" So, let me rephrase my question: are different components of web 2.0 going mainstream or is the entire concept finally catching on?" -I would say different componets. is Beeboo really worh $850M , strong userbase in UK/EU , but is the prodcut really viable comp'ed to other stuff ? Google Friend connector is coming out and then users will rush over there. Property managment and retention in this fast moving platforms is tricky. e.g Twitter, late comers are joining, early adopters have moved on , value of Twitter increases by userbase, but value to commuinity detoriates inversely to new users. so its a catch 22 - Peter Dawson

I would say that it is moving mainstream, this acquisition and sites like Facebook offering features it's raising awareness! - Joe Dawson

I am not so sure - the tools are certainly crossing over now to mainstream audiences but users will need a reason to use them Sharing photos and videos were already there and they generate conversation; integration of wall posts in facebook into the news stream makes it more like life streaming and will also generate conversation but I am yet to be convinced this is going to spread outside the net addicts and student demographics. I think we are going to need mobile access to achieve mainstream adoption. - Riaz Kanani

Lifestreaming, (or the ability to import and aggregate social services) is quickly becoming the must add functionality component for social networking services. It's definitely becoming a commonplace feature that I think will continue to proliferate throughout the web. I do see a problem though, in that most sites adding Lifestreaming features are just slapping on the features and doing a poor job of educating users on how to use them. I've written about this lately, and I think this is the barrier that will stifle the ability for Lifestreaming to go mainstream if it isn't corrected. - Mark Krynsky from FriendFeed MT Plugin

Riaz - How do you think mobile access will affect mainstream adoption? - Corvida

This begs the question: is AOL still mainstream? - Clay Newton from FriendFeed MT Plugin

AOL has always been mainstream. Who doesn't know about AOL? That was like everyone's first internet provider for a long time. - Corvida