Throughout history, tools have enabled us to leapfrog forward; to increase our productive capacity and to advance as a people. In the same way that the plow allowed fewer people to produce more food in less time, the Internet enables us to produce, communicate and collect more knowledge, more quickly than ever before. The true power of the internet comes from real communities who leverage electronic tools to make their real world activities better.

So, what are the Three C’s? The Three C’s (3C’s) stand for Community Created Content. This concept is the information age equivalent of a good old fashioned barn raising: People coming together to share their skills, their knowledge, their effort, and their time for the good of a community.

Let’s talk about one of the best examples of people coming together to collaborate on a project that serves a BIG community: Wikipedia. Wikipedia, as you might have read elsewhere, is an excellent encyclopedia that has been written collaboratively by tens of thousands of people. Every section of every article on the site has an ‘edit’ button right there next to the text. If you find something that is incorrect, simply click ‘edit’, make the change, click save and your work becomes part of the worlds greatest encyclopedia. You + the original author + 100’s of other reader/editors = Community Created Content; all parts working as checks and balances to create a whole resource of incomparable value. The power of the 3C’s. I could expound further but instead will point you to very good articles from the New York Review of Books and The CBC on the joys (and caveats) that you’ll find using and contributing to Wikipedia. Suffice to say that it is an amazing resource, created by people like you and me for the good of all.

Wikipedia is just one example of a 3C concept called a Wiki, a Collaboratively Created Document. The 3C’s are also part of the larger Web 2.0 concept that includes Wiki’s, Blogs, and Social Networking sites. We will be looking at each of these topics in future posts in the Participatory Culture Series here on ChannelBV.

If you are interested in learning more about these ideas, consider attending one of ChannelBV’s Blogging Workshops at Colorado Mountain College. The next one will be held starting on April 8th @ 6:30 PM and will cover many of the basics of understanding, navigating and contributing to the Web 2.0 world. Contact CMC @ 719.395.8419 ext 2206 for more information about the courses or visit their website.

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