Serendipity35

I wrote about Elgg last summer on this blog. I was talking then about the open source software called Elgg, but a lot of people confuse that with elgg.net which is a social networking site for educators.

Confused? You're not alone. Think of it this way. You've been to Wikipedia, right? Well, that site runs on software called Mediawiki. You can download that software and create a wiki that looks very similar to Wikipedia. There's a wiki that Tim & I created more than a year ago for workshops that runs on Mediawiki. So, Mediawiki = software, and Wikipedia = a site that uses that software.

Elgg = software and elgg.net is a site that uses that software.

Ready for the test? Elgg is to Elgg.net as ____ is to Wikipedia. (Answer: Mediawiki)

Well, to deal with that confusion (or further confuse you), elgg.net will now be edufilter.org.

Here's an email that went out to users from the Elgg folks:

Changes are afoot at Elgg.net!

Actually, you've been accustomed to change throughout the existence of the site since we started it in 2004. New features pop up all the time, and we think you'll be pleased to hear that this isn't going to stop soon.

However, we're going to change the name. Next Wednesday, Elgg.net will become Edufilter.org.

This is because, for a lot of people, Elgg.net is Elgg. Granted, it's a confusing name. But Elgg is a free, open source, white label social networking framework that anyone can install on their own servers. Want it running at your institution? Point your elearning folks at http://elgg.org.

Elgg.net, meanwhile, is a social network for education - and therefore, we think Edufilter is probably a better name.

You've probably got concerns, so let's deal with the most important:

#1: We're not going to break any of your links. While the front page of Elgg.net will forward to the main Elgg software homepage, anyone visiting elgg.net/your-username will still get to your page. We have no plans to end this, so if your address is printed on materials, don't worry. Everything's fine.

#2: The site will not be discontinued. It continues to be our flagship installation.

Furthermore, making the site overtly educational means we can give you more directed content and features. Sponsorship opportunities are available; if you'd like to promote your product or service available to some of the world's leading lights in elearning, let us know.

Best regards,

The Curverider team

Tim installed Elgg software here at NJIT, so drop by and register if you want to try it out. I also suggest you go to the elgg.net site and create an account so you can become part of that educator community. I have made some interesting contacts outside the United States from there. Right now I am just having this blog's content mirrored to my elgg blog account by using an RSS feed (yeah, there are some formatting & image issues doing that).