Users more engaged with smaller communities

A new report from Communispace says that social networking sites will be smaller, bear "brands" that are geared toward specific communities and that sites like MySpace will be a thing of the past.

But why can't mega social networking sites just create sub-sites that focus on specific areas of interest like what seems to be happening on YouTube with the creation of their "You Choose 08" site?

Politics v. Web 2.0

Looks like the upcoming elections are already changing online campaigns modus operandi:

YouTube

Elliot Schrage, Google vice president of global communications said the candidates have been invited to talk "tech and policy" with the Google team, which hopes to film the interviews and make them available on YouTube's "You Choose 08" channel, which already includes 10 presidential candidates' videos. He said Google also plans to expand its product customization for political activists, including creating a new sales team specializing in campaigns.

MySpace

This week, the site [My Space] will introduce a section dedicated to politics, with an emphasis on the 2008 presidential election. Called the Impact channel, it will be an online version of a town square, a collection of links to political MySpace pages that will make it easier for the site’s 60 million American users per month — many of them from the traditionally elusive and apathetic youth demographic — to peruse the personal MySpace pages of, so far, 10 presidential candidates. […]The Impact channel will also feature voter registration tools that are intended to function as a cyber version of the Rock the Vote youth drives of recent years. And perhaps most enticing to the campaigns, the site will start a one-click payment function to help contenders solicit campaign contributions.

Confessions of an American Torturer

Incredible first-hand account from servicemen and women asked to use torture, or "coercive techniques" during interrogations.