I will also be speaking on Friday in a session on “The new social networks: What do they mean for trust and the way our societies evolve?”, with Dina Mehta, Susan Kish, Jean-Louis Constanza and Anne Lange. I hope Dina will get to share some of the experiences she did around using blogging technology to distribute information in the hours and days after the 2004 tsunami, and after hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. Maria Cattaui, the moderator, asked me to intro the topic, so I will likely discuss what online social networks are, how they developed, and why they're now the thing, but also talk about their true value, the shifting public/private line, the meaning of "friend", and how social networks may influence or shape perceptions.