What about truth?

Once again, the authors boast about Wikipedia and it's accuracy. I find that funny because when you go to Wikipedia, you never know if it's true. You can hope, but the fact is that anyone can write anything.

That's one of my biggest concerns about the internet. There certainly is a lot of information available, but can it all be trusted? My experience says, "No." Anyone can set up a web site or blog and they can say anything they want. Truth, and especially verification, are not a requirement.

We don't like to admit it, but there are people who enjoy rumor and gossip. They would say something sensational just to get (and see) a strong reaction. There are people who can't accept that they are wrong - they believe if they repeat something often enough, it will become true. But it doesn't. There are people who just get it wrong. Their information may be old or incomplete. It's not intentional, but it's still not true.

Collaboration is great, but how will you know who to trust? Who is concerned about making sure web content is true?

Now that's what I'm looking for!

I really liked the information about TakingITGlobal. I liked hearing about a blog that wasn't just social or editorial. I'd like to know more about it. But going back to a question from an earlier posting ... how in the world would you find a blog like that? Seems like you would just happen onto them and that doesn't seem very efficient.

I could see this type of blog working within a company. I'd like to see one in my company where people with similar concerns or visions (but from different departments) could get connected and start working on solutions. A lot of big companies suffer from silos -- this type of blog could break people out of their silos and companies might find they are making huge strides by connecting their experts and interested people.

What happened to ownership?

I find it interesting that the book so cavalierly dismisses the whole idea of copyright. Several times it talks about the music industry dilemma as though it is an inherent, human right to be able to copy and use something anyway you want. I guess I believe in people's right to earn a living through what they create. But if Napster is really "right" (which the authors suggest) and it's OK to download and share music for free, then artists and recording studios can't make money producing that music. They would actually lose money because it costs money to make the recording.

The "economy" the authors keep promoting doesn't seem like an "economy" at all. Everything is free. The book mentions the author who writes books and posts them on the internet -- never sells them. So ... how does that guy pay his bills? The book also mentions the company that downloaded copyrighted material and sold it for a profit. Legally, that's stealing, not collaborating. The authors' collaorative economy would seem to create a lot of broke people.

Companies With No Walls

In the book Wikinomics, authors Tapscott and Williams put forth an interesting future -- a global economy where the walls that divide business are gone and mass collaboration is the norm. Right now, this is hard for me to believe. It's difficult to believe that our capatalistic society will ever reach the point where companies open the doors and post their most valuable information to generate collaboration. How will anyone make money? Are they suggesting that an employee of one company may openly collaborate with a competitor to solve the competitor's problem? It's just hard for me to fathom that world.

But collaboration is a trend. In the book Unnatural Leadership, authors Dotlich and Cairo identify four trends that support less traditional leadership. One of those is that "constant collaboration will be the norm."

The world that Tapscott and Williams describe may happen ... someday. But I think that someday is a long way off.

However, between now and then, I do see an increase in collaboration, especially within companies and between companies that are not competitors. People from FedEx may help a moving company work out a logistics problem. And blogs may be the way that collaboration happens. But I don't see those same FedEx people helping UPS. I don't see consultants "giving" away their knowledge for free on a blog.

At this point I probably have more questions than answers ...

How do people locate blogs like the ones described in the book? The blogs I see are full of personal musings, stories and opinions. They are not problem solving, collaborative tools.

How can companies use blogs to promote collaboration between departments that don't otherwise work together? How can they promote these blogs so people find them and contribute to them?

How can we use blogs to stimilate learning and the application of learning beyond the classroom? It could be a great follow-up tool. I can see using a blog to group problem-solve after a class. THIS seems to be the world I can see sooner rather than later.

But how?

I have more read and more to learn.

Getting Started

I'm actually a little scared to be tackling emerging technologies. A week ago, I didn't even know what a blog was and now I have one. But I don't really know how to use it. Or who will read it. Or WHY they would read it. Class starts on Friday. I have sooooo much to learn!