Perhaps I've been asleep at the switch, but I just noticed an interesting use of two of my favorite social software tools over at The Washington Post. They include a Technorati and del.icio.us gadgets alongside articles.

So, for example, if you're blogging about the Post's article on Shani Davis' decision to withdraw from the 10,000-meter race at the Olympics, there's a Technorati "who blogged this" box in which your blog will appear. And if you want to save and tag the article into del.icio.us, there's a link built in to the article for just that.

It's refreshing to see a newspaper -- like most publishers, primarily concerned with bringing eyeballs to its pages -- trying new technologies that might actually increase the linkability of their articles. By making it simple to add their content to at least several major social software tools, the Post's editors are making it easier for people to find the relevant news on their web site.

I'm not sure what the connection is to libraries, exactly, but thought I'd share anyway.

Update: Now that Technorati has worked its magic, I realize that the real draw for adding a "who blogs this" sidebar: it's a great ego feeder for bloggers! There my humble little blog is, listed in the sidebar of a Washington Post article. Guess which newspaper I'm going to be trolling for ideas?