The word “wiki” means “quick” in Hawaiian, and here author and think tank CEO Tapscott along with research director Williams, paint in vibrant colors the quickly changing world of Internet togetherness, also known as mass or global collaboration, and what those changes mean for business and technology. Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia written, compiled, edited and re-edited by “ordinary people” is the most ubiquitous example, and its history makes remarkable reading. But also considered are lesser-known success stories of global collaboration that star Procter & Gamble, BMW, Lego and a host of software and niche companies.

There was always someone or some company in charge, controlling things, at the “top” of the food chain. While hierarchies are not vanishing, profound changes in the nature of technology, demographics, and the global economy are giving rise to powerful new models of production based on community, collaboration, and self-organization rather than on hierarchy and control…..

http://www.wikinomics.com/book/

Since RSS is a fairly new type of technology, here is a short tutorial on using the RSS feature to receive blog updates.

First, you need to access what is known as an RSS feed reader. There are web-based readers and desktop readers. We would recommend a web-based reader, because these readers allow you to access your chosen feeds wherever there is a computer with an internet connection. Desktop readers need to be downloaded and can only be used at the computer you download them on. Furthermore, many desktop readers require payment to get the full version. Some popular web-based readers include My Yahoo, Bloglines, and Google Reader.

Once you have set up an account with an online reader, or downloaded a desktop reader, your next step is to subscribe to feeds on websites that you like. In general, you can access any site’s feed url by clicking on one of these icons; , , or . Then you just copy the feed url into your feed reader, and the reader will update anytime a new story is posted on the site that you have subscribed to. By subscribing to many site’s feeds, you can read all the new content from your favorite sites on your reader without having to visit each site individually.

So, to subscribe to the Library Blog’s RSS feed, just copy our feed’s url into your reader. Here’s the url – http://knapplibrary.wordpress.com/feed. Once you subscribe, your reader will be updated whenever we add a new post to the blog.

In Imperfect Institutions, Thrainn Eggertsson, Professor of Economics at the University of Iceland and Global Distinguished Professor of Politics at New York University, analyzes why institutions that create relative economic backwardness emerge and persist. Additionally, he considers the limits of institutional reform and proposes that imperfect social institutions are the problem when it comes to many nations not enjoying the full benefits of the technological revolution. http://www.press.umich.edu/titleDetailDesc.do?id=91126.

Welcome to the new blog for the Joseph Palmer Knapp Library. You can check this blog at any time to get the latest news on what’s happening at the library. We will make regular posts announcing recently acquired books. We will also update you on newly available resources that may interest public administration students, researchers, and practitioners. Finally, we will do our best to report on state and local government issues of note. So, be sure to come back often. You may also want to subscribe to our RSS feed and have you news reader alert you when a new item is posted to the blog.