"Hi, my name is MrCucumber69, I have a gray blob for a face and that's all I care to share about myself - will you be my friend?" Silly as that sounds, this is the way users of many social web applications greet each other. It's not very useful or inspiring. Communication works better when you have a good idea who it is you're talking to. How can new online services get users to describe themselves, though? See full article here.