Blog Archives

Collaboration is key for changing the light bulb

Posted on 10/03/2016 by Open Thoughts — No Comments ↓

By Diego Isabel, founder, Global Hub for the Common Good.

A social entrepreneur and change-maker, as he defines himself, Diego Isabel sees in the light bulb question a metaphor about the possibility to change a system, the economy, towards a model more centred in the common good. According to him, it’s not going to be easy: there is the need of engaging a diverse amount of peers, and we must achieve a higher degree of collaboration among public and private organisations. Check the short video below for Isabel’s complete reflections on the topic. His contribution was possible in collaboration with the Ouishare Fest Barcelona event.

Tagged with: change, collaboration, common good, companies, economy, peers, policy-making, politicians
Posted in Open Thoughts 2014

One white middle-class man

Posted on 10/02/2016 by Open Thoughts — No Comments ↓

By Mayo Fuster, researcher, Internet Interdisciplinary Institute (IN3-UOC).

Head of the P2PValue project and faculty associate at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society, Mayo Fuster relies on recent data to support her reflections on the main question of this blog. According to her, peer production has still issues to address — for instance, it is not coping very well with gender equity —, but above all the success of the model, which now encompasses more than 30 areas of activity, relies on its increased efficiency. Get Fuster’s complete reflections on the topic in the short video below. Her contribution was recorded at the Ouishare Fest Barcelona event.

Tagged with: activity, collaboration, commons, efficiency, free software, market, P2PValue, peer production, Sourceforge, Wikipedia
Posted in Open Thoughts 2014

Shifting trends on how we work

Posted on 09/09/2015 by Open Thoughts — No Comments ↓

By Pablos Holman, hacker, futurist and inventor, Intellectual Ventures Lab.

Can we learn something about how the open source communities work? Could their collaborative way be somehow extrapolated into how we work in a company? A hacker and inventor at Intellectual Ventures Lab — a prototyping and research laboratory aimed to invention and discovery —, Pablos Holman reflects about what some companies are doing wrong in order to motivate their employees, and what are the different approaches when facing a project. You can check his thoughts in the short video below. His contribution was possible thanks to the kind collaboration of the 4 Years From Now event.

Tagged with: business, collaboration, company, employee, hacking, market, motivation, open source, project, work
Posted in Open Thoughts 2014

The recipe for additive innovation

Posted on 15/07/2015 by Open Thoughts — No Comments ↓

By Dale Dougherty, founder of Make: magazine and creator of Maker Faire.

The maker culture might not be something totally new, but recently, and thanks to the advancements made in the technological sector, more and more people are applying a kind of do-it-yourself strategies in areas like electronics, robotics and 3D printing. The resulting products are usually open to improvements and modifications by users, since all the information is commonly available on the Net. Coiner of the term “Web 2.0” and founder of Make: magazine, Dale Dougherty kindly agreed to share with us his views on the maker revolution. You can check his reflections in the short video below. We would like to thank the 4 Years From Now event for this contribution.

Tagged with: 3D printing, collaboration, innovation, Make magazine, Maker Faire, Maker movement, openness, technology
Posted in Open Thoughts 2014

Knowledge should be free

Posted on 20/05/2015 by Open Thoughts — No Comments ↓

By Katherine Maher, Chief Communications Officer, Wikimedia Foundation.

Knowledge should be free, open, and collaborative. This is the idea at the heart of Wikipedia. It is what has made Wikipedia the largest collaborative free knowledge resource in human history, and one of the most popular websites in the world.

The Wikipedia vision is a world in which every single human being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge. For us to realize this world, collaboration is critical. At the Wikimedia Foundation we believe that we won’t reach the sum of all knowledge without the contributions of all people, so we are committed to expanding opportunities for people from around the globe to contribute to, and learn from, the Wikimedia projects.

Tagged with: accuracy, Brockhaus Enzyklopädie, collaboration, community, editors, Encyclopædia Britannica, knowledge, neutrality, notability, verifiability, volunteers, Wikimedia Foundation, Wikipedia
Posted in Open Thoughts 2014

Do Something, Even if it’s Wrong

Posted on 06/05/2015 by Open Thoughts — No Comments ↓

By Joe Brockmeier, principal cloud & storage analyst, Red Hat.

Ask about open source, and no doubt you’ll be immediately told about the benefits of distributed collaboration. People from all over the world will be able to work together on projects and join efforts to produce work that would not have been possible a few decades ago. At least, until a decision needs to be made.

One of the dirty secrets of open source is that participating in open source is often counter-intuitive for folks who’ve been working in a top-down decision-making culture. Most educational institutions and companies teach us to expect someone with authority to tell us what to do. We’re taught to wait for permission, that those with “ownership” need to be consulted, etc.