In a recent post and at a session at last weekend’s WordCamp NYC Jim Groom questions how much commercialization belongs in the WordPress community. A post on the WPMU.ORG blog, holds that WordPress’ future is in premium, purchased plug-ins, a point Jim takes great exception to. He points out that the strength and quality of WordPress is a direct result of the active, sharing community, and if increased commercialization displaced this shared ethos, then WordPress might well suffer. And while I agree with Jim, I also wonder if this isn’t an inevitable phase in the growth of WordPress and other active open source projects.
In the Everett Rogers classic Diffusion of Innovations, innovation of a new technology moves in a wave that starts with innovators, moves on the early adopters, early majority, late majority, and, as the utilization of the technology approaches saturation, finally the laggards. Jim described this process with a different metaphor — the gentrification of a neighborhood, where you start with the struggling artists and eventually end up with the condos and chain stores (StarBucks, Gap, etc.) The early group, the artists/innovators, all know each other, share ideas, and relish the shared experience of exploring a new space. The space is a little dangerous and problems often arise, but the community pitches together to overcome obstacles. The subsequent groups, each a little less tolerant of danger and problems, moves into the space — either the neighborhood or the use of the technology — as the levels of danger and risk falls to match their tolerance level. In the physical world these new groups cause prices to rise which forces the early innovators out, and that is a problem.
But in the digital world we can all afford to be a little lighter on our feet, with the cost of relocation so low. Perhaps as a technology space, like WordPress, matures, it is natural for the innovators to move on to a new frontier. Steve Gillmor, one of the early RSS champions recently annonced RSS is dead, and is turning his attention to other areas. In any community there must be active discussion of new trends, and Jim’s concerns about commercialization in the WordPress community are right on. But we may not be able to hold the forces of majority culture and all its capitalistic pressures much longer. So as Davy Crockett would say, it might just be time to set off for the new frontier — but where is that?
In higher education as the learning space gets more comfortable with WordPress-type technologies, I’d like to see us take a run at other areas on campus. The admissions office or alumni office are both natural next steps, and WordPress is already making some in-roads here. But how about the business side of the operation – there is a lot of bad, closed, expensive, rigid and unfriendly technology here, and it seems ripe for a community-based, open-source assault. How about CampusPress, BursarPress, AdmissionsPress, FacilitiesPress, PayrollPress, BookstorePress, or FoodservicePress? After all why should be BlackBoard be the only enterprise-level company to suffer the arrows of an open-source siege? There are plenty of other mountains just begging for someone to go explore. Let’s mount up and ride!
A new model for sharing openly out of a passion and belief in the possibilities rather than professionalizing this development as a career or job. Look what professionalization did for politics in the US, it is the wrong direction, and I think it is time for the WordPress community to take a stand on what they believe and how they will deal with this challenge…The logic of capital and commodification will tear us apart unless we are vigilant, making money must be subordinated to sharing openly.
WordCamp New York City 2009 » Saturday Sessions
EDUCHUDS: the Gentrification of Web-Based Education. Given that web-based education has been dominated by proprietary software companies through more generalized visions of the horror of the open web, this presentation will use clips from such NYC film classics as The Warriors, Escape from New York, C.H.U.D., Fort Apache, The Bronx, and several others to illustrate how the insidious process of corporate gentrification in educational technology is orchestrated through a logic of fear. What will be traced throughout this presentation are the shadowy contours of a global conspiracy against the socialist ideals at work in open source communities, which are increasingly being watered down by the iron fangs of capital. And believe you me, those protracted canines are ever-poised to pierce the neck of any attempt to re-imagine the digital landscape of education outside the profit motive we are slaves to. In effect, I will argue that there is a C.H.U.D. under every institutional sewer cap, and they’ll devour more than your puppies — they want your soul! Speaker: Jim Groom.
Diffusion of innovations – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The diffusion of innovations according to Rogers. With successive groups of consumers adopting the new technology (shown in blue), its market share (yellow) will eventually reach the saturation level.
It’s time to get completely off RSS and switch to Twitter. RSS just doesn’t cut it anymore. The River of News has become the East River of news, which means it’s not worth swimming in if you get my drift.
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Randall Rode's online home for thoughts, notes, and experiments with a wide range of technology topics. Visit the about page for info on my recent projects and professional background. I welcome your comments!
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