The question is how. How exactly will the Protection from Harassment Act, which came into effect this past weekend, truly enforce the broad changes it champions?

The one glaring difference is that cyberbullies are now within the reach of the law's extending arm. While South Africa's digital media have been used by people across a wide range of generations, the protection of certain rights remained - up until now - a slightly grey area.

It’s not enough to exist in the real world anymore. You also need to exist on an alternative plane of reality, i.e. the virtual world of social media. This is where concepts like FBO (Facebook Official) stem from; the idea is that if a piece of information isn’t documented on Facebook, it’s not authentic or verified. So don’t think you can date someone without updating your relationship status on Facebook - nobody will believe you. (Facebook never lies.)

This fabulous list, compiled by Max Kiesler, describes links to 40 open source resources to "get you started building your own social bookmarking, networking, filesharing or search application".

He's put together what he considers to be the best social software he's found over the past year. Check it out.

CONSIDER this. My 80 year-old dad still walks to the local store to buy his paper where he bends the ear of the 'corner boys' about daily affairs. My dad's experience of news is social in nature. News reflects and refracts what he considers to be popular or important, informs his public discourse and is consumed and shared socially. Newspaper execs who understand the social value of news position their titles through targeted marketing and promotion. Alas, the same SA papers miss the plot when it comes to social marketing online.

There are more than 25 000 blogs in South Africa, which generated nearly 40 000 postings in August, according to figures just in from Arthur Goldstuck.
In a posting on ThoughtLeader this morning, Goldstuck reveals the first figures that give exciting insight into what's happening in South Africa, including the fact that unique visitors to blogs in August numbered 621 204.