Definitions and Principles
Social software is generally considered to be a Web 2.0 phenomenon. There is much debate about what exactly is meant by Web 2.0, a term first coined by O'Reilly Media, but broadly speaking, most definitions include the following elements:
-
the web as platform (i.e. using it to carry out a range of tasks such as editing, image sharing, email, which previously had to be done via different software packages)
- the participatory web - editing and interacting with other people's web pages, rather than simply reading them
- the web becoming a dynamic and better-organised medium
Social software is considered a key web 2.0 development, since it encompasses services which facilitate collaborating, sharing, meeting and communicating with others online. Strictly speaking, this could include longstanding tools such as email, chat and messageboards, but most people use it to describe more recent developments such as blogs, wikis, and social networking sites. Christopher Allen gives an excellent overview of the history of social software in his blog posting, 'Tracing the Evolution of Social Software'. We discuss key features of the different services in more detail elsewhere in this infokit, but some common principles include:
- 'bottom-up' development and self-policing communities
- user-generated content
- ease of use by non-experts
- flexibility and convergence of systems
- syndication options via news feeds
- rating and tagging of content by users
Much of the initial attraction of many social software sites lay in their 'DIY', non-corporate ethos. However, social software is big business nowadays, and many sites which started off small and 'homespun' have since been bought out by major companies as it allows you to:
- Form online communities in which collaboration can take place. These groups often occur in smaller, more distributed networks of people that in turn allow people to communicate to others that have similar interests.
- Create content and services which are more adaptable and responsive towards the changing needs/goals of the community.
- Reduce the impact that external factors have on social activity.
"removing the limitations placed on social contact by external factors such as language and geography" (Tom Coates, 2002) - Add a social context to content that is provided.
