the vast majority of the groupware/’community’ content, just like most of your Intranet content, is unused and possibly obsolete (and hence dangerous). And you’ll probably find that the vast majority of the CoPs are more or less dormant, or defunct.

Dave Pollard’s “practical guide to implementing Web 2.0…” is more a how-not-to than a how-to, but makes a good read for anyone designing and developing social networking and participatory media sites and services (like the Create team is trying to do for the JISC Institutional Innovation programme).

Essentially a repost via Downes OLD, but I found this article a very useful introduction to the sociology of social networking. Kanter provides tools and illustrations on their use which can help to understand, and to implement directed social networking strategies. (Note to self: can a strategy ever not be directed?)