Chapter 3- Peer Production

I am and writing as I read. Ok, I read the first two pages and the authors are already addressing my concerns while furthing my argument. How can peer production be profitable to companies when they have no control. I will keep reading to find out. So peer production is about feeling good about solving a problem, wow I hope that some day we can pay bills or distribute limited resources by feeling good about solving problems. That was a joke. Ok, another reference to wikipedia. I am glad that they brought up the most important fact about peer contributions, they can't be monitored, in turn watering down the valididty of the product. Sure it is possible for companies such as IBM to invest a 100 million dollars and recieve 500 million worth of work in return, but not everyone has the resource that IBM has to make it happen. Still not convinced. Ok some examples for small business uses. I can see how these applications are possible but not everyone in the world are computer programmers.

Chapter 2

I do agree that the virtual networks are reducing costs and completely changing the way business is performed. Reducing costs are great but it is causing the technology industry much turmoil as we all know. Coase's law is a legitamat argument and business methods/models do seem to be following this law. The problem I still struggle with is if companies continue to move toward horizontal integration with increasing numbers of outsourcing, some day traditional companies with permanent employees will no longer exist. Then what? Are all tasks performed remotely, by individuals that have no interest in the organizations long term goal. So who is the organization? What does it consist of? I guess that is what the remaining chapters will explain.

Intro and First chapter

This sound like it will a interesting one. I have a pretty good feeling that I will disagree with the authors on a regular basis but I plan to keep an open mind. On the theory of open information sharing and implementing it in an organization, I am skeptical. If you were disclose all info to the public, the competitive advantage will be lost. I can see how using these methods to solve a single problem such as the mining company did can work. But to fill an organization with "remote employees" contributing to the cause of the organization will have disastrous effects. These contributors have no invested interest in the organization. Ok, mabey I will be pursuaded in the upcoming chapters, but he will have to do more than give me strung together theory with a few weak examples as he has done so far.