ITunes 10.0.1 Update Finally Makes Ping Social Network Into A Social Network

Like many people, I activated Ping when Apple revealed it earlier this month, and then like many people I stopped using it. Where’s the, um, social? Why is it saying I like all these Britney Spears remixes? Et cetera.

But the latest software update from Apple might go a little way toward fixing and answering at least one of these pressing questions.

One most notable changes in 10.0.1 is the ability to use Ping…with your own iTunes library. What a concept!

What this means is the previous setup, wherein a user would have to share songs via the iTunes Store and nowhere else, is gone. It’s been replaced with a Ping button next to every song you own. With the button, located in a drop down menu accompanying all your hot tracks, you can “like” that song, or post it to your profile with a note. Or you can use the drop down menu to find that artist song or album in the iTunes Store.

It’s a minor tweak, and the network remains limited by the fact that Apple continues to not provide any kind of serious access to Facebook or Twitter, but it’s a start for all you share-crazy music lovers out there. [TechCrunch]