Not long ago, Digg was the super-cool site. It got on the covers of national magazines and was the talk of the tech digerati. Of course, things have changed – and now Facebook is the "in" thing. But Digg is not giving up. That is, the site has been adding social networking features, such as sharing, messaging, and so on.

So is it going to make a difference? Well, I had a chance to interview Robb Hecht, who is an expert on social networking and operates MEDIA 2.0. According to him:

"Digg has excellent intentions making its site more of a social networking play akin to MySpace and Facebook. Via adding 50+ new social features, the site clearly has plans to continue to grow and reach mainstream users by giving them the capability to shape their identities (digitally self actualize) within the Digg community.

"But, while Digg goes mainstream, it will alienate its core tech savvy community who will likely leave for other niche properties focused on tech -- that is, the site's initial power users. This seems okay with Digg. Instead of looking back to its core base, the site appears to want to forge ahead and shed its 'geek hub' image and reshape its brand reputation to take on MySpace and Facebook.

"As social networking tools proliferate across the internet, Digg may be on to something. With internet users being bombarded with social networking invites from all their friends, the trusted key brand names in the space will draw the most users. Digg wants its brand to be among the top three. And I think its new features will take it to the next level."

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements. He also operates DealProfiles.com.

Well, it looks like social networking is going to invade mobile devices -- in a big way. Take Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK). The mobile giant plans to use technology -- from its Twango acquisition -- to deploy a cool social network platform.

To get more perspective on things, I interviewed Robb Hecht, a social networking expert who operates MEDIA 2.0. According to him:

"With Nokia, the world's largest cell phone maker, adding the Twango technology platform to its wireless phones now puts social networking into the hands of mobile users on the go.

"It also puts the Nokia brand front and center on the road map of the ever-growing social networking industry. With this addition to its cell phones, Nokia can now be the first wireless brand to truly own 'social mobile networking.' "

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements. He also operates DealProfiles.com.

Compared to other social networking sites – like News Corp's(NYSE:NWS) MySpace and Facebook – Ning doesn't get much buzz. But that may change soon.

This week, the company announced that it raised about $44 million in venture capital. One of the backers of the company is Marc Andreessen, who also cofounded Netscape back in the Internet heyday.

Basically, Ning allows you to create your own social network (and it is actually a fairly easy process). So far, its users have created about 70,000 social networks.

I had a chance to interview Robb Hecht, who is an expert on social networking and operates IMC Strategy Lab Consulting.

According to him:

"In an online environment where consumers are now in control, Ning may give businesses back a little control.

"Brands developing social networks within Ning can insert their logos, branding, visual designs, branded widgets and links much more easily than the three major social networks currently allow. Of further value to businesses seeking customer data, Ning templates allow social networking administrators control over most data members provide them. And with $44 million, Ning can no push aggressively on this strategy."

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including the Complete M&A Handbook and the EDGAR-Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements.