But is it real?

As with Denise calls up, the danger is that the relationships developed by the social networking sites and blogging will remain distant, evanescent, virtual. In fact, the very size of the sites and individual contact lists indicate that, though the tools are so much more powerful than a decade ago, the result could well be the same.

On the other hand, the trend is now towards mini-network sites such as aSmallWorld or Ning, which allow users to create a different social network for each circle of friends. And there is evidence that people are binding, reunions are taking place, marriages are being celebrated, jobs are being found, business networking is thriving and companies are getting closer to their customers and prospects.

American writer Lev Grossman tells of a Facebook user; she says “Facebook is my generation’s way of picking up the telephone.” So Web 2.0 can keep relationships afloat. It’s just the technology that has changed.