'Open' Revolution #2

As I said in a previous blog simply entitled 'Open' Revolution, we have moved into a century of massive, global collaboration, innovation, and 'open' solutions. We now have open source software, open communities, open copyright licenses, open access, open knowledge, open standards, open journals and more.  I still haven't got a truly clear handle on what is happening, but the 'open' revolution is upon us, all around us. We need to understand what is happening and get a handle on it so it ends up being a constructive force for change, not a destructive one.

Here are some observation on the subject of Collaboration & Openness to consider –

• A global 'open' revolution is well underway
• Collaboration can be both good & bad
• Collaborative communities have emerged – but some may be 'close minded' communities
• Open solutions can be both good & bad
• This is an age of constant change & innovation – which may not necessarily always be good
• Internet & mobile technologies give us instant access – to what?
• Users of the Internet & mobile technologies are 'always on'
• Lots of information sharing going on – but is the information trustworthy
• People are sharing emotions – often in the form of destructive 'flaming' diatribes
• There's a growing sense of political & economic disenfranchisement of hundreds of millions of people

Now, what does this all mean to us, to America, and our future? Where will this global 'Open' Revolution take us? To more Freedom, Independence, Happiness, and Security? How do we harness the energy for 'constructive' purposes?