Tag Archives: Web 2.0

Outline for a Post on Coordination and Collaboration for Shared Challenges

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(r] proxthink.com

Here’s an outline of something to build on later:

It’s clear there are classes of problems which markets are ill-suited to tackle.

We need to shift the emphasis for these types of problems from elements to proximities.

A sustainable proximities approach can assist with these types of problems. It includes the ProxThink growth model, as well as networks, technology and participation/coordination practices embodied in things like Web 2.o and Wikipedia.

Many hands make light work.

With many hands and a sustainable proximities approach, many tough, intractable problems that markets are failing to solve, may become almost trivial.

In the process, I believe we could have some fun solving these kinds of problems.

Not only that, variety and vitality could be increased, making life more interesting and enjoyable.

This approach shares some aspects of a barn-raising. Yet it scales because it leverages new concepts, networks, technologies and web participation.

It also leverages probability and large numbers. Although people will participate to varying degrees, some will participate if only because it is enjoyable and interesting. Others will participate because people they know are participating. And for many, just a little effort might be needed. It’s likely this level of participation can accomplish quite a lot.

Although this approach is new, it may not be that complicated. In fact, it may be simpler than using markets for these kinds of problems. And, it may be more broadly applicable, to a variety of problems and proximities, than we imagine at first. It could be a new way to approach shared challenges.

I believe this approach will work. You are welcome to explain to me why it won’t. But a better test would be trying it for some proximities.

In the meantime, see this link for more on the sustainable proximities approach.

Proxri Deal: As you find our relationship rewarding, proxri with the proximity in mind.

proxEarth – What You Can Do

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(r] proxthink.com

The proxEarth climate change project and its “What You Can Do” section may interest you. The full proxEarth project is here. Here’s the idea behind the “What You Can Do” section: Many people have blogs, websites, and use social software sites (social networking, social bookmarking, photo and video sharing, etc.). Related to these, we could use some global collaboration standards which relate to the global challenge of climate change.

Some standards for tags and text on blogs, websites, and social software sites could turn the whole global Internet into a kind of Web 2.0 application for climate change. This could create the beginnings of a broad participation platform for information sharing and collaboration related to climate change. As a start, I’m suggesting a few simple standards for tags and text that leverage processes of the ProxThink growth model. The ProxThink growth model, especially when used in combination with the Internet, has the potential to be sustainable, flexible, healthy, fun and efficient. When used in searches, these tags and text markers can find pages, posts and other information related to climate change. Further, web pages can be created that track and update recent information which includes these tags and text markers, including tracking by geographic location. Even now, the Technorati and Delicious sites allow you to get an RSS feed of posts/pages tagged with tags of your choice.

The proxEarth tags and text markers use what we already have, which is search engines and huge numbers of blogs, websites, and users of social software sites. Anyone who has a blog or website or uses social software sites can participate, which is many millions of people. Not only does this give people ways to get involved, it creates greater visibility and awareness of what people from many regions and walks of life are doing to help slow, stop or reverse climate change, creating a self-reinforcing process that gets stronger, better and more connected and collaborative over time.

There is also a more general proxEarth proposal, which can be used for further developments, and upon which people can base their own innovations and implementations.

For the suggested proxEarth tags and text markers, and more information, see proxEarth.org.

Proxri Deal: As you find our relationship rewarding, proxri with the proximity in mind.