Book excerpt: The new generation of internet technologies and web applications is seeing a growth in social software and networking, as well as other communications tools. This infrastructure of social interaction and collaboration has provided an increase in more dynamic user participation and expertise in knowledge of contents and facts traditionally only held by experts. Social Software and the Evolution of User Expertise: Future Trends in Knowledge Creation and Dissemination examines the vital role that social software applications play in regards to the cultural definitions of experts and challenges the reader to consider how recent changes in this area influence how we create and distribute knowledge. This collection brings together scholars and practitioners from various disciplines and professions to project a new kind of thinking about the understanding of the major changes in many professions.