Social technologies become mainstraim

So always wanted to be an author visit then the website Amillionpenguins and participate in the initiative. It is really hard to write a book with many people but Penguin wants to have at least one million writers for the new book. Everything is made possible by using the same software used on Wikepedia. With this you can write your own stuff but also review an d rewrite stuff from others. It is successfull because the first four chapters are already online.

Of course this is not new. There are already many examples of initiative like this but I see more and more organizations make this shift in working together with the markets. Most important is that organizations see the value of knowlegde and creativity outside the own organization. Here are also some examples of open sourcing, wisdom of the crowds, crowd sourcing....just give it a name. :-)

• Brewtopia: Open source beer...and they will also produce open source water and open source wine.
• Boeing: Boeing designs one of their newest plane together with a web community of people who just love planes, fly a lot or just want to be heard.

Innocentive: Already many times talked about in this blog. It is an initiative of the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly. Innocentive exists of Seekers and Solvers. Seekers post a problem and Solvers try to solve the problem. For a solution they can earn between 5.000 and 50.000 dollar. Solvers get a virtual private room were they can work. Some interesting figures: in the first year there came 82 solutions from 16 different countries, costs were 430.000 dollar, but the value of the solutions was 8.8 million dollar.

• Lego: One of the most known examples. Make online your own Lego designs with the possibility Lego takes it into production.
• NothingsoStrange: Open source clip about Bill Gates (murder).
• Leadusers: Select group of customers think about new products of Philips and also try them.
• Procter and Gamble Develop and Connect: Community of P&G consumers where P&G asks them to think together about new products and services for the P&G organization.
• Heinz Mum's recipe: Newly mothers can post there favourite recipe and others can vote. When there are enough votes Heinz can take into production. Nutricia does something likewise.
• Live Simplicity Philips: share your ideas about simple technology and future with Philips.
• Open Rechtspraak: Berkeley of Harvard University experiments with open law.
• Fluevog: Design your owns shoes, open source footwear.

All are good initiative where the voice of the customer is taken seriously. More and more organizations realize that knowledge and creativity inside organizations in not enough to be compatible. You have to use the wisdom of the crowds. Do you also know some examples please let us know.