If all this web 2.0 stuff is a little weird, it's probably worth watching these 3 videos on where the web is headed.

If this is all a bit weird, It is probably worth taking an hour to watch these videos on where the web is heading / now at.  Each video is about 20 minutes in duration and authored by Clay Shirky mentioned in the reading.

Clay Shirky: How cognitive surplus will change the world | Video on TED.com

Clay Shirky looks at "cognitive surplus" -- the shared, online work we do with our spare brain cycles. While we...

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Clay Shirky: How social media can make history | Video on TED.com

While news from Iran streams to the world, Clay Shirky shows how Facebook, Twitter and TXTs help citizens in repressive regimes to report on real news, by...

Clay Shirky on institutions vs. collaboration | Video on TED.com

In this prescient 2005 talk, Clay Shirky shows how closed groups and companies will give way to looser networks where small contributors hav...