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Web 2.0 tools have critically elevated the social networking activity and skills of individuals. Not only are young people highly active in social networks, but older individuals are also showing a huge increase in their use of these tools. The attraction of older age groups is, of course, social connection and community building among professional and casual peers and friends.

Even Web 2.0 is a confusing mass of capabilities, yet already people are talking about Web 3.0. Where are we in all of this? What's important for educators to know?

Professors are beginning to use Twitter at academic conferences to share proceedings with absent colleagues and to create an online "backchannel" for attendees, but the tool can also be distracting and detract from face-to-face communication at events.\n\nThose were the basic findings of a survey of academics at five recent conferences, in research presented this month at the annual EduMedia Conference in Salzburg, Austria. The paper is titled "How People Are Using Twitter During Conferences."

Discussion of what the new form of expertise might need to look like in college classrooms.