The power of a social network like MySpace or Facebook isn’t in its software or its control over which applications get on its platform. It is in the critical mass of participating users. Ditto for eBay, Skype or YouTube. Even less obvious cases like Amazon, where user annotation makes for the best product catalog in the world, and Google, whose search index and ad auction are both driven by user participation, show the power that comes from harnessing the collective activity of everyone who uses the service.

It’s time for the phone to go through the same paradigm shift, and become a first class internet citizen

OReilly

“I confess that having access to large amounts of data is in many instances more important than creating great algorithms.

Marissa Mayer
Google’s VP of Search Products and User Experience

This is the reason why companies like Google are increasing their data collection of all kinds (and their basic research into algorithms for using that data) in social software applications. As the applications become social, the data will be valuable in new ways.

The common tought is that the company with the most data wins.

I’m glad to announce the availability of the first book coauthored by Roberto Galoppini on open source in public administrations, published by McGraw-Hill “Finalmente Libero. Software libero e standard aperti per le pubbliche amministrazioni “.

I haven’t read the whole book yet, but I got a chance to read his chapter on Open source business models, reporting ideas derived from his blog postings on the matter. He asked me some feedback since I’m used to work by Italian public administrations and because I am advocating open source usage by Italian schools. As MPI researcher I am on duty for seeking informatics ditactis for all Sicilian public schools, and I am following new trends and IT technologies aided at educational fields.

Italian schools are managed locally all over Italy, but effectiveness and efficiency are not an easy goal to achieve for schools, and I believe that open source could greatly help. After five years of experiences by different schools, ranging from colleges to universities, and I am convinced that beyond economical reasons open source has also a cultural advantage that matters.

Best wishes to Roberto.

Technorati Tags: Roberto Galoppini, McGraw-Hill, Open Source, Education, Busines Model

Tim Berners-Lee in 1989 invented world wide web.

In the interview above he prefer to use letter GGG instead of numeric series “web 2.0″, “3.0″ when he talk about phenomenon of social networks. Take a look.

Technorati Tags: web 3.0, web 2.0, ggg, tim Berners-Lee, Social Software

In 2006  the magazine Time dedicated its cover to the computer as thr first character on the world stage. But the most teachers and academic people don’t agree with using internet and technological tools in students’ learning and their teaching. The most they can do is using Power Point. We know epochal changes need time. But a new report from Ars Technica let us hope it will be different in the next future. Read the following report and try to change idea.