There are a lot of voices talking about social media today, but Howard Rheingold defined the field before it existed. A noted author and commentator, Rheingold has a proven record of accurate technology and social forecasting, over two decades of syndicated columns, best-selling books, and pioneering online enterprises. His latest book, "Net Smart: How to Thrive Online," focuses on 21st century digital literacies -- how individuals and organizations learn to use social media intelligently, humanely, and, above all, mindfully. He coined the term "virtual community" in 1987.

Howard teaches at both Stanford University and UC Berkeley's School of Information. His courses include Participatory Media/Collective Action, Digital Journalism, and Virtual Community/Social Media. An acknowledged authority on the marriage of mobile phone, PC, and wireless internet, Rheingold's previous work reveals how this convergence has changed the way we meet, mate, entertain, govern, and conduct business. His book "Smart Mobs," named one of the "Big Ideas books of 2002" by The New York Times, chronicles the new forms of collective action and cooperation made possible by mobile communications, pervasive computing, and the Internet.

Rheingold is the recipient of a 2008 MacArthur Knowledge-Networking Grant through the Foundation's Digital Media and Learning Competition. He was founding Executive Editor of Hotwired, the first commercial webzine where the web-based discussion forum and the online banner ad were invented. Rheingold has appeared on "Today," "Good Morning America," "ABC Primetime Live," CNN, CBS News, NBC News, "Macneill-Lehrer Report" and NPR's "Fresh Air and Marketplace."

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