Sociological Evolution

New Territories - New Currencies

mdangeard — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 22:44:44 -0700

I discussed in a previous post presenting Xavier Comtesse work on the matter how New Territories are emerging as a result of the disconnection between the business layer and geographical limits as defined by nations or other governmental entities. Related to this trend, it is interesting to see now more and more projects around the concept of virtual currencies. We have the real world, and then we have the virtual world. And there is a lot of value which is being created in this virtual world which is not accounted for. And this is creating a problem, because free work or unaccounted value does not pay the rent. One way to account for this value created online is reputation, which you accumulate as you provide good service on eBay. This value can result in more sales for yourself. Another way to account for value creation are the point you accumulate when you contribute to a project on FairSoftware. These points allow you to get distribution of revenues once the sofware you have built start generating cash. And if you go further deep into the virtual, you have virtual currencies in games, where you can buy or earn points. If these games are MMOs then these points allows exchanges. Some virtual goods are purchased and sold for real money. Back to the real world, there are also local exchanges in a few places, where the local currency enables bartering of goods and services between the people within a community. All these things have in common that the virtual currency used represents a contract between members of a given community, whether it is a local community or an online community. These virtual currencies define an ecosystem. So looking back at territories and the various layers within which each of us function, it would make a lot of sense to start accounting for all value created online through virtual currencies that could enable trades and bartering within people. So if I belong to several social networks, and live and work at the intersection of several ecosystems, I would accumulate real dollars from my activity, or points that I could use to get goods and services from and by other members of these ecosystems. Today virtual currency platforms like Twofish or OfferPal are targeting the gaming industry, because this is where the work done can be monetized. And then there is one very interesting experiment with Twitter and twollars, allowing users to give each other points for valuable contributions. The technology is available to manage these virtual currencies, and it will be interesting to watch how far we can take this concept on the business side.

A new essay by Xavier Comtesse - Direct Territories

mdangeard — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 23:53:50 -0800

After his essay on Direct Economy, Xavier Comtesse (www.thinkstudio.com) is coming out with a new essay (in French for now) on Direct Territories. Here is a short summary of the essay: >> Summary ------- Territories as defined by government have become disconnected from the ecosystems in which people and business live and work. New ways of communicating have created an additional layer on top of these territories and ecosystems, ultimately defining new territories in which we have to coexist. These new ways of communicating have also created a culture of participation. As a result, governments need to reconsider their processes, they need to foster participation and learn to manage collaboration between multiple stakeholders from both the public and private sector. Rather than deregulation, this calls for a redefinition of the role of government, and of the culture we share. Findings -------- Material - our physical world has evolved: - For the longest time, territories were an administrative mapping of geographical regions. - More recently, business ecosystems have appeared in metropolitan areas, and they typically overlap several administrative areas, creating a layer on top of the original mapping, and adding a level of complexity in the management of geographical communities. - As a result, the administration of the physical space, and the power over what can be done where, is a conversation between multiple stakeholder that are a mix of private and public organizations. - In addition people and companies are more mobile now than they used to be. This means that there is competition between various regions of the world through the ability of those involved to choose where they go. The conversation cannot be a one way conversation, it requires a participative process. Immaterial - our life also happens online: - The latest progress in telecommunication, with ubiquitous access to information enabling telecommuting, is redefining the concept of "community center". People can work from home, they can work while they are on the move (airports, hotels, cafes, etc...), the center is now a virtual place that does not necessarily map to a physical place. Yet another layer has been built on top of physical territories. - the emergence of online communities, and of online tools to manage the collaboration between users, have created a culture of participation. New territories - material Where the material meets the immaterial at the most basic level is in the house, where it is now possible to navigate between the physical and the virtual space, to be in many locations at once. And therefore this is where we should look to define new territories we live in, looking at the use of the space in the house and how it creates new infrastructure requirements to better serve individuals and the community around them. New territories - immaterial: To foster the participation that people have come to expect, we need to implement the following: - direct economy: involving the consumer in the value chain - direct knowledge: involving the student in the learning process - direct content: involving the user in the production of content - e-government: online access to public document and online transactions - ubiquitous connectivity: wifi or wimax everywhere - geotags: virtual tags for physical places - digital spaces: internet cafes, creative corners - techno-squares: technology in public spaces - new services: for example digital books allowing shared comments and notes - Thinktanks open to citizens - Digital governance: joint efforts involving multiple stakeholders from the public and private sector, managed in total transparency Meeting these new requirements create challenges on the government side: - grassroot power vs hierarchy - bridging the digital gap - government as a process rather than a solution - from enforcement to engagement - re-defining the role of politicians - measuring intangibles - re-emphasizing culture More specifically government must foster participation through the following: - manage change - map the various existing layers on top of the new territories - establish common values - push for results - get stakeholders buy-in - establish a core group before allowing others interested players into the conversation - favor a pragmatic approach rather than a decision process based on ideology - share best practices across the various new territories - measure progress and results To conclude, the emergence of new territories creates the need for an evolution from democracy as we know it to participative democracy, with an unavoidable overlap between the 2 systems while they coexist, which will create tensions. But rather than deregulation, it calls for a redefinition of the role of government and of the culture we share. A lot of work still remains to be done and we should be ready for exciting times to come...

93% of americans want companies to have a presence on Social Media Sites

mdangeard — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 11:38:01 -0700

From ReadWriteWeb: According to the 2008 Cone Business in Social Media Study, 93% of Americans believe that a company should have a presence on social media sites and 85 percent believe that these companies should use these services to interact with consumers. Cone, a Boston-based consulting firm, also found that men are far more likely to interact with a company through social media than women are. 56% of consumers believe that a company is providing them with a better service by interacting with them on social media sites. Thank you Dominique for pointing this one out...

From NY Times - RenGen: A new generation poised to invent

mdangeard — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 08:37:42 -0700

Interesting article from the New York Times: "their agenda is to collaborate, to connect and to create. They don’t respond to directive. They respond to teaming"

How much of a Buddhist do you have to be to use Twitter?

mdangeard — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:15:20 -0700

From what I see, there are 2 ways to look at Twitter: - an instant messenger for exhibitionists - a tool to add another layer of randomness into your life Now who would want to use this? Are you an exhibitionist? some people are... Or are you so bored, stuck and so lazy to work on it that randomness seems to be a nice way out? Or could there be something else? One interesting point to me clearly is the issue of randomness. And since I am a fan of management by statistics (and you should too if you have read "Out of the crisis" from Deming ), I am wondering whether it can be the base for a new system. If you have read "The Secret", you will know that the world is like a big open catalog, and all you have to do is ask and you will get what you want out of it. Start putting yourself in the mood for getting it and it will come. Or if you are a Buddhist, you will know that the reality of life is that it is so complex that the world around you that you believe you are influencing is really out of your control, and therefore the best you can do is work on freeing yourself from the stress of it to be in the "Now" as good and as serene as can be, and good thing will come out of it, if not in this life certainly in the next one or the one after (I apologize for this shortcut description, but this is good enough for the point I am coming up to - if you want to know more, I recommend reading "The Monk and the Philosopher", a great read on the matter) So now and given that we have no control (and twitter, and the web in general with its information overflow is what we are getting), but that even with things beyond our control we can get what we want, would it be possible that twitter is actually a great tool? Should we embrace chaos? As I am on Twitter (http://twitter.com/mdangear), and knowing I cannot read it all, should I spend the time even looking? What's in for me? One interesting option is that chaos is the system in itself, and therefore when using Twitter I am just formalizing what happens in the real world anyway, similar to LinkedIn formalizing relationships that were established through networking before, and making an existing mechanism more fluid and more efficient. If this is the case, all I have to do is follow as many people as possible, and hope that many will follow me. And then I will keep throwing tweet-bottles in the ocean, trusting that the ocean will throw back answers when I need it. Statistically the system could work given enough users... or not ? How does it work for you?

An experiment on collaboration: trying to change the world

mdangeard — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:42:20 -0700

Ever wondered what you could do to change the world? Just decide, say it publicly, and things will start to happen. This is the theory behind a lot of the recent (and not so recent) ideas that float around, things you can find in the self help book like "A New Earth" from Eckart Tolle, or "The Secret" from Rhonda Byrne, and concepts behind Buddhism. The idea is that you have to ask, and start living according to this goal that you are trying to reach, and things will naturally start happening. A lot of this makes sense when you start thinking about it: you are what you do and things happen because of who you are. And it all starts with the story you tell to yourself and to others. And now there is a chance to experiment with the concept as a way to improve the world we live in: It is happening at http://www.neo.org : you can change the world by committing to some action in whatever area you choose to focus on. Then you can invite your friends, to let them know about your goal, so that they can be aware of it, and eventually help you achieve it. And then, because all this is happening in public, you will also naturally feel committed to making progress, and this public declaration you have made will help you keep focus during the good days and the bad days along the journey. This type of website, trying to channel the individual energy into larger bigger world changing projects, is not new. I have seen several instance of similar concept. But so far nothing that was so simple yet potentially so powerful: it is not voting for an idea somebody else had, or signing a petition, or subscribing to a newsletter, or sponsoring through donation, or pledging time as a volunteer like the many things I have seen before. It is a personal commitment to action. No need to state anything specific if you do not have a plan, but you need to define a mission for yourself, and then see how it feels. There is an interesting parallel with the dynamics that can be observed in the Open Source movement, where developers commit to work on resolving an issue, and then their work becomes public as part of the open source process. The incentive in that case is to make the best possible work, because it is a showcase for what you can do, and nobody likes to look like a fool in public. Will it be like Open Source, where a large crowd of remotely connected people with no formal organization (at least not in the sense of an institution that owns the work in itself) can accomplish something very complex and requiring a lot of resources of all kind? Could this be a recipe for "Open Government"? Will leaders emerge from this process? I find the idea interesting, and since I am by nature a naive optimist, I want to believe that it will actually help make a difference. Give it a try and let me know how it works for you :-)

The Foundation for P2P Alternatives

Robert Link — Fri, 30 May 2008 10:30:05 -0700

It is such a big world, I should perhaps not feel bad for not having found this resource sooner, but I am kicking myself for only getting there today. The Foundation for P2P Alternative is a tremendous resource for general information about Peer-to-peer ideology as well as specific p2p resources. The project is spearheaded by Michel Bauwens. From the presentation P2P In a Nutshell:

This networked environment has many advantages over the old information environment. However, there is also strong opposition to those new concepts, originating either from poor understanding or from fear of death of last-century business models. A battle has broken out over the laws and tools governing information production. The claim represented in this text is not that technology will magically lead to a better world, but rather that it provides for diverse possibilities that a given society can choose to use or not.

Ask The Next President - ask presidential canditates questions

samrose — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 10:53:36 -0700

Ask The Next President - ask presidential canditates questions

What Questions do you think the Presidential Candidates should answer? Ask the Next President wants to know. At the end of each month, the candidates will be invited to respond to the top 3 questions you submit and choose. (Note: the one below ends October 31st). We do not know if any will accept this invitation, but we are hopeful. Hey, you choose the president, so shouldn't you determine the questions they address when running?

This project is also publishing an HTML embeddable Flash object that people can post on blogs, websites, social networking spaces, etc. See example at http://zooleo.blogspot.com/

P2P Explained

samrose — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 07:28:04 -0700

Michel Bauwens of the P2P Foundation discusses the core P2P concepts at Swinburne in Australia recently: View on Google Video This video is probably the best, most concise explanation of these concepts so far. Definitely worth watching. Also, visit http://p2pfoundation.net for more information on what is discussed in this video.

Welcome to the New Cooperation Commons

JimBenson — Wed, 02 May 2007 12:17:22 -0700

Welcome! Cooperation Commons has switched platforms. Plone required too much maintenance and was unable to deal with the spam that a popular web site unfortunately attracts. Please look around and join the new Cooperation Commons and help us continue! Jim Benson