Hi Andrew,<br><br>not to directly answer your question, but I believe that the following books may shed useful light on the inner logic of the new peer production modes<br><br> - the hacker ethic, by Pekka Himanen, explain how the new professionals learn from each other
<br><br> - the success of open source, by steven weber, describes in detail how open source projects produce together and are governned<br><br>Both of these will give you an inside view.<br><br>The key is, for projects that work around equipotential selection,
i.e. no a priori filtering of talent, to find the right mode of a posteriori selectivity, i.e. processes of communal validation, that do not lead to lowest common denominator results, but select for quality.<br><br>These are matters of design and experience, and not essentialist matters, as every mode of production has strenghts and weakenesses, successes and failures,
<br><br>Lots of books are listed here at<br><a href="http://www.p2pfoundation.net/Category:Books">http://www.p2pfoundation.net/Category:Books</a><br><br>Links to the new work cultures and management theories at<br><a href="http://del.icio.us/mbauwens/P2P-Work-Culture">
http://del.icio.us/mbauwens/P2P-Work-Culture</a><br><br>and <br><a href="http://del.icio.us/mbauwens/P2P-Management">http://del.icio.us/mbauwens/P2P-Management</a><br><br>Michel<br><br><div><span class="gmail_quote">On 4/27/07,
<b class="gmail_sendername">Andrew Keen</b> <<a href="mailto:ak@aftertv.com">ak@aftertv.com</a>> wrote:</span><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
I am interested in the idea of talent. Could people please suggest some<br>good books on talent (something comprehensible that a fluffy<br>manifesto-maker like me could understand)?<br><br><br>R Labossiere wrote:<br>> I wonder if I might redirect this topic slightly and if the list might
<br>> respond in a kind of "organized enquiry".<br>><br>> Preamble: Whether amateur or professional, lo or hi brow, there are<br>> structures of validation in creative, cultural matters. As someone who
<br>> works within hi art structures of validation daily, I can assure you<br>> that these structures are very much intact and not at all worried<br>> about the Web, amateurs or any of that (rendering the so-called
<br>> "manifesto" of the imaginary "Mr. K" moot, and fluffy moot at that :)<br>><br>> Topic: What I'm wondering about is the relationship between validation<br>> and what I'll call "agency," taken quite literally, in the sense of
<br>> talent or sports agents, where someone (or something) represents<br>> another (the "talent"), managing their production toward the end of<br>> maximizing opportunities and rewards.<br>><br>> Within virtual environments, agency can have a complicated
<br>> technological meaning (not my enquiry). For example, I am here<br>> speaking to you, a learned group people I would not otherwise have met<br>> because the list-serv software and methodology effectively acts as my
<br>> "agent", negotiating an opportunity for my "talent" to earn<br>> "rewards." (now if it would only send you a bill! :)<br>><br>> Caveat: But that's not what I want to get at, or not entirely. I don't
<br>> want you to get bogged down in technology. I am interested in how<br>> "agency" works in a broader sense, multiplying and accelerating<br>> efficacy, creating "capital" as it were within all kinds of environments.
<br>><br>> Questions:<br>><br>> At what pont does the creative person benefit from an agent? (Does<br>> agency necessarily come only after success, when it is really about<br>> success management rather than talent management?)
<br>><br>> Would all artists (and all creative people actually) benefit from<br>> "agents?"<br>><br>> What happens if everyone has an agent?<br>><br>> How do we determine who (or what) is the "best" agent?
<br>><br>> Can "best" agents work equally for everyone without becoming "lesser"<br>> agents?<br>><br>> If you know of other resources on this concept of "agency" it would be<br>
> great if you could let me know.<br>><br>> Thank you.<br>><br>> - Robert Labossiere<br>><br>><br>><br>><br>><br>><br>><br>> _______________________________________________<br>> iDC -- mailing list of the Institute for Distributed Creativity
<br>> (<a href="http://distributedcreativity.org">distributedcreativity.org</a>)<br>> <a href="mailto:iDC@mailman.thing.net">iDC@mailman.thing.net</a><br>> <a href="http://mailman.thing.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/idc">
http://mailman.thing.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/idc</a><br>><br>> List Archive:<br>> <a href="http://mailman.thing.net/pipermail/idc/">http://mailman.thing.net/pipermail/idc/</a><br>><br>> iDC Photo Stream:
<br>> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/idcnetwork/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/idcnetwork/</a><br>><br>><br><br><br><br>_______________________________________________<br>iDC -- mailing list of the Institute for Distributed Creativity (
<a href="http://distributedcreativity.org">distributedcreativity.org</a>)<br><a href="mailto:iDC@mailman.thing.net">iDC@mailman.thing.net</a><br><a href="http://mailman.thing.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/idc">http://mailman.thing.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/idc
</a><br><br>List Archive:<br><a href="http://mailman.thing.net/pipermail/idc/">http://mailman.thing.net/pipermail/idc/</a><br><br>iDC Photo Stream:<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/idcnetwork/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/idcnetwork/
</a><br></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>The P2P Foundation researches, documents and promotes peer to peer alternatives.<br><br>Wiki and Encyclopedia, at <a href="http://p2pfoundation.net">http://p2pfoundation.net
</a>; Blog, at <a href="http://blog.p2pfoundation.net">http://blog.p2pfoundation.net</a>; Newsletter, at <a href="http://integralvisioning.org/index.php?topic=p2p">http://integralvisioning.org/index.php?topic=p2p</a><br><br>
Basic essay at <a href="http://www.ctheory.net/articles.aspx?id=499">http://www.ctheory.net/articles.aspx?id=499</a>; interview at <a href="http://poynder.blogspot.com/2006/09/p2p-very-core-of-world-to-come.html">http://poynder.blogspot.com/2006/09/p2p-very-core-of-world-to-come.html
</a>; video interview, at <a href="http://www.masternewmedia.org/news/2006/09/29/network_collaboration_peer_to_peer.htm">http://www.masternewmedia.org/news/2006/09/29/network_collaboration_peer_to_peer.htm</a><br><br>The work of the P2P Foundation is supported by
<a href="http://www.ws-network.com/04_team.htm">http://www.ws-network.com/04_team.htm</a>