Human horizons in social networking

But that is not the way Ng looks at it. For him it comes back to how you define the pure form Web.

"You contribute the content you get the money, that's the traditional definition. However, if the users do not care about that - and if they don't care, no one cares - that changes the script. Will a blogger allow that to happen? Never. Because it is valuable content and it’s quality content. On the other side though Facebook handles a lot more trivia, in the sense it is me saying: 'I like this book'. 'I met this girl' etc. The level of user interaction has a lot to do with it".

Bone fide bloggers are aware of the kind of licencing involved and despite losing control when they are on Facebook, do not worry about that ownership. On the other hand, kids don’t care, they just want to communicate. The value is in the exchange not the product which in this case is intangible.

It seems inexplicable to the older mind but that’s how we communicate most of the time - whether it’s kids at school or old blokes in the teashop. Just listen next time you have a quiet moment!

For entrepreneurs like Ng, there’s the jingle of cash in those apparently pointless one liners - but, and it’s an important but, there’s the joy of building social networks in societies that are fragmenting under the externally impelled forces of globalisation. Online social networking offers a way out, or through!