Twitter as a Lab
Thinking is a group sport. Sometimes not, but there’s something to Surowiecki’s “wisdom of crowds,” and if you have the right friends list, Twitter is useful as a place to build things. What things? Ideas.
Play and Games
I started twittering a few days ago that I was thinking of play, of games, of things related to locative art (using geospatial information as part of the creative process). And people responded. First a little, then a lot. People started launching links at me. Sean Bohan sent me to learn about Alternative Reality Games (ARGs). Bre Pettis helped me understand that RFID was probably tricky. Someone else told me that if I can come up with a fun something-or-other to play at his conference, that I should let him know. My friend from high school, Jon Glassett, gave me lots of support and some inspiration in direct messages. **UPDATE: I guess Robert Scoble pointed some people to a Facebook video I did. That built even more collaborators into the mix. Thanks, Robert. ***UPDATE2: Nik Butler, the Loudmouthman shot me 3 or 4 video messages that were great and helpful, too!
I got this video from Ula on Facebook, who saw my little video on play and my thoughts. This shows a flash mob kind of game.
Use Your Network
People are watching. They’re getting it. People are there to help and participate, and if something resonates, often times, they’ll jump right into it and help define it. Why? Because it’s exciting to be part of something, and it’s always fun watching someone get excited about a project.
How can YOU engage your friends/network/community to build things? Are your projects inclusive? Are you the Lego example of having Mindstorms users build the next gen, or are you designing from the top down? Sure there are times when the crowd doesn’t work, but let’s talk about when it DOES. What can you do to engage your networks?
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Photo credit, youdenism
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Comments
I really couldn’t focus on the video, because the narrator voice reminded me way too much of Satan from the South Park movie. I kept on waiting for a frisky Saddam Hussein to jump out.
Chris,
There have been two instances where participation from my Twitter friends/followers enhanced my creative process.
In my case, I didn’t purposely ask for help, but when I posted that I was changing my name to iPhone to meet guys just for fun, the witty responses and questions I received inspired me to respond creatively and humorously. I was able to turn the series of tweets between me and friends into a successful bit in my stand-up act.
Most of the ideas I wouldn’t have thought of on my own if I had sat down to write about it. The different perspectives and the individual wisdoms in the crowd made something much bigger and better.
Chris,
What a great find. I wonder how well Flash mobs work in different societies ? I cant help but feel though that the fist game being played is the question of playing a game !
Darn it Chris Brogan I have spent the day thinking and seeing and experiencing the Game in everything. Not an intended Side effect I believe.
A great post none the less.