Teaching the Produsers: Preparing Students for User-Led Content Production Dr Axel Bruns Creative Industries Faculty Queensland University of Technology [email_address]

User-Led Content Production emerging in various domains: open source software development online publishing: blogs open news – e.g. Slashdot , Indymedia , OhmyNews knowledge management wikis – e.g. Wikipedia Google Earth multi-user gaming: e.g. The Sims , Everquest , Second Life , Spore creative practice e.g. Flickr , ccMixter , YouTube , Jumpcut , Current.tv viral marketing

emerging in various domains:

open source software development

online publishing:

blogs

open news – e.g. Slashdot , Indymedia , OhmyNews

knowledge management

wikis – e.g. Wikipedia

Google Earth

multi-user gaming:

e.g. The Sims , Everquest , Second Life , Spore

creative practice

e.g. Flickr , ccMixter , YouTube , Jumpcut , Current.tv

viral marketing

Common Characteristics shared across these environments: users are productive – they create new content, and make this available to others directly engagement is collaborative – users work together in creating content artefacts are unfinished – they are constantly being updated in minor or major revisions this palimpsestic development requires the use of alternatives to traditional copyright licences

shared across these environments:

users are productive – they create new content, and make this available to others directly

engagement is collaborative – users work together in creating content

artefacts are unfinished – they are constantly being updated in minor or major revisions

this palimpsestic development requires the use of alternatives to traditional copyright licences

What’s Happening Here? emergence of: the prosumer (Alvin Toffler)? the citizen-consumer (John Hartley)? pro-am production (Charles Leadbeater & Paul Miller)? customer-made products ( Trendwatching.com )? corporations harnessing the hive (J.C. Herz)?

emergence of:

the prosumer (Alvin Toffler)?

the citizen-consumer (John Hartley)?

pro-am production (Charles Leadbeater & Paul Miller)?

customer-made products ( Trendwatching.com )?

corporations harnessing the hive (J.C. Herz)?

Beyond Production such models retain a traditional value chain: producer  distributor  consumer producer advised by consumer  distributor  consumer customer-made  back to producer  distributor  consumer

such models retain a traditional value chain:

producer  distributor  consumer

producer advised by consumer  distributor  consumer

customer-made  back to producer  distributor  consumer

Beyond Production such traditional value chains rely on key assumptions: products exist in discrete versions, and producers decide when these are to be released the distribution of products is controlled (and controllable) by producers and distributors, not by consumers consumers are relatively isolated – only producers have access to the whole community the core business lies in the sale of copyrighted products but in a user-led environment, this is no longer true: the latest update is always immediately available – e.g. open source, Wikipedia content is available for direct access online – users become producers, and the Net replaces the distributor consumers join together in enthusiast groups, interest groups, developer groups the core business lies in providing value-added services around freely available content

such traditional value chains rely on key assumptions:

products exist in discrete versions, and producers decide when these are to be released

the distribution of products is controlled (and controllable) by producers and distributors, not by consumers

consumers are relatively isolated – only producers have access to the whole community

the core business lies in the sale of copyrighted products

but in a user-led environment, this is no longer true:

the latest update is always immediately available – e.g. open source, Wikipedia

content is available for direct access online – users become producers, and the Net replaces the distributor

consumers join together in enthusiast groups, interest groups, developer groups

the core business lies in providing value-added services around freely available content

Breaking the Chains content development space set up by community or company (e.g. Wikimedia Foundation; Google) commercial / non-profit harnessing of user-generated content (e.g. The Sims ) commercial / non-profit services to support content development (e.g. Red Hat, SourceForge) commercial activities by users themselves (e.g. support services, consultancies, content sales) initial IP contributions from public domain or commercial sources collaborative, iterative, evolutionary, palimpsestic user-led content development valuable, often commercial-grade content is created

Produsage beyond production: ‘ anyone can edit’ – users become producers of content usage and production are increasingly, inextricably intertwined strict distinctions between producers, distributors, and consumers no longer apply this is produsage

beyond production:

‘ anyone can edit’ – users become producers of content

usage and production are increasingly, inextricably intertwined

strict distinctions between producers, distributors, and consumers no longer apply

this is produsage

Characteristics of Produsage users are productive: projects are led by users, or involve them as key contributors engage collaboratively: with one another, or with institutional partners; in flexible roles and with varying intensity, in self-organising, often fluid and heterarchical communities

users

are productive:

projects are led by users, or

involve them as key contributors

engage collaboratively:

with one another, or

with institutional partners;

in flexible roles and with varying intensity,

in self-organising, often fluid and heterarchical communities

Characteristics of Produsage content artefacts remain always unfinished: iterative, evolutionary, palimpsestic development leads to constant revisioning, with a potential for forking into different development directions – thus ending the product revision cycle are prodused under alternative copyright licences: collaborative authorship by volunteer contributors in collaboration with professional developers, building on a recognition of individual contributions while acknowledging the need to enable further palimpsestic development

content artefacts

remain always unfinished:

iterative, evolutionary, palimpsestic development leads to

constant revisioning, with a potential for

forking into different development directions – thus

ending the product revision cycle

are prodused under alternative copyright licences:

collaborative authorship by

volunteer contributors in collaboration with

professional developers,

building on a recognition of individual contributions while

acknowledging the need to enable further palimpsestic development

Key Questions for Produsage Is the economic model workable? harnessing, harbouring, harvesting, hijacking the hive reconciling alternative IP licences and commercial exploitation EULAs and commercial ownership of produsage spaces Is the community model sustainable? considerable churn within communities long-term sustainability of volunteer-based produsage development of workable community structures – anarchy, panarchy, heterarchy, benevolent dictatorship?

Is the economic model workable?

harnessing, harbouring, harvesting, hijacking the hive

reconciling alternative IP licences and commercial exploitation

EULAs and commercial ownership of produsage spaces

Is the community model sustainable?

considerable churn within communities

long-term sustainability of volunteer-based produsage

development of workable community structures – anarchy, panarchy, heterarchy, benevolent dictatorship?

Key Questions for Produsage Consequences of content omnivoracity? need for better understanding of IP licencing options problems with building on proprietary material disregard for IP frameworks amongst produser community Liability for prodused content? responsibilities of the produsage space provider responsibilities of the individual content produser identifying liable parties in collaborative produsage Incompleteness need for ‘use at own risk’ disclaimers but then, all (produced as well as prodused) artefacts contain room for improvement

Consequences of content omnivoracity?

need for better understanding of IP licencing options

problems with building on proprietary material

disregard for IP frameworks amongst produser community

Liability for prodused content?

responsibilities of the produsage space provider

responsibilities of the individual content produser

identifying liable parties in collaborative produsage

Incompleteness

need for ‘use at own risk’ disclaimers

but then, all (produced as well as prodused) artefacts contain room for improvement

Wider Implications New paradigms: produsage is becoming increasingly widespread, under various guises Web2.0 social software open collaborative environments New generation: Trendwatching.com : Generation C Content Creation, Creativity, Casual Collapse, Control, Celebrity New society: industrial  informational  networked  produsage society? move of citizens from consumers to produsers of democracy?

New paradigms:

produsage is becoming increasingly widespread, under various guises

Web2.0

social software

open collaborative environments

New generation:

Trendwatching.com : Generation C

Content Creation, Creativity, Casual Collapse, Control, Celebrity

New society:

industrial  informational  networked  produsage society?

move of citizens from consumers to produsers of democracy?

Educating the Produsers 4C Education: need for new approaches to educating ‘Generation C’ learner capacities: creative: knowledge creation through content creation collaborative: iterative and palimpsestic work across distributed and diverse teams critical: produsers evaluate, enhance, and expand their peers’ work communicative: effective communication between stakeholders underpins the process (4Cs developed by Jude Smith, Ross Daniels, Axel Bruns, Stephen Towers, and Rachel Cobcroft)

4C Education:

need for new approaches to educating ‘Generation C’

learner capacities:

creative: knowledge creation through content creation

collaborative: iterative and palimpsestic work across distributed and diverse teams

critical: produsers evaluate, enhance, and expand their peers’ work

communicative: effective communication between stakeholders underpins the process

(4Cs developed by Jude Smith, Ross Daniels, Axel Bruns, Stephen Towers, and Rachel Cobcroft)