I'm writing this as Miss Rogue is presenting at the Net Tuesday gathering in San Francisco. I've been using these techniques in other areas, including cohousing of late - guerilla marketing to help build real-world communities, using the tools of online communities. I'm also using the BarCamp model to put together a Open-source Seder this Thursday in Berkeley, and y'all are invited. -- Raines

This all reminds me a lot of my past quarter-century of experience building computer user groups. With BMUG, we got creditiblity and influence through our engagement, rigid anti-commercialism, user-driven interactive community. The same could be said for any of thousands of user groups, for all platforms.

No small part of Apple's success in installed-base marketing comes from this degree of letting go, listening to the users, engaging people. All the tools, unconferences, BarCamps, egatherings, all build on basic common ideas about how people work together and collaborate.

What other influences do you see here? Help fill in the history by editing this page.