I've spent the past few days immersed in the web, seeking out environments where individually creativity is encouraged to emerge. I'm looking for successful examples of these creative environments, provided through a range of organizations, domains, media, and technologies (Got one to share?). What I've discovered is mindboggling. Providing individuals with the ability to create and distribute their own content is not a new idea, but the depth to which this idea is being embraced is inspiring. Better yet, the concept has matured. It's not about customizing your Nikes or skinning your mp3 player any more. We've got active, well realized examples like Wikipedia, crafting, and (of course) the phenomenon of blogging itself.

Core principles are developing. For example, it's not enough to give your audience tools to create. You must provide a mechanism for these creations to be distributed, shared in a network, and allowed to emerge to stimulate more interaction. This is where the magic is. It's not just providing the tools for creative expression but stimulating the very motivation to create.

This post will be the first in a series aimed at unveiling some of the core principles behind this wildly expanding phenomenon. For each post, I will highlight an environment that I believe embraces each principle, first introduces its usage, or serves as a shining example of its application.

For this posting, I present the big player, Wikipedia. Oft the shining example of distributed content development. Now not just a shining example to individuals, but apparently the new model for Microsoft