Weblogs in Higher Education

Social Software, Web 2.0, And Weblogs

Social Software provides an easy-to-use technical background for computer-mediated communications between individuals or individuals and groups: “Social Software blends tools and modes for richer online social environments and experiences” (Corante 2004). The quote refers to the enabling character of information technology for building new relationships: Social networks and Social Software are seen to be complementing each other. In contrast to the earlier understanding of computer use, where goal-orientation and purposeful uses were in the foreground, now the voluntary, self-organized distribution of information over the internet and the added value for supporting real as well as virtual communities catch the attention of research and business alike. So the appealing effect of the Internet is no longer driven by the technicality of being logged-in, but rather through the personal participation in the co-weaving of the information texture of the World Wide Web. Unlike earlier activities, this is not only done by writing and reading, but also by representing the interests of oneself through pictures, videos or audio streams.

The basic idea behind the term Social Software can be traced back over six decades to Vannevar Bush and others. Vannevar Bush’s “memex” was an early blueprint of hypertext, although never manufactured. The device was basically intended to store and associate related knowledge and experiences for personal use (cf. Bush 1945). So the idea to enhance the reach of our personal memory and knowledge by using an external device and providing it with all our individual understanding and experiences as well as that of other people is not so new. Interestingly enough and contained already in the original writing Bush envisioned that other people’s knowledge would be equally important and that the exchange of newly associated knowledge would be the crucial asset (for an extensive discussion of the unfolding of Bush’s idea cf. Allen 2004). The ease-of-use of the current applications and their widespread adoption, though, creates a new quality with respect to users and innovative interactions.

The term Web 2.0 was coined by Tim O’Reilly, a well-known speaker and writer on issues of the internet (O’Reilly 2005). Rather than trying to define Web 2.0 more precisely some authors distinguish its applications from the presumed world of Web 1.0. While Web 1.0 is supposed to simply present information, Web 2.0 is implying user participation. In popular publications, Web 2.0 is frequently understood as a synonym for Social Software, although it carries a stronger connotation to technical and business aspects. In this chapter, the term Social Software is preferred over Web 2.0, intended to embrace the facets of both terms.