

Wikis aren't high-tech, either. They provide simple collaborative editing, without complex rules and workflow about who has permission to write, edit, and approve.

One of the trends in the social software space involves simpler communication and collaboration tools that are managed by flexible social convention instead of inflexible programming.