The 3rd Wave

Social software got its start from the three social networking sites - Friendster, LinkedIn and Tribe. However, as it expanded, it actually took in blogs, wikis, instant messenger and the like under its fold. Anyways, the second wave of social software came with tagging and folksonomy: sites such as Flickr and Del.icio.us where the content is managed and shaped by its users. Pretty cool.

The third wave continues with the user-generated content started by the social networks, and management of information seen in the second set. This one is marked by sharing more personal stuff: events, places and calendars. Here some good examples of players on this field.

Events: Upcoming.org
Calendars: Planzo, CalendarHub
Places: Plazes

Check 'em out. They might be the next Google or something.