This time last year a few friends of mine and I developed a prototype application called Liquid Lists.

The inner layer is a person (semantically described in FOAF), the next layer is their user accounts (described in FOAF, SIOC) and the outer layer is the posted content - text, files, associated metadata - on community sites (again described using SIOC).

A bit technical for some Mashable fans, perhaps, but developers should note that Facebook launched Facebook Query Language (FQL) this weekend.

It seems that a shift in paradigm is required in order for the Internet to evolve to a more semantic enabled web. Either service providers expose their information in standard formats, which to a limited degree is already happening through RDF and Microfo

IBM recently announced the introduction of the first suite of social networking applications for the enterprise, thus validating the usefulness and applicability of social applications.

So how long will it take for social and business applications to embrace each other, much less produce the next generation of applications?

The Washington Post has a brief article called "Why Everyone You Know Thinks The Same As You". In short, you hang out with people who are like you, a phenomenon known as homophily.

Microsoft Research's Community Technology presents SNARF, the Social Network and Relationship Finder.

In particular, I share Joel's intense dislike of threaded conversations