'User-led Innovation: A New Framework for Co-creating Business and Social Value,' co-authored by Darren Sharp and Mandy Salomon. The sources of innovation are shifting rapidly from the traditional 20th century model of commercial R&D labs, elite universities, private companies and government agencies to user-led innovation. Today's users have much greater input into the creation and dissemination of the media, knowledge and culture they consume. Open Source software, virtual worlds and media-sharing communities are at the forefront of new modes of user-led innovation that challenge established boundaries between producers and consumers. This new CRC report reveals the major drivers of user-led innovation and explores how it is affecting organisations' relationships with key stakeholders. It investigates how user-led practices generate business and social value through a major case study of the virtual world Second Life. The report canvasses a number of pathways for organisations to leverage the participation of their audiences, customers and citizens in the interest of co-creating new products, services and platforms. The research draws on extensive interviews with some of the world's leading thinkers on the social, economic and legal aspects of user-led innovation including: Eric von Hippel (MIT), Yochai Benkler (Harvard), Jimmy Wales (Wikipedia), Siva Vaidhyanathan (Virginia), John Howkins (Adelphi Charter), Michel Bauwens (P2P Alternatives) and Mitch Kapor (Linden Lab).
  Cultural Institutions and Web 2.0 authored by Dr Mike Middleton, Senior Researcher, Queensland University of Technology, reports upon an exploratory survey of the approaches that Australian cultural institutions are implementing to meet Web 2.0 challenges. For the purpose of this study ‘cultural institutions’ are those organizations open to the general public that house information artefacts representative of national culture, namely galleries, museums, libraries and archives. The aim was to undertake a brief survey of the strategies being implemented by Australian cultural institutions to come to terms with Web 2.0 development, and meet challenges. This has been complemented by some consideration of management and technical issues that have been reported in the literature. The work leads to some findings that should inform both the institutions and the Australian research and development community of issues and opportunities relating to enhanced provision of access to Australian cultural heritage.
  Facebook Faceoff - Darren Sharp interview with Geraldine Doogue on ABC Radio National: www.abc.net.au/rn/saturdayextra/stories/2007/2046514.htm
  AIMIA Intimates: Capturing digital business opportunities in an "open world" Podcast with Darren Sharp and four other speakers: play.viostream.com/?play=85AEFF6D-8C6E-409E-A446-9CD6C716765B
  Dean Economou, invited to speak at the OECD on the future of the pariticipatory web The agenda will feed into the "Future of the Internet" ministerial in Seoul, 2008. www.oecd.org/document/30/0,3343,en_21571361_
38620013_38990110_1_1_1_1,00.html
  Business in Second Life: An Introduction authored by CRC Senior Researcher Mandy Salomon who recently featured on Radio National's arts and culture program 'Artworks' in regard to her work on virtual words and in particular, Second Life.

Due to its unique range of creative, experimental and commercial possibilities, the online persistent virtual world Second Life is attracting significant interest from business and service industry sectors throughout the world. Big name brands such as IBM, Dell, ING, Philips Electronics, Telstra, and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation have entered this immersive environment. This report provides an introduction and looks at Second Life in context, doing business in Second Life, Linden the company behind, the local Australian scene and key opportunities and threats for businesses to consider.

Mandy’s radio piece, Artworks aired Sunday 25th March 2007, and can be heard or downloaded from http://www.abc.net.au/rn/artworks/default.htm

Mandy can be contacted at msalomon@swin.edu.au or 03 9214 4611 Visit Second Life at http://secondlife.com/
  IPTV: Order, Chaos and Anarchy. The future of any commercial IPTV system in Australia is fundamentally hamstrung by a grossly under-resourced national broadband infrastructure. The vacuum created by enormous audience demand for internet-delivered video programming is being filled by audience-driven solutions such as YouTube and BitTorrent. As audiences discover these new channels, the broadcasting incumbents find themselves increasingly marginalized; the audience has seized control of distribution. In this new and anarchic environment, chaos rules. Mark Pesce addresses the questions of whether it may already be too late to bring commercial IPTV to Australia.  
  
Smart Services CRC awarded $30.8 million grant - Next Generation CRC drives world class innovation and commercialisation to secure Australia's future in global digital services revolution
Smart Services CRC has been awarded a $30.8 million grant from the Department of Education, Science and Training. A further $68.5 million co-investment will be provided by Smart Services' 24 industry, government and research partners. This will enable the new CRC, an evolution of the Smart Internet Technology CRC (Smart Internet) to return at least $250 million to the Australian economy by 2016. It will deliver this through the commercialisation of high value mobile and on line services across key media, finance and government sectors. 
  
The Digital Lifestyles Monitor authored by Senior Researcher Darren Sharp provides analysis of Internet-based services like social networks, blogs, wikis and media-sharing platforms. It examines the significance of ‘Web 2.0’ related social tools and explores the impact of RSS feeds, mashups, Web services, social bookmarking and folksonomies in the context of broader trends in user-led innovation. The report concludes with an assessment of the value of Web 2.0 developments to CRC stakeholders through service overviews, discussion of market leaders; list of major competitors; strategic principles; followed by a concise opportunity evaluation.
 

Established and supported under the Australian Government’s Cooperative Research Centres Programme