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Social software and social networking 2.0.

Facebook Connect: The News is the NewsDecember 1

The New York Times has an extensive story about Facebook Connect and its imminent expansion to new services: Digg, Hulu, Discovery, CBS and several others. However, looking back at the initial announcement of Facebook Connect, there’s really nothing new here; we’ve known the names of these partners from day one, and the story in NYTimes merely states that Facebook will start expanding Connect in the weeks to come.

The real news, here, is the fact that the NYTimes is running a huge story about Facebook Connect in its printed edition. To the majority of the general public the concept of Connect - a two way platform which enables web sites to connect with Facebook and allow their users to communicate with their Facebook friends on these sites and away from Facebook itself - is probably quite vague. However, social networking is obviously now mainstream enough that a platform connecting social networks is big news.

Incidentally, Facebook

Power.com: The Next Massive IM and Social Networking Aggregator?December 1

There aren’t many sites with 5 million users that we haven’t heard of, but Power.com is just that, and it’s a name you might be hearing a lot more of after it launches in the US today.

Previously available in Brazil and India, the site bills itself as a “Meebo for social networking” of sorts, allowing you to simultaneously login to accounts on both social networking services like Facebook and MySpace and instant messaging networks like MSN.

From there, you can view new activities from friends on those services, see who’s online across all of them via a buddy list, and use the “Power Communicator” to simultaneously send a message to your friends on any site you have synced with Power.com. In other words, if your friends are spread across many social networks, you can see an aggregate view of their activities and message them on their native network, all from inside the Power.com interface.

Isn’t this just like Friendfeed?

Not exactly. For one, the instant messaging aspect is something Friendfeed doesn’t have - if you’ve synced your Facebook, MySpace, and MSN accounts with Power.com, you’ll get a buddy list that shows all of your friends who are signed on to those services, even if they don’t use Power.com. Additionally, Power.com is far more of a two-way comm

Great Google iPhone Apps Not Made by GoogleNovember 29

The Google brand is ubiquitous. You’d have to make a concerted effort to avoid all the Googley things that Google has Googled. But what if some of the most useful Google iPhone apps…weren’t made by Google at all?

We think that might be the case: here we present some of our favorite non-Google ways to access Google services on the iPhone. How do you think these compare to Google’s own app?

Google Search (Paid)

gSearch [iTunes/$0.99] - The web was recently abuzz with articles noting the enhanced features within the official Google application for iPhone users. And rightly so, I think. Voice search alone is quite a big boost to the download. But perhaps you don’t want such a busy app. Perhaps you only want a Plain-Jane Google Search in widescreen? So be it!

Google Docs & Sheets (Free)

MiGht

Build Your Own NokiaNovember 29

We’re all iPhone and Blackberry addicts at Mashable HQ, and yet Nokia’s latest launch is so slick that it makes our handsets feel a little impersonal.

Nokia has debuted, in beta, a Flash application called Nokia Build. The pitch: remix your phone. You can design a 100% original Nokia 7310 Supernova cover using simple drawing tools, image uploads and a library of themes and iconography. Then, have it delivered to your door.

Much like NikeID - the site to design your own custom sneakers - this beta launch is a sign that mass personalization is here to stay.

Unfortunately for our US readers, this is one great web app that didn’t debut stateside first: this is the UK launch of Nokia Build, which originally debuted in France. It’s safe to assume, however, that a wider rollout (more countries and a wider selection of handsets) will proceed if the service is a success.

JibJab’s Elf Yourself

A moment without JibJab is a moment none so fun, wouldn’t you say? If you’re not afeared of elves and want to send customized entertainment the way of friends and family, an Elf Yourself greeting would be highly prized by main to receive it.