January 1, 2007
The word "wiki" means "quick" in Hawaiian, and here author and think tank CEO Tapscott (The Naked Corporation), along with research director Williams, paint in vibrant colors the quickly changing world of Internet togetherness, also known as mass or global collaboration, and what those changes mean for business and technology. Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia written, compiled, edited and re-edited by "ordinary people" is the most ubiquitous example, and its history makes remarkable reading. But also considered are lesser-known success stories of global collaboration that star Procter & Gamble, BMW, Lego and a host of software and niche companies. Problems arise when the authors indulge an outsized sense of scope-"this may be the birth of a new era, perhaps even a golden one, on par with the Italian renaissance, or the rise of Athenian democracy"-while acknowledging only reluctantly the caveats of weighty sources like Microsoft's Bill Gates. Methods for exploiting the power of collaborative production are outlined throughout, an alluring compendium of ways to throw open previously guarded intellectual property and to invite in previously unavailable ideas that hide within the populace at large. This clear and meticulously researched primer gives business leaders big leg up on mass collaboration possibilities; as such, it makes a fine next-step companion piece to James Surowiecki's 2004 bestseller The Wisdom of Crowds.
January 1, 2007
Anyone who has done even a modest amount of browsing on the Internet has probably run across Wikipedia, the user-edited online encyclopedia that now dwarfs the online version of Encyclopedia Britannica. This is the prime example of what is called the new Web, or Web 2.0, where sites such as MySpace, YouTube, Flickr, and even the Human Genome Project allow mass collaboration from participants in the online community. These open systems can produce faster and more powerful results than the traditional closed proprietary systems that have been the norm for private industry and educational institutions. Detractors claim that authentic voices are being overrun by "an anonymous tide of mass mediocrity," and private industry laments that competition from the free goods and services created by the masses compete with proprietary marketplace offerings. The most obvious example of this is Linux, the open-source operating system that has killed Microsoft in the server environment. But is this a bad thing? Tapscott thinks not; and as a proponent of peering, sharing, and open-source thinking, he has presented a clear and exciting preview of how peer innovation will change everything.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)
February 1, 2007
Tapscott (management, Univ. of Toronto; "The Digital Economy")and Williams give readers a thoughtful look into the future through their study of the collaborative environment that has revolutionized business today. Tapscott's New Paradigm think tank, where Williams works as research director, sought out companies and individuals having a significant impact on industries based on their openness, peer production, information sharing, and global action. The result is a forward-looking economic model wherein connected individuals engage with companies in web-based communities to embrace a new art and science of productivity and innovation called wikinomics. The authors discuss several Web 2.0 applications and the need for open-source software and open-access publishing to achieve success. In-depth profiles of companies and individuals make the book helpful for all types of businesses. The book was even written in a collaborative spirit, as the authors polled the public for suggestions on the subtitle through an online forum and encouraged readers to participate in blogs and wikis pertaining to the book. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries.Mark McCallon, Abilene Christian Univ. Lib., TX
Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.