When discussing the impacct or usefulness of a site, people used to say "Content is King", but since the social, "Web2.0" trend this maxim has been replaced by "Contact is King!"  This is not that different from the old days, though.  The Net has a long history of social interaction, sometimes awkward, with time, distance and varying levels of technical and social aptitude sometimes hampering discussions:

Then

Usenet newsgroups

Internet Relay Chat

Bulletin Board Systems (BBS)

MUDS

Mailing Lists

Message Boards

Now

Facebook

MySpace

Blogs 

Graphical RPGs and other video games

Any site with a forum or comments feature

The exhange of information with any number of peers around the world has been the lofty goal of Netizens for nearly 2 decades.  The Net has a culture of open sharing and discussion, and began with a strong dedication to the notion that "information wants to be free."  The exchange of information to any interested party is the goal.  Sometimes it works better than others.

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Some people come to an exchange to offer and learn information.  Others come to argue or make fun of people.   Some start a discussion with a good attitude, but descend quickly into ad hominem attacks:

Everyone starts out as a noob, but we can all get up to speed with a little research.  Know your terms, and know your Netiquette.  And remember that like etiquette, Netiquette varies from one community to another.

Key Terms and Concepts

Internet Abbreviations

l33+5|o34k

thread

lurking

trolling

flamewar

Godwin's Law

intentional typos

lolcats

With the advent of ubiquitous Internet connectivity and an evergrowing host of social sites that can all talk to each other via RSS and other means, a very hyperconnected world is forming.   The Internet allows us to use otherwise unused time, our cognitive surplus, to be more productive.  It also offers endless distractions. 

We are evermore living in a field of ambient telepresence of all our contacts and all the information they produce and consume.  How does it change our productivity when we can talk to our colleagues, patrons, students and teachers almost anywhere and any time?  In what ways is this helpful?  In what ways is it hurtful?  What does it mean to have highly involved, developed relationships with people you rarely see or even talk to by phone? 

Most germaine to today's main topic of social bookmarking via Delicious, what does it mean to never have to forget a site once you have visited it?