Keynote by Don Tapscott
Wikinomics: Harnessing the Power of Mass Collaboration

In a keynote speech that inaugurated the IT360 Trade Show in Toronto (May 1, 2007), Don Tapscott, the Canadian author of the current bestseller “ Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything”, spoke about “Wikinomics: Harnessing the Power of Mass Collaboration”.

Mass Collaboration - The knowledge, resources, and computing power of billions of people self-organizing through blogs, wikis and peer-to-peer networks, into a massive collective force. Smart companies are encouraging, rather than fighting, the heaving growth of massive online communities — many of which emerged from the fringes of the Web to attract tens of millions of participants overnight. Even ardent competitors are collaborating on path-breaking science initiatives that accelerate discovery in their industries.

Indeed, as a growing number of firms see the benefits of mass collaboration, this new way of organizing will eventually displace the traditional corporate structures as the economy's primary engine of wealth creation. Companies are going through the biggest change in history. Hear what this means to you and your organization direct and personal, live at the IT360 opening keynote address presented by Don Tapscott.

I'd like to share with you the following points from Tapscott's speech:

The internet is going through the changes of Web 2.0: YouTube, GyPSy (tour guide), Maptuit (automated traffic routing), Skype (internet calls), Wii, Flickr, Yahoo Pipes, Craiglist, MySpace.

Corporations are going through the biggest changes of history. In Web 2.0 people work while having fun.

We don't have desktops nowadays; we have webtops.

The generation of the Web 2.0 is called the ‘Net Generation'. The baby boomers don't have a generation gap with the baby echos; they have a generation lap. Kids nowadays can communicate better with their parents than the parents could with their own parents in the sixties. Why? For example listen to the music that comes with the online devices used by both generations.

The technological revolution nowadays has created a demographic revolution. Technology is like air for the baby echos. All of their computers are connected to the internet.

Technological and demographic revolutions are creating a social revolution that leads to an economic revolution.

Going online has taken teens away from television; not from their play time.

Before we had content; now we have context.

There are four principles of wikinomics:

1. Peering . Peers, not superiors and subordinates, in corporations hold the future of corporations.

2. Openness : People discuss important stuff while having fun. Corporations are becoming naked. Try to bring values and integrity to build up trust.

3. Sharing : Example: The cooperation between IBM and Linux.  

4. Acting global : Before we had multi-corporations now we have global corporations.

Wonders of mass collaboration:  

•  Peer pioneers : Wikipedia, Spikesource, Zopa
•  Ideagoras : Ebay, IdeanConnection, Crowdsourced software
•  Prosumers: Second Life, wiki
•  The New Alexandrians : The sharing of science
•  Open platflroms : Amazon API, Amazon Cloud, Pikspot
•  The global platform : Boeing: The peer producers
•  The paradigm shift : profound business models are changing the world.

To sum up, Don Tapscott pointed that the boundaries of companies are becoming outside the companies. Leadership can be anyone's opportunity and it is good to be part of the evolving wikinomics.

Maryam T. Khan
Sunday Supervisor Librarian/ MPL & Web developer: http://www.readasummary.com

About Don Tapscott:

Don Tapscott , one of the world's leading authorities on business strategy, is Chief Executive of international think tank New Paradigm. Founded in 1993, New Paradigm produces groundbreaking research focused on the role of technology in productivity and business design, effectiveness and competitiveness. Tapscott recently completed a two-year, $8 million investigation of how firms will innovate in the 21st century entitled "IT and Competitive Advantage", funded by 30 global corporations. Tapscott is the author of 11 widely read books about information technology in business and society, including Paradigm Shift, Growing Up Digital and The Naked Corporation. His new book (January 2007), co-authored with Anthony Williams, is Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything.

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