Social networking (again)

I've just discovered Elgg, which seems to be open source software which organisations can use to run their own social network. It includes all sorts of features, including blogging, social networking, creation of communities and file repositories for individuals or communities, but organisations remain in control of the software and the data. The University of Brighton is using the software alongside their Virtual Learning Environment, and the University of Leeds is also running a pilot. It will be interesting to see how this works - initial comments from Brighton suggest that the software is being used for academic as well as social purposes.