They All Matter Most

I’ve talked about role models before.  I think it is one of the most important things that needs to happen for us to start being really productive in online communities.  For me learning and collaboration are important parts of online communities but innovation is equally important.  In order to move towards innovation we need to be shown where the next spot is or what questions need to be asked next.

This Weezer video is a good example of remixing.  It takes the many stories created using the tools of Web2.0 and rearranges them in such a way that the stories become even more meaningful in themselves as a collection but at the same time they tell the story that band wants to tell.

Mark Pesce has been twittering about ‘keeping it interesting’ in I think a bit of tongue in cheek way, but it did get me thinking.  Will people who are new to twitter will actually be motivated to find interesting stuff.  Raising questions and providing challenges (sometimes to the people who might be your followers) is important for leaders.  We have so much to learn about working in these collective spaces that are really different to anything we are used to.  For example one question I have is it OK to reblog someones twitter page as I have done.

Finally a reading from the book of Collack, The Economies of Online Cooperation: Gifts and Public Goods in Cyberspace, he suggests that effective online communities look after their members.  They provide psychological benefits that keep them coming back for example

• Reciprocity
• Reputation
• Sense of Self-Efficacy
• Sense of Community
• Altruism
• Emotional Safety

The one that struck me was Self-Efficacy, self-appointed or accidental leaders in online thought, development and communities have the power to make people work better, harder, differently than they would on their own.  For leaders that think about how they can help move the slower adopters forward more quickly, intuitive questioning and astute modelling there is a great opportunity to form trusting relationships and loyalty. The advantage of this is that the followers will then follow the leaders from one platform or tool to another.  Additionally being able to quick connect and change things through those relationships will increase the motivation and ability of everyone to innnovate and cope with change.