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The good folks at Wordpress have officially released WordPress 2.5. It comes with a long list of nice enhancements, including a completely redesigned administration console that looks and feels great. I upgraded this blog in exactly five minutes, including the time required to upload the new files and upgrade the database. It worked like a charm.

One of the things I like best so far is the ability to auto-update plug-ins via FTP. It worked perfectly, and simplifies the process tremendously.

So far, the only plug-in that I’m not able to get running with 2.5 is also unfortunately one of my favorites: Ankur Kathari’s Gregarious social bookmarking plug-in. Everything else has worked like a charm!

Already running an older version of WordPress? Here are the famous three-step upgrade instructions.

Digsby is a new multi-network IM (AIM, ICQ, WLM, Jabber, GTalk, Yahoo) that also integrates your email and social network accounts on Facebook and Myspace. It’s in private beta, but this site has screenshots, initial impressions, and invites.

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For those of us for those of us comfortable with blogs, wikis and forums, the collaborative benefits of social software are clear. Why then do most businesses still rely on email more than anything? Social software expert Suw Charman has presented her views on why corporate adoption rates for social software tools still lag behind email in this great presentation.

Stephanie Booth has summarized the salient points on what keeps people from diving into the social software pool:

Low-level fear of social humiliation. How are they going to come across to their peers and bosses? Fear of making mistake. People don’t realise they’re afraid, they just feel a bit uncomfortable talking /publicly/ to their collegues. E-mail is different because it feels private, it’s 1-1 communication. You’re not exposing yourself as much. People become “shy” when you give them a very public place to work.

Also, some people aren’t comfortable in writing. Some are better talkers than writers, and are not comfortable writing in a semi-formal environment. E-mail is more informal. Blogs and wikis are perceived as requiring a higher level of writing skill. Again, people don’t admit to this.

This doesn’t happen in very open organisations, but often if permission isn’t explicitly given to use such tools, that will really get in the way. “Blogs as diaries”, etc — psychological mismatch. What the boss /thinks/ blogs are, and what they are used for in business.

Trust in the tool. “So you mean anybody can change my stuff?” for wikis. “Can I stop them?” Not comfortable trusting the content placed in such tools, and the tools themselves. “What if the tool loses everything?”

Will the tool still be around in one or two years? If we pour our data into this wiki, am I going to just lose everything if management pulls it down?

Many people just don’t see the point. See social software as something they need to do /in addition/ to what they’re already doing. Parallel with KM disasters.

As you can see, implementing a new work process is less about “the tool” (easy, free) and more about changing the culture of the organization. What’s the key to success? There is no single recipe for all organizations, but one of the most useful approaches is to make sure the leaders use these technologies themselves. People pay attention to what their leaders do. Of course, this implies that your organization has leaders, and not just managers.

Thanks to Amit Agarwal at Digital Inspirations for the tip on Suw’s presentation.

The AOL Instant Messenger developers have had some fun with the AIM API, creating a network link for Google Earth that shows live AIM chat activity. It’s interesting to see where the AIM users are, and who they are chatting with.

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What is Joost? It’s high-definition TV, streaming over the internet. Created by the founders of Skype and Kazaa, it uses similar technological concepts for boosting performance.

Right now, the channels are somewhat limited, but if you’ve got the hardware to support Joost, you might want to check it out. And if you want to check it out, I just so happen to have three invites to the private beta.

Leave me a comment if you’re interested (you’ll get extra points for creativity!).

Yeah, after thirty days, it’s not exactly new, but Justin.tv is still more fun that YouTube.

I know, I know. Some of you just don’t get it. I’m not sure anyone really does. Twitter may be nothing more than a cathartic release of pent up thoughts. Or a fad. Or maybe a complete waste of time.

Regardless of where you stand, Michael Agger has written an interesting little article at Slate titled What Are You Doing? The Allure of Twitter, the Latest Web Sensation. I still prefer Jaiku over Twitter, but the Twitter is where the people are.

Of course, if you check my Twitter archive, you’ll notice a downward participation trend. Maybe the wave has crested?

Performance art meets technology in Flussgeist. This excellent mashup brings feeds from Twitter and combines them with photos, video and an ambient soundtrack. The tags driving the imagry are fished right out of the Twitter stream.

It’s a fascinating way to watch the world spin right before your eyes. Go there now.

There are plenty of near misses in the dot-com world. The Hits are difficult to predict. It helps to have a good idea, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be original. Having a well-connected team is a plus, and appears to have really given Twitter a shot in the arm.

Twitter is one of those up-and-comers that’s getting an inordinate share of buzz. Of course it doesn’t hurt when you have some rather high profile techies playing with it. Of course, I had to give it a test drive.

So what is Twitter? The story is best told from the horse’s mouth:

Twitter is a community of friends and strangers from around the world sending updates about moments in their lives.  Friends near or far can use Twitter to remain somewhat close while far away.  Curious people can make friends.  Bloggers can use it as a mini-blogging tool. Developers can use the API to make Twitter tools of their own. Possibilities are endless!

Clear as mud?

In many ways, it reminds me of the rather crude shoutbox I’ve seen on sites for ages. The premise is that you tell your friends (or the world, if you choose) what you are doing — all in 140 characters or less. Why the character limit? Because text messaging is one of the primary methods of posting your activity. Of course, you can also use instant messaging, or the web site, or something like The Icon Factory’s Twitteriffic (if you’re running OS X).

You can also put a badge on your blog or website so others can see what you and your friends are up to. I’m using Sarah Issacson’s Twitter sidebar widget for Wordpress — you’ll see it in the right-hand column under the heading What am I doing?

Aside from sharing what I’m doing (as if anyone really cares), you can also see what I’ve done, or what other people are doing.

Of course, Twitter couldn’t be a self-respecting Web 2.0 project without some dimension of social networking or community. Yes, you can link yourself with other Twitter users, establishing contacts, and following their activities. The activities of the people you are following (the language is eerily stalker-ish) are sent to you according to your preferences. They can be displayed on your blog via a badge, or sent via IM or even text message to your mobile phone.

You can also send private messages to your contacts, or nudge them when they haven’t shared what they’re doing in a while. Hmm… maybe parents could use this to keep tabs on their txt-crazy kids.

Twitter began as a side project at Odeo less than a year ago, and had grown by leaps and bounds. There isn’t any apparent monetization yet, although it’s easy to picture the updates including targeted, 140 character adverts. “Your friend Jeff liked this… you might like it too! Click here to buy now.” For now, they are building market share, and really creating a new market where none previously existed.

My friend Tintin in Shanghai took a look at Twitter and her initial comment was “What a waste of time.” And yet, she signed up. What’s the attraction? Equal parts of buzz factor, simplicity, and fun. After all, we all need to waste a little time now and then.

Take a look at Twitter and let me know what you think? Does it pique your curiousity?

The social network is a buzzword that every Web 2.0 company has to include in their pitch. But what is it? Does social networking matter, or is it just a bunch of hype?

Here’s my brief, unobjective primer to social networks.

When explaining knowledge management to people, I usually tell them that it’s really nothing new. We have been sharing knowledge for ages, both on a personal level and with larger groups of people. At work, you ask a co-worker a question, and they share an answer. The tacit knowledge of one employee is transferred to another in that social transaction.

Likewise, social networks are not anything new. We all have our own personal networks, subconsciously tagged as family, friends, co-workers, business associates and so on.

Wikipedia describes a social network as “…a social structure made of nodes which are generally individuals or organizations. It indicates the ways in which they are connected through various social familiarities ranging from casual acquaintance to close familial bonds.”

So if social networking is nothing new, what’s all the fuss about?

The popularity of so-called social networking sites like MySpace and LinkedIn have captured the attention of the media. These sites generally revolve around the ability for members to setup a personal profile, and identify connections with other members.

In it’s simplest implementation, MySpace is merely a reflection of pre-existing social network structures. A teenager and his friends join, setup profiles, and add each other to their “friends” list. They already know each other. In this case, the virtual network is a mirror image of their real world network of friends.

The virtual networks make it easier to forge new connections, though the tensile strength of those connections is generally much weaker than real world connections. On MySpace, it’s not uncommon to find people who are looking to add everyone and anyone who will accept them as a friend, sometimes generating tens of thousands of friends. Naturally these are not real friends, and the connection can’t really be considered a relationship.

It’s not always vaccuous. Just as in the real world, people are also creating new relationships through these virtual social networks. Sites like Flickr and Last.fm encourage this by showing other members and giving you an opportunity to meet someone whose photography catches your eye, or who has a similar taste in music. These relationships begin much like the old pen-pal relationships I remember from grade school. They begin as virtual communication, and sometimes extend into the real world.

I have a friend who used to spend a lot of time online, communicating with people all over the world via instant messaging. Her network of friends was vast, but tenuous. Eventually, she chose to pull back from the online network and focus on the people she sees face-to-face (which includes some people that she initially met online at one time).I can understand and respect that choice. The tenuous nature of online-only relationships can be shallow and unfulfilling. People are wired for more than cerebral interaction; like Peter Gabriel said “I need contact!“

Personally, I’ve made a number of new friends online, through discussion forums such as BigBlueBall, shared interest sites like Flickr and even sites like MySpace. Most of them I’ve never met, and I only know them through our online interaction (and their online personae). Some of them I correspond with regularly via instant messaging or voice chat. A few (about seven, so far) I have met ‘IRL’ (in real life), further strengthening the connection.

Some people may find it strange to make friends online, but it’s not much different from meeting new friends in your community. You participate in an activity with other people (going to church; playing tennis; playing World of Warcraft; exploring Second Life). In the process, you meet some people that you get along with, and a friendship begins.

So what does this mean for online social networks, particularly in the context of Web 2.0 and beyond?

• For networks to have meaning, they must be limited to real relationships. Flickr may have recognized this when they recently put a limit on the number of contacts you can have.
• Online communities can foster genuine relationships that exist purely online, but they must be based on common ground. LinkedIn, which focuses on professional networking, recognizes this. You cannot add someone without knowing them, or at least sharing a friend in common.
• Friend whoring devalues the network. For long term success, communities need to find ways to discourage this behavior and encourage real relationships.
• Stronger connections are enabled by richer contact experience. Real world relationships generally have the highest likelihood of developing a strong bond, but technologies such as VoIP and webcams can help strengthen online relationships.
• We need strong, deep relationships as well as casual friendships more typical of online communities.

My fortune cookie encourages me to expand my social network. It’s good advice, but I’d like to hear from you. How do you recommend I expand my social circle?