A recent report from the Pew Research Center suggests that online activities are becoming an increasingly popular way for people to keep informed about what is happening in their community (Smith, 2010). While many of us may know about social media such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and LinkedIn, we may be less certain how to integrate these tools into our community work. There are many ways in which interactive “Web 2.0” sites and services create possibilities for relationship building, information-sharing, and collaboration. In this column, we highlight some of the ways in which these tools can be used for community practice and community building.

We hope that this column will spur some creative thinking and exploration about how you can use Web 2.0 in your community work–and that you will tell us about them! Please leave a comment below about your favorite sites and services and how you use them. Welcome!