OPEN BUSINESS | a guide to getting what you give

Almost a year has passed since my last post. And in terms of work the project has been a cryogenic state since.
When returning to blogger conference Re:publica in Berlin this year, I realized that although lots of time has passed, the founding ideas in this project still remains valid.

Lectures on open hardware, open event formats, d.i.y trends, open source film production and even a call for participation in C-base’s Open Moon project - free space travel, all shows that the paradigm of openness i setting in.

The handbook that is the intended product of this project is still only halfway there. What is needed is strong descriptions of cases within music, film, hardware and other creative ventures where an open business model is applied and sustains the activity is is supposed to frame.

The project wiki still allows any interested party to contribute with their knowledge - and the book draft in it’s current form will be released shortly.

There has been little to no activity within the Open Business project the last month, due to my graduation and launch into a new position this Summer.
Still, work with the open business guide is in process behind the scenes, and more frequent activity can be expected by end August.

Here you find the complete overview of the theoretical framework, i.e the 4 main categories of open business models and their members. Not all of them are illustrated yet, hence the “catchy” title v.1.0.
The pletora of business models are sorted between models centered around Upgrade (selling more of the same), Related Services (give away X, to promote the sales of Y), Access (promoting the sales of products through availability) and Community Involvement (the general benefit harvested from the contribution of a connected community).

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The Symbol Library further expanding to include illustrations of the different elements within each main category of Open Business models. Models centered around Upgrade, Related Services, Access and Community Involvement (visit the Symbol Library to get a thorough description of the various categories.)

Todays contribution is the sub symbols related to the Community Involvement category.
Business models within this category are identified by opening up of your creative work, providing interest parties with a platform to contribute to and comment on your work, and adding value.

So far I have identified 7 different business aspects based on community participation:

	Open ideation - involving a community to contribute in the idea generation phase of a work.
	Open production - involving a community to contribute in the production phase of a work.
	Open post development - involving a community to contribute in the continuous development of a work through remixes, version updates etc.
	Open distribution - involving a community to contribute in the distribution a work.
	Donation - creating a platform/functionality allowing a connected community to donate to your cause.
	Sharing economy - establish a platform where a community connected to your work can exchange ideas, know-how/expertise etc.

The last sub-category, Labor Exchange is still to be illustrated. It relates to business models where a connected community performs a small task (often tasks that calls for human intelligence, f.x solving a Captcha-test) to gain access to a free product/service.

Any suggestion for how that can be illustrated is more than welcomed.

Due to my upcoming exam the 29th May, there hasn’t been too much activity from my end the last week. In my last post I expressed the difficulty in illustrating several of the sub categories in the Related Services and Access category. Related Services refers to business models where you give away one product/service to promote the sale of another related product/service. Access covers strategies where one sell the availability of a product/service.
Therefore I was so happy to receive an email from Mike Zepf loaded with sketched ideas for various sub symbols.
In fact, let’s have a look at Zepf’s contributions:

	Suggestion for the Performance symbol from the Related Services category. Performance aims to encompass business models where you give away a digital copy of your work, while earning money on performing it. A typical example is that of a musician giving away free mp3’s to promote the sales of tickets to his/hers live act. - I am wondering if this symbols illustrates that, as my immediate association to this sketch is that of an engine giving its best, whereas performance aims to point to the aspect of going live, of enacting your work.
	Suggestion for the Consultancy symbol from the Related Services category. Consultancy refers to business models where one give away a digital copy of your work and earn money on the interpretation of how to use it optimally. - I think this one is great. Funny, playing on the word itself and still to the point.
	Suggestion for the Merchandise symbol from the Related Services category. Merchandise refers to any added product/service that has its value mostly due to the main product/service. By giving away your main work digitally you can promote the sale of gadgets, thingies, swag that refers to your main product. - I associate this sketch with a commodity in general, not so much merchandise connected to it. Maybe the symbols should show the main commodity and its reference goods.
	Suggestion for the Findability symbol from the Access category. Findability relates to business models where a digital copy of your work might be available somewhere, but you charge your customers for finding it easily. - I made a suggestion for this yesterday, and to my surprise it is very similar. So, I think we are into something here.
	Suggestion for the Immediacy symbol from the Access category. Immediacy refers to business models where you eventually will give away a digital copy of your work, and where you charge your customers for getting it NOW. - It took me a little time to understand the sketch - of time being of no essence. The time factor is removed from the equation. I like it. I am wondering if it is clear enough, but I really like it.
	Suggestion for the Usability symbol from the Access category. Usability refers to business models where you give away a digital copy of your work, however, you make it very easy for people to contribute/donate to your cause. A typical example is that of have easy and open (as in optional) payment systems in close connection to your free digital copy. - Usability is very abstract, and in this sketch I get the sense of the person struggling with the lever, instead of moving it around with ease. I would love to have this one explained, actually.

Mucho gracias, mister!

The Symbol Library is expanding to include illustrations of the different elements within each main category of Open Business models. Models centered around Upgrade, Related Services, Access and Community Involvement (visit the Symbol Library to get a thorough description of the various categories.)

Beneath you find suggestions for the different elements within the Upgrades category.
Business models centered around Upgrades are signified by the aim to give a basic version of a product/service away to promote the sale of an better/more refined version of the same product/service.
So far I have identified 4 different business models that aim to sell more of the same:

	Digital/physical - Giving away a digital copy to promote the sale of a physical version
	Minimum/Maximum - Giving away a basic version of a product/service to promote the sale of the full version.
	Low rez/High rez - Giving away a low resolution digital file to promote the sale of the high resolution file.
	Deluxe/Limited/Exclusive - giving away a straight version of a product/service to promote the sale of the deluxe version, limited edition.

All of the symbols in this category are characterized by a division line, aiming to show what you give away - and what you earn money on. I am curious as of whether that is good way to go about it, or if it is more beneficial to show what you capitalize on.

In the other main categories I stumbled upon rather abstract words like Usability and Performance.
So, I ask for assistance.
What are your visual associations to the following words:

• Performance
• Subscription
• Consultancy
• Advertisement
• Merchandise
• Customization/Personification
• Immediacy
• Findability
• Usability

The Open Business hand book is beginning to take form. To give you a teaser I present the Table of Content.
Case descriptions for the hand book are currently being produced on the Open Forge Wiki. Feel free to comment, contribute, read as you please.
Content pages will be added to the book draft page as they are completed.
And on with the show - here is the preview:

TABLE OF CONTENT

Introduction

The Paradigm of Openness

• Openness Defined
• The Times
• Giving and Getting

Open Business

• What is an OB?
• Elements in an OB Model
• Visual language

Open Business Cases

• Music
• Film
• Literature
• Software
• Digital Art
• Hardware

OPENNESS

I have been looking into different existing definitions of openness, and have yet to stumble upon one that sufficiently and yet thoroughly expresses what the emerging paradigm of Openness is.
From the 3 definitions underneath I have highlighted the elements that touches upon such a description.

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• without obstructions to passage or view; “the openness of the prairies”
• characterized by an attitude of ready accessibility (especially about one’s actions or purposes); without concealment; not secretive
• receptiveness: willingness or readiness to receive (especially impressions or ideas); “he was testing the government’s receptiveness to reform”; “this receptiveness is the key feature in oestral behavior, enabling natural mating to occur”; “their receptivity to the proposal”

Source: Princeton’s Wordnet

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• (Social) accommodating attitude or opinion, as in receptivity to new ideas, behaviors, cultures, peoples, environments, experiences, etc., different from the familiar, conventional, traditional, or one’s own.
• The degree to which a person, group, organization, institution, or society exhibits this liberal attitude or opinion.
• (Computing) degree of accessibility to view, use, and modify computer code in a shared environment with legal rights generally held in common and preventing proprietary restrictions on the right of others to continue viewing, using, modifying and sharing that code.
• (Systems) the degree to which a system operates with distinct boundaries across which exchange occurs capable of inducing change in the system while maintaining the boundaries themselves.

Source: Wiktionary

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• Openness is a philosophy that is being used as the basis of how various groups and organizations operate. It is a relatively new term to describe this general way of doing things.
  It is typified by communal management, and open access to the information or material resources needed for projects; openness to contributions from a diverse range of users/producers/contributors, flat hierarchies, and a fluid organisational structure.
  Communal management is usually done with decisions being made by some form of consensus decision-making or voting.
  It is now being put forward to facilitate the growth of the open source and free software programming communities. As well as others, particularly activist groups.

Source: Wikipedia

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So, the main ingredients are:

the willingness to share, transparency and accessibility (ready accessibility, without concealment, open access), and equally the willingness to receive and accept input from others (willingness or readiness to receive, openness to contributions from a diverse range of users/producers/contributors).

Giving and getting.

The definition from Wiktionary regarding computing is also strong when exchanging the word “computer code” for “creative work” - so it turns into:

“Openness is the degree of accessibility to view, use, and modify creative works in a shared environment with legal rights generally held in common and preventing proprietary restrictions on the right of others to continue viewing, using, modifying and sharing that work.”

Although it would be beneficial to open the legal aspect to encompass a more open copyright licensing system such as Creative Commons.

What should a hand book - that aims to show how companies and individuals from creative industries can benefit from incorporating elements of openness in their business strategy - be called?
I have suffered from a slight brain freeze in regards to this.
“The Handy Book Of Openness” seems too sweet.
So, here goes. Time to throw out alternatives:

• Open Business: Giving and Getting
• Give and Get - The Fortune Wheel
• Don’t be a Stranger in Paradise

Feel free to join in.

Here are the set of symbols used in the Re:publica Open Business presentation, currently available as a Flickr set:
They are divided between:

• Creative branch (Music, Film, Literature and Software)
• Main 4 OB categories (Upgrade, Related services, Access and Community involvement)
• Category overview with strategic business elements()

A full overview and description of symbols used in the hand book, can be found at the Symbol library page

Link