Lately, I have been getting more invites and updates from Multiply, Friendster, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social networks that I’ve signed up with. Truth to tell, my initial thoughts on these were not quite positive. I just joined to check what they had offer and  have a “presence” just in case I can use them later. That was about the time when Web 2.0 and social web buzzwords were fairly new and unproven.

A conversation with an educator friend convinced me that these tools were ripe for the picking so to speak and will continue to be used in several ways. Communities are being built and developed around these sites and applications, and people are finding all sorts of uses. What used to be the realm of “just hanging out online” is now “collaboration, advocacy, communication, contribution, connective and collective.” This is not to say that everything is good and rosy. Like any other tool, it depends on how you use it.

Little by little, I am now integrating social media and web 2.0 in my digital lifestyle. Not because it is hip, but because I find value in them, and foresee that it is a great avenue for education, communication and collaboration.

You might notice that I’m putting in Twitter in the sidebar. If you follow me at http://twitter.com/junasis, you will only receive good news, info and quotes. I am now looking into integrating my posts into the social web pages. I’d also like to see my blogs adopt web 2.0 tools, specially upgrading the Wordpress versions and putting in useful widgets. Maybe re-designing it to be like a dig-like site, contributory and user-driven. If someone can help me make this happen, I am open to collaborations.