A lot of people don't know that "the internet" as we know it - the open network defined by a set of protocols known as TCP/IP - once had a broad range of competitors. Back when people were still talking about the "information superhighway", there were a number of Internetworking protocols. Eventually, TCP/IP emerged as the near-universal standard.
I presume the same thing will happen eventually with the social web. But that could be years or decades away.
