The 5 Very Best Blogs of 2011
TopCoder has experienced an exceptional boom in our blog readership and we can only thank all of you who have decided to make this blog part of your reading regiment. In the second half of 2011 we canvassed many a topic ranging from gamification, to innovation leadership (not management!), over to Open Innovation best practices and beyond. Here are 5 of your favorites from the second half of 2011.
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Graphene is Coming!
For the futurist (and Minority Report fan) in all of us we shared this video-laden article with you that showcased a near-future world where flexible, intelligent screens are everywhere. The physical material making all of this possible is known as Graphene. Graphene has some amazing properties and is primed to change our world forever.
Read: Graphene and the Daunting Fragmentation of the 3.0
To Badge or Not To Badge – A Gamification Question
When do digital badges matter? When are they just fluff and marketing for the sake of marketing? We crafted this piece in late November and your response to it was evident. Gamification and tactics & techniques that assuage human behavior continue to be an extremely hot topic heading into 2012. Get your badge on, and earn your gamification stripes by perusing this gem.
Read: The Right and Wrong Way to Issue Digital Badges
Parallel Worlds – Social Media & Open Innovation
TopCoder Blog readers know we like to draw parallels. It helps us define a specific space and draw from other experiences to predict and reflect on the topics that matter to our readership. With the maturing of social media and the blossoming of the social enterprise & social innovation, 2 posts this year honed in on the ways in which social media and Open Innovation lead very similar “lives”. Tweet your heart out about these 2 social media focused posts.
Read: Parallel Universes – Social Media and the Open Innovation Landscape
Read: Social Media & Open Innovation – the One True Constant (BONUS READ)
The Need to Experiment in Innovation!!!
This continues to be our most shared article, ever. The simplicity of it, the history weaved throughout and the core message that you must experiment in innovation to succeed are reasons we think you loved this post. Enjoy and please continue to share this article!
Read: 3 Reasons an Open Innovation Platform is an Exceptional Way to Experiment
What’s the Difference? Outsourcing Vs. Crowdsourcing
You seem to appreciate when we get beyond the “101″ on The TopCoder Blog and this article provided 6 specific reasons an outsourcing model is different (and inferior) to a community model that leverages Crowdsourcing. It was one of the year’s most popular and we think most important articles because it gave many looking to advance their understanding of Open Innovation & Crowdsourcing a concise way to compare the options and understand the benefits of a competitive & open model.
Read: 6 Important Ways Crowdsourcing is Different than Outsourcing
What’s Next for The TopCoder Blog?
2012 will bring us articles on Big Data, the emerging Web 3.0 and of course we will seek to deliver you the best content canvassing the Open Innovation & Crowdsourcing landscape. Thank you for becoming a subscriber in 2011 and here’s to an amazing 2012!!! Happy New Year!
Take this New Year’s Resolution and go deeper in your understanding of Open Innovation! Start by registering for this free TopCoder Webinar being hosted on Thursday, January 19th.
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