Too funny to see that Rolling Stone magazine plans to add a social network to their website.  My point isn’t really that world doesn’t need another social network – it is that this a classic case of an old house getting a new coat of paint and calling it new because it’s the trendy thing to do.  Web sites with a strong identity have always had communities and the equivalent of social networks with things bulletin boards and online forums.  Rolling Stone’s social network isn’t that much different from what a Rolling Stone forum would likely be.  So what’s old is new again.  Unfortunately I imagine we’re going to be hit with a rash of marketing folks rushing to ride the buzz train with me-too announcements as every meaningful consumer site that isn’t a social network will likely “launch” one.  It won’t really be news since in reality they almost always had one to begin with they just lived in old houses in need of remodeling that used to be call user forums.