My Comments

• Open Innovation - 08/30/2007
  Melissa: I did a quick check of age ranges on our Fellow base - you must be 18 or older - and we're seeing a steady increase in college age community members - but not a fast ramp up. I think when word gets out on college campuses about our platform, the opportunity to engage creatively with companies worldwide - we'll see more of a viral jump. Right now, this is an educated guess, I'd say the average/typical Fellow has at least five to ten years of work experience beyond college. Early 30s is probably the average age. Which means a nice mix, and from numerous countries and expertise backgrounds. I've corresponded with several Fellows with 20-30 years experience in their fields who are actively engaged in our Innovation Challenges, and love the whole concept of Open Innovation. And I've chatted with young, bright, extremely creative college students who are so tech savvy it's scary.
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• Open Innovation - 08/21/2007
  You're spot on. Author/marketer Seth Godin calls it a 'Purple Cow', and the subtitle of that book I highly recommend is "Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable". Your article highlights someone who's decided to be remarkable. The fact the person is barely out of his teens makes it even more remarkable. I wish I would've listed Inc.com as a resource in this guide. I'm a subscriber to the magazine, and it's one of only two I never throw away.
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• Open Innovation - 08/21/2007
  Donna: Great article on Ben Kaufman and Mophie. You're right, that's a perfect example of Open Innovation at work, or as you termed it, Open 'Source' Innovation. Kaufman's brilliance was not just going 'outside in' to get ideas from his customer base, it was the way he did it ... handing out doodle pads, when everyone else is showcasing products. Shows real outside-the-box marketing and innovation thought process. Consumers get excited when companies say "give us your ideas". Companies are rewarded twofold: with ideas from the people who really know products (the ones who use them!), and with marketing/PR created by the buzz and excitement of user involvement and co-creation. Win-win for everyone.
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• Open Innovation - 08/15/2007
  Mellisa: Great questions. Actually, we just launched a Fellowforce blog, accessible at the bottom of our homepage, or just go directly to: http://www.fellowforce.com/blog/ Anyone can leave comments on the blog postings there. As for spontaneous 'Fellow'/innovator conversations ... we're actually working on something to help facilitate that. So stay tuned ... and we LOVE input from folks on this. That's what Open Innovation is all about! Jeff
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• Open Innovation - 08/10/2007
  Paul: Your reservations are understood. Perhaps Wikipedia is not the best example, in terms of the benefits of Open Innovation as a tool to improve and grow a business. It is, however, a great example of the distruptive ability of mass collaboration. It shows that countless people are willing to toss their knowledge, ideas and time into projects. Businesses can now harness the same power that Wikipedia has taken advantage of, but control it ... benefit from it without letting it run wild. You can tap a crowd for answers, and choose the one that works best, and discard the rest. Interesting that you are a teacher. I feel that Open Innovation platforms offer a fantastic teaching tool. Students can enter Idea/Innovation Challenges, for free, and build reputations, interact with real world organizations in real world situations, and perhaps obtain financial rewards as well. The experience alone would be a great CV/Resume builder, and students are so creative, and have so much to offer. Thanks for your input and comment!
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• Open Innovation - 08/09/2007
  Shara: Glad you're excited about Open Innovation. You'll hear more and more about it in the coming months and years. And I'll be happy to chronicle some Open Innovation success stories. Off the top of my head, the Linux software open source operating system that runs many of the servers that are the backbone of the internet, is a great example. Wikipedia another. Our company received an Innovation idea in our Innovation Box, and it helped us with a new product/service, a loadable Innovation Box 'button' that any organization or company website can use. We're rewarding this 'Fellow' at Fellowforce for his input.
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• Open Innovation - 08/06/2007
  Paul: Thanks for your input. This is a new area for many, so the title Open Innovation may not draw some in. I should have titled it "The Biggest Threat and Opportunity For Small/Medium Business". That sums the new world of Wikinomics up. Mass collaboration, Open Innovation, Peering, Consumer-creation, Widsom of Crowds, etc. are changing the economic landscape. And the changes come so fast and furious in some cases, they blindside many companies. So it's wise to familiarize oneself with, learn about, and ultimately tap Open Innovation - as both a defensive and offensive business method. Another great read is Seth Godin's Idea Virus, how ideas are the 'currency' of the 21st century. And those ideas can come from anyone, anywhere now, at the speed of light.
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