Love it or hate it, it’s not going away. Crowdsourcing, community and co-creative initiatives are coming thick and fast – and as quickly as they are being adopted they are being criticized with Kickstarter (for one) being labeled a reality show rather than a crowdfunding platform. It’s a hot and contentious topic but the level of activity and initiatives points to the growing consumer need to interact with brands and be part of their creation and development.

And right on the money as always ‘radical openness’ was the theme of last month’s Ted Global conference. One of the best-received talks was by Massimo Banzi – creator of Arduino – talking about the whole concept of open-source creation. Arduino make affordable open-source microcontrollers for interactive projects that has inspired thousands of people around the world to make the coolest things they can imagine – from toys to satellite gear. Massimo nailed what this means for the future by stating “You don’t need anyone’s permission to make something great.”

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