online collaboration

It seems that online collaboration has become a big deal in our modern society. There are numerous sites devoted to collaboration in different capacities. We talked about a few of these in class, such as Kompoz.com for music, but as discussion continued on googleplus, other students suggested some sites for writing collaboration - the only kind of sites where I feel I could be a useful contributor. Alexandra Crafton suggested "Wattpad" and Sarah Talley suggested "webook."

Now, with all these forms of online collaboration available, the question must be asked of who receives the credit for the idea? The finished product? Can credit rightfully be given to one individual or the group as a whole? Adding to this dilemma is the debate over copyright. Many people feel that copyrighting is becoming outdated, especially since there are ways to work around the system with the millions of sites online that allow one to move around without the typical rules in the digital world.

Another question I feel should be raised is the issue of cost. It seems that many of these online collaborations become free for public consumption, as the rights do no belong to one specific person and the contributors did so for the pure enjoyment instead of the monetary gain. What is the true cost of such goods? Could these be worth more since more minds went into them and more devoted minds. I don't know about you, but I think anyone who does something for fun instead of for pay is more devoted and more invested. Yes, money is a great motivator, but if you are doing it because you love it, that just adds something more.

Has this shift opened up the gate for more free goods of greater worth than those which cost? Perhaps not yet; however, I feel that the internet is quickly bringing us to that possibility. "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely" - attributed to multiple people - is an excellent example: when there is a monetary value associated with a good that one produces, their work can become corrupted, degrading it and eventually leading to poor quality, no matter the excellence in the beginning. Many contracted authors face the dilemma of a new book by a certain date, and when writing becomes a chore in this way, the quality deteriorates and everyone is left with a bitter taste.