Next gen social networking ...

... Will be what?

Om Malik has a shot at answering the question: "It is time to rethink the whole notion of social networking, and start thinking of it as a feature for other online activities."

And he has a point.

But the bigger picture, I think, is around meaning. What does social networking actually do for us? How can it add meaning to our lives?

Yes, Om is right. But you can push this notion further and ask not just how can it integrate into other online features, but how can it help me achieve certain goals? How can I learn more? How can I be more productive/creative/organised ... ?

I suspect we'll see some good examples this year.