Additonal Thoughts on Here Comes Everybody

I finished reading Clay Shirky's book over the weekend.   Even though I have been using some Web 2.0 tools for a while now, it definitely helped me broaden my perspective on the topic.  The bottom line is that Web 2.0 tools, are just that - a set of tools.   Their power lies in their ability to virtually eliminate the cost of organizing groups with like interests regardless of geography.  I regularly communicate with other learning professionals in Canada, India, Germany, the UK and throughout the United States.  Without Web 2.0 tools, it would not be possible for me to do so - at least not as cheaply and as easily.   Plus I would have had a difficult time finding people to connect with in the first place.   As Shirky states in the epilogue, "social tools don't create new motivations, they just amplify existing ones." Social media tools allow us to share content that might be of interest to others and then connect to form communities around those shared interests.