There are so many "social media" tools out for communicating and building community.   Here's what I use to build and nurture my digital community:

Blogging Software: WordPress

I love WordPress as my blogging software, because it’s so flexible and intuitive.  I have tried all the major tools: Blogger, Moveable Type (which I hated) and Typepad (which I'd rank a close second to WordPress).  I've used the hosted version of WordPress for projects and it lets you customize all aspects of the code.  The free version does give you some flexibility, but it's pretty limited. in terms of customization.  That said, if you are starting out, it's pretty generous.  And there are 'a la carte' upgrades available like using Wordpress to host your website, but once you get comfortable with blogging, you may want to upgrade (read: subscribe), for more features. 

Podcasting Software: GarageBand

I asked Joseph Jaffe for his advice on this one and he concurred that GarageBand has it all going on.  For cleaning up audio 'noise', I've been impressed with Audacity -- but only for that feature.  For ease of use, ability to layer multiple tracks, and editing into a final podcast product, I can't imagine using anything besides GarageBand (free and built right into Mac software).  

Video Editing Software: iMovie

I'm just getting started with video blogging so I've only used two 'amateur' products, Window's Movie Maker and Apple’s built-in iMovie software, which, not surprisingly wins hands-down.  As with everything Steve Jobs touches, it does what I want it to do.  I've been told that Final Cut is worth the investment, but I want to get better at editing first.

Messaging Platform: Twitter

Yes, I get it.  You may not, but assuming you are into microblogging, I think Twitter is the best. It's easy, intuitive and all the cool people are there.  Seriously.  I am conversing with all sorts of interesting 'Twitterati'.  And now I've got folks like @Downing Street following my every tweet, which is kinda interesting in an MI5-kinda-way.  Now if I could just get it to sync with my cell phone like everyone else manages to get it to do!

Social Network Platform: Linked In or Facebook

There’s a tie here in my heart. I love Linked In because it was my 'first'. 

But Facebook is where all my friends hang out.  And I can't play Scrabulous against Leslie Stahl on Linked In.  On the other hand, I can't get access through a friend to her boss' boss, Les Moonves on Facebook.  Work & Play: A Social Media Strategy.

Email: Gmail

I use Gmail for my primary email platform because it’s easy, lightweight, manages to block lots of spam, and makes searching for messages easy. I keep a backup version of my mail by loading Gmail to my computer so I can be productive when I'm logging my 50,000 miles in the skies.

Calendar: Google Calendar

What I like about Google Calendar is that it just works. Simple. It’s easy to throw something in there. It’s especially easy to move things back and forth between days, switch hours, add more data, invite others, etc. I can do LOTS with Google Calendar.

AND I can import my work calendar, my kids' social calendars, my husband's work calendar, our social calendar...it's a busy life.

Event Calendar: Upcoming

Slightly differently, I use Upcoming.org to keep track of events I’m visiting, and to find events I *should* attend, by following friends to see where they’re going next.  It’s a great tool, complete with a widget for my blog and my Facebook.

News Reader: Google Reader

I much prefer Google Reader to any web-based or app-based software for reading multiple blogs and RSS feeds. It’s easy, fast, lightweight, and has lots of features (except, uh, search. Seriously.).  I love the app and use it to read through hundreds of posts quickly, until I find the ones I want to take a deep dive into.

Listening to the Web: Technorati and Google BlogSearch

I use both Technorati and Google BlogSearch to determine who’s talking about what.  I’ve baked all the searches I want about the things that matter to me into RSS feeds, and then dumped them into Google Reader, so that I can know quickly who’s talking about things I might want to jump in and talk back about.

Wiki: PBWiki

There are times when I need a place to store static data, but that I can edit as I might wish, or share with others. I use PBWiki for my wiki of choice, as you can see.

Online Document Sharing: Google Docs

I just think that Google Docs has cornered the market on easy-to-use online document sharing and remote working.  Next?

Photo Sharing: Flickr

I love Flickr for sharing photos, because it’s got a lot of built-in community tools right there. I think Flickr is underrated, and could be used for much more than simple photo sharing.  It’s a fascinating community.

Presentation Sharing: SlideShare

To see completed presentations online, check out SlideShare.  It allows people to interact with slideshows, and makes for a fun way to embed some different content on your blog.  It also helps to position YOU as a thought leader in your area of subject expertise.