Give and Take in Mass Collaboration

Mass Collaboration is when a large number of people work together independently on a project.

The three kinds of internet-based mass collaborations are Give and Take, Needles in Haystacks, and Participation through Passion.

Focusing solely on one of the internet-based collaborations,“Give and Take” gets its computing capacity by user-shared distribution. The Give and Take collaboration relies on its users to run the program and uses its users computing powers and connections to in turn run the operations of other user’s. Without these users, the organization wouldn’t be able to run, and without the organization, the users wouldn’t be able to use it. The users and organization rely on each other.

An example of a Give and Take site is Skype.  Skype is a synchronous

free website requiring two or more people communicating at the same time through voice, video, and instant messaging. Both parties need to be at a computer or on an internet-based device at the same time in order to communicate. Skype is a client-server and peer-to-peer system. When users go on Skype they are allowing for Skype’s network to use their extra computing power and connections to enable other calls to be made. This creates a self-financing phone system. 

Skype is a type of crowd work, which is when members are doing the same thing at the same time. People using Skype all have the same goal in mind and rely on others to connect to them at the same time in order to work.

I think Skype is a very resourceful website and can be used for multiple purposes. I do, however, believe it comes with various risks. Because it is a collaboration site, some network administrators have banned the use of it in home, education, and work networks due to the claimed safety problems and unneeded usage of resources.