Trusted networksBen:

Like democracy, the Web is messy. I agree that there is a lot of crap out there. That's why I like blogs. They help me get to know the writer and develop a trusting relationship. I have got to know people like James Farmer, Jay Cross, Jon Husband, Rob Paterson, etc through our blogs.

I find that my social networks (connecting people to people) help me to determine the best content to check out to satisfy my learning needs. It's similar to a classroom, except that on the Web I get to choose my teachers. Many of these teachers are in My Bloglines feedreader, and they are not anonymous.

Glad to know that you're reading my blog, and thanks for all your comments :-)

BTW, here's an interesting new model combining blogs, eportfolios and social networking, that might be of interest: ELGG