When working with technology there is often a tendency to think that everything you are doing is new and uncharted. This narrow field of vision often results in  bad strategy and arrogant decisions. To combat this  we must  absorb broader experiences beyond our medium to distill the most important elements of media in a Web 2.0 world - our societal and psychological tendencies. User generated content, social media, free content platforms have happened before and although the medium has changed we, as creators with technology, can learn some valuable lessons.

The Olympics are happening in Vancouver. With this great celebration of human spirit and global unity comes a laboratory for observing crowd behaviours. Two in  particular standout for their parallels to Web 2.0 phenomena.  

Along the shore near the end of False Creek where Russky Dome (formerly known as Science World) stands as a beacon, a spontaneous garden of hundreds of Inukshuks has sprouted.

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The Inukshuk is the notorious logo for Vancouver2010 and an ancient form of sculpture. As I jogged by the spot the other morning people were scrambling down the rocks to add their own inukshuk. No one was knocking them over. Dozens of people were posing for photos in front of them.

This is a wonderful example of how a user generated community on the web functions and evolves. This specific outpouring of balanced rocks was spontaneous, or at least appears to be (an important factor), but it was inspired by an iconographic image. There was a starting point, a seed, a direction for the community to build off of. So too a web community needs inspiration and structure but also needs to evolve spontaneously and evolve on it's own. Each inukshuk, although similar to the logo, was unique.

One of the concerns for traditional organizations trying to capitalize on Web 2.0 features is losing control of the message - the risk of giving a platform to the public. "Won't the wackos dominate the comments and the forums?" is a common response when pitched ideas that open things up. The inukshuks teach us something about this as well. Imagine if someone started smashing down these delicate sculptures. There would be a mob. The strength of the community around the common activity is far greater than the wacko or the sh*t disturber or the impassioned hater of inukshuk.

When encouraging organizations to embrace the wisdom of the crowd, it's important to stress that the positive energy will keep the risks in check and all the rocks will stay balanced. It will be interesting to see what happens with the inukshuk garden after the Olympics. Will it continue to grow?

Another great example of user generated content during the Olympics was the opening ceremonies. Every spectator received a white bib, a drum, a white light and a blue light. Directors guided each section when to wave what light or bang their drum while they sat under their bibs. This was a huge risk in front of a global audience. What if people messed up or didn't participate?  Again, we see how guiding the crowd to contribute and trusting in the collective wisdom results in a beautiful experience for the TV audience and those present.


AP Images

As much as the Olympics are about sport they are more about uniting around common goals and dreams. Internet communities that do this well, the Wikipedias of the world, create real value and a product where the whole is greater than just the sum of the parts. And remember it was the machines, the hydraulic arm, that didn't work at the opening ceremonies - the humans did everything as planned all 60,000 of them.

Go Canada!