Ton Zijlstra writes his viewpoint that Relationships [are] Above Information Exchange
When you tell me something it is therefore different to me than when I read the same information in the newspaper. You are that difference. The fact that you care enough about something to tell it to me, gives a different perspective on that information, adds context to it and thus increases the relevance of that information to me. The relational context of the information is more important than the information actually shared. Social software supports that.
This is why I've been interested in this area - not so much for the software side of things but for the social. There is a strong thread through knowledge management discussions about the importance of helping people make connections amongst one another, rather than simply providing a place where one can store their documents.
The software vendors might not like to hear it, but once a human connection is made, it is difficult or impossible to break it. Even when the software goes away, the connection remains, as Ton notes: "I can loose my blog, as long as I can keep in touch with my relationships it's ok." And it is through these connections that I can continue make new connections and bounce ideas. [Certainly the tools help me to make new connections as well, so I'm not throwing them out anytime soon.]