I have studied a pre-Internet global network, the Mail Art Network, in which the network is considered the artwork: the global pulsating sculpture of mail art. The interdependence and generosity of mail art is the medium.

This SXSW panel called The Supercollider: A hero of the Social Network, contrasts with the Mail Art Network because the individual is the star or the hero of overlapping networks and is considered super for being multi-networked, and is social networking tool-savvy to the point of tool fatigue. The bright, articulate and cute geeky panelists flashed witty words that oozed onto my pages. A designer looking over my shoulder watched my sloppy process of deriving haikuish elements from the discussion and splashing paint around.

Somewhere in the middle of these two highly-evolved social networking strategies are viable paths for businesses to make strategic choices of resources to apply to the social web.