TEDxSalford

Sharing is Scary

There’s a man in Manchester who shows up at a park every weekend with some tools, and fixes people’s bikes for free. Why? What does he get out of it? It seems a natural question to ask, but maybe it’s also a bit of a depressing one.

Sharing in Science

At TEDxWaterloo Michael Neilson encouraged scientists to share their data more openly. Imagine you can’t decide what to have for breakfast so you post a Facebook status update asking your friends. (Maybe you don’t have to imagine this – I’m not judging.) They have a chat about it in the comments and come back with a recommendation for you – problem solved. That’s the gist of Michael’s opening anecdote, but arguably more impressively it’s about how a mathematical problem was solved collaboratively in the comments section of a blog post.

He argues that this principle, applied on a wider scale could be a fantastic thing for science. The way we’re all plugged into one another nowadays means it’s never been easier to share information, and the collective gain from open sharing of data could be huge. But there’s a battle to fight here – sharing is scary as a scientist because it may jeopardise your success. Michael describes how writing “a single mediocre paper” can do far more for your job prospects as a scientist than being one part of a collaborative solution (even if it has far greater worth) – so why contribute to that effort?

Michael thinks an “acceleration in the process of science across the board” could occur if certain value changes in science can be achieved – and he tells you how you might be able to help with that.

Asking in the Arts

For her part, Amanda Palmer advocates asking people, rather than forcing them, to pay for music. (Handle this one carefully because it’s still hot – recorded in February at TED2013.)  Watch the talk and you’ll see how she practices what she preaches.

Amanda’s approach is refreshing in a music industry in which it can seem that the only ones who can make a living from their art are eye-wateringly popular acts with the associated revenue-generating muscle. And they’re not always very good.

That’s not to say that bigger names haven’t dabbled with Amanda’s approach – for example Radiohead’s decision in 2007 to give away their album In Rainbows digitally in exchange for whatever fans were willing to pay for it.  Similarly some computer games can be purchased online with punters paying as much as they choose, but receiving various extras if they pay more than the average paid so far.

Kickstarter is another way of asking fans to fund creative projects. An example I love is a show called Husbands. It found initial success as a series of two minute episodes posted online, the success of which meant fans were more than willing to contribute towards a bolder second season.

Amanda describes her approach as something akin to an unwritten, non-binding social contract where those who gain something from her music can choose to give something back.

So (slightly sanctimoniously)… 

…whether it’s fixing someone’s bike, sharing your data, giving away your music, or buying a mate a coffee – sharing can be scary, but giving is good.

Image courtesy of krzyboy2o on flickr