Comments on: Wisdom of Crowds, Cambrian House and its three current flaws

By: Aaron

Aaron — Fri, 15 May 2009 21:27:34 +0000

@steve – I can’t comment much on CH, but the crowdsourcing model has been very successful in the open source community. Linux and other open source projects has done very well through the contribution of individuals.

CH may or may not have it down, but there’s no doubt that Open Source and crowdsourcing is very valid in some areas, and is something that’s been actively sustaining projects since the 1980′s (in software), and much longer than that in non-software applications (I’ve thrown many a potluck, for example).

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 04:56:08 +0000

…hmmm…I wonder if this isn’t a lot like the fairy tale. Has anyone noticed that the emporer isn’t wearing any clothes? I mean we keep hearing about the WOC, crowd sourcing. How many community members have committed any code? How many have received $$? How many ideas have been commercialized? they boast 30000 community members but how many actually contribute? Idea warz at least had some participation but now that’s dead. So what do they actually have? Nothing?

Everyone is just too embarrased to say so. Not just us the community members, but what about those reporters who didn’t verify the facts in their stories, those bloggers who quoted other bloggers who didn’t verify their stories…

If you dig even a little past the PR and into the CH model, you end up with nothing, there is just nothing there. It would be cool if the whole crowdsourcing thing worked, but it just hasn’t yet.

CH is just pretending it knows what its doing, but if you try and actually define what it is doing you’ll come to a dead end…. oh look how pretty the emperors new clothes are… come on everyone, join me in praising how cool the emperors new clothes are…

By: Kevin

Kevin — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 22:38:29 +0000

Great write-up, I have been submitting my ideas for the past few months to the site (TheCougar) and have a love/hate relationship with CH as well. More skewed towards the love part of it, for many of the reasons you listed above. I’m rooting for them, hopefully they will read posts like this and keep on getting better.

By: Scrollin’ On Dubs » Blog Archive » My Cambrian House interview and the Disruptive Virtual Renderfarm

Wed, 13 Dec 2006 15:36:26 +0000

[...] CH is not without its flaws – I’ve written a little about what I think they’re still missing, namely 3 of the 4 preconditions for the Wisdom of Crowds magic to work. In their defense though, we know first-hand what it is to try and run a virtual co-op; project managing these experimental developments and encouraging people who aren’t getting paid immediately to give up their Saturdays and evenings in order to contribute. All things considered, they’ve executed and actually shipped products. Guy Kawasaki says “Sales fix everything.” The equivalent statement in the world of virtual co-ops is that “Enthusiasm and community fixes everything,” and so far CH has built a phenomenal community. They continue to make all the right moves and their decision to form a “tribal council” of community members to help resolve the inevitable disputes that arise when people are submitting similar ideas is genius. It’s an honor to be listed as their latest “Mover and Shaker.” [...]

By: barry.b

barry.b — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 15:30:36 +0000

Problem #1:
isn’t that a bit like the problem of the observer (by observing) changing the behavour of the obsreved?

Problem #2:
I stumbled across your post (accidental link on the fullasagoog ag). I’m definately NOT a “slashdot/digg crowd” but I’ll be following up CH in the future. More diversity, different strokes needed, sure.

Problem #3:
you mean “benevolant dictator” stuff? Cuba is Cuba because of Castro? if CH has an open enough mind/wary, is it that much of a problem? Even the staunchest critics admit a good idea by someone else is still a good idea.

Sean, I hope they read your/this blog/thoughts. Cambrian House seems a cool idea I’d not come across before. more power to their (Viking) arm…

my 2c nothing more.
barry.b

PS:
this “masses predicting the future” stuff – sounds like Asimov’s Foundation books…