CivicActions

In a previous post I wrote about the difference between Social Networking with features and Features with social networking. The New York Times has an interesting article entitled "Social Networking's Next Phase" (here for a "free" version or here for the NYTimes - login required - version).

In the article they cover Cisco's entry into the Social Networking fray, Ning's re-encarnation as a Social Networking site, and the buzz around OpenID (one ring to bind us all....) as the authentication glue to have this all be sustainable.

Ning was originally conceived as a DIY "build a site with features you can program yourself". It was really cool - but I didn't think there was enough focus to be really catchy. That's changed. It is now a "roll your own 'open' social networking site with the cool features (and complication/ambiguity) pushed down a level. Bottom line - this is a Social Network with Lots O Features. You can check it out at civicactions.ning.com.