What's the big deal about making connections & collaborating? It's all the buzz and becoming more and more mainstream as media picks up on it. Web 2.0 as a term and a concept has been around for a while now but it seems like it's just starting to gain traction in the popular mindset. Even though the web is evolving at practically the speed of light, there are many decision-makers who are still see it as an extension of traditional print media and advertising. It isn't. It hasn't been since it's inception. The very idea of the "web" tears apart the notion of linear text and traditional media. The Web 2.0 concept of linkages tears apart the notion that we are all islands. For a brief overview see this excellent video on Web 2.0, social computing, and issues that are now in the forefront and need defining.

For more in-depth exploration of social computing and leveraging the power of social computing, I'd recommend the book Wikinomics. It's a very good discussion and thought-provoking read.