On many occasions, I've had to stress to people that Facebook really is not a virtual world. Even Farmville is just barely in the virtual world category for me. Still, the latest uproar over new interface changes reminds me a lot of the uproar over, well, just about every VW patch. It seems to me we're dealing with similar, though not identical, concerns about social contracts and investment-backed expectations. So, e.g., read these comments and try to connect the dots to your favorite virtual world. As online "homes" and interpersonal networks grow richer in their media, it seems that the past of virtual worlds might have something to offer the future of social software. They aren't the same, but they're certainly related.
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