We recently heard about a new initiative called the “Cool Japan” project. Run by the Japanese government, the idea is to have leading creative lights in Japan post questions or problems to a site called Mazer, and crowdsource the answers. The winning ideas will be bid on by businesses to make them a reality. It made us wonder how far an idea like this could go. What could this mean for the future of problem solving? Nora speaks with digital culture writer Don Tapscott about whether Mazer could be a bellwether for how governments and citizens build the economy or design public policy.
You can hear the full, uncut interview below, or download the MP3. [runs 17:00]
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Thanks for bringing Don on to talk about crowd sourcing. The collaborative role of crowd sourcing can drive “outcomes” such as product design, business development (& funding), and government policy. Also, crowd sourcing offers potential for driving “processes” such a broader rational public dialogue. This in turn could drive a more knowledgeable public, focused on the ethical high ground and better equipped to pursue a social agenda involving dignity and justice. That is an agenda that we seem increasingly ill equipped for at the moment.
Want to thank you for bringing Don on to the show. A great interview. There is a lot more exciting stuff to unpack and discuss here too. Would love to hear more about the successes, failures and also the mixtures of success and failure in various ventures employing crowdfunding & crowdsourcing in the diverse arenas these models have been exercised in. Hope to see more shows on this topic in the future. Very informative and gets my own gears moving being involved in a crowdfunding feature documentary: http://www.secerttrial5.com. Take a look and see how we are doing and let us know what we could do better!
Apologies, correct link is: http://www.secrettrial5.com