More searching lately for good resources on Web 2.0 and the effectiveness of various social networking methods has uncovered a couple of interesting sites. Sharing....

Inside Social Games: This site says it's mission is  "Tracking Innovation at the Convergence of Games and Social Platforms." I'm very interested in the posts of virtual or in-game currency. That can be an effective way to reward participation. My question is what rewards can users buy with their currency... or what kinds of rewards really give users an incentive to participate and currency. And I'm wondering what non-gaming social networks can learn from social games.

Social Networking on Mashable.com: The name "Mashable" confused me for some time, but I think I finally got it. One of the strengths of Web 2.0 is the ease of integrating content from different sources ... mashing it, to use geek speak. Their "social networking" category focuses on what's happening with the big-name social sites. Their successes and missteps can help the rest of us. Since they are techies, the discussions can become a bit technical. The key is to read between the lines.

What's interesting to me is how much discussion is dominated by the big names ... Facebook, Twitter, Friendfeed. But my gut is that the real power of Web 2.0 is in smaller, focused communities. I'm off on a search for churches that are doing a good job with social networking. Will keep you posted.