This is from the horses mouth so to speak. I’m Alden Bevington, one of the two current compilers/info architects/editors of The Open Collaboration Encyclopedia, along with Alpha Lo, as well its present publisher, through Pioneer Imprints.

First off, i need to clarify an error in the original listing and link on this page. The data and link to the book shown (even the cover) is over two years old, though the quotes are a mash-up from the current version. The book is currently called The Open Collaboration Encyclopedia, is compiled by Alpha Lo and myself, Alden Bevington, is published by Pioneer Imprints and holds a copyright of 2010. This misprint is unfortunate, but past, so please update your listings if you’ve told everyone on your email list. Thanks.

You can link to the current version through

http://www.pioneerimprints.com

or through Alpha’s quite useful and insightful blog,

http://www.opencollaboration.wordpress.com

The encyclopedia now is in Version 2.3, which we could now consider a coherent Kernel which has been a collaboration between primarily Alpha and myself over the last two years. The idea and core kernel was conceived by Alpha in 2007, It is released under a Creative Commons license. In addition to purchasable hard copies and eBooks, the encyclopedia is also an “Open Textbook”, freely available through the Pioneer site in its professionally designed form, not simply a word doc or lightly formatted html text. Follow the links to “Freemium” for the free reader. Of course feel encouraged to buy a copy as well, it is really quite great to hold in your hands and read the old fashioned way. It is the product of much effort.

The whole process has been one of pretty radical experimentation, and currently we are operating under an adapted Bee-Keeper model, harvesting the honey of a collective, packaging it for consumer consumption and distribution, and providing a free resource for the community which is the product of our hard work as well as theirs. The Kernel now set, we have, since our ‘official’ launch of v 2.1 in Dec 2009, opened the field to collaborators to build the http://www.opencollaboration.info site, which at least in part we envision as a collaborative design-based wiki which can handle feedback and collaboration on all the book’s features. We do wholeheartedly welcome collaboration in the areas of content, systems development, editorials, articles, navigational tools etc… This openness and welcome is explicit many times in and on the actual book.

Regarding the common questions, realize that there are very few issues we haven’t yet pondered and researched in our process. And there are scores of uncommon, even metaphysical, questions as well which we in the project have deliberated ad nauseum.

What the project requires at this point are collaborators to implement the infrastructure, and brainstorm as well, for the next phases of the project to make it scalable and sustainable. Alpha and I speak daily about these issues for years now. It is all well and good to open something up, but as we are product oriented, we are more interested in making a river, that has some kinetic energy, than a vast puddle. That is, we are recruiting expertise and neuron sweat to build the collaborative infrastructure that continues to live up to the promise of the book. There is a Kernel now that we feel covers much of the required ground. So yes, it is open to collaboration.

My position is that I do not really want to fork wikipedia, where much of the encyclopedic content comes from. As well, being a publisher and book designer I have laid out the book with a quality for market appeal, and we would like to consistently release a high quality product that has some coherency, a standard held so to speak.

In order to accomplish these two aims it appears that having a home base for the project, which we envision through opencollaboration.info, operating as a moderated open platform. There we foresee to collaboratively develop the front and back material of the book, context, articles, navigation etc… as well as use a open source programming kind of system for user feedback and collaboration on encyclopedic entry topic suggestion for admission and deletion, edits etc… and for the main body of the work, continue to harvest from wikipedia and others, which keeps the collective repository in one place. Of course I cannot speak completely for Alpha here, but we have found general agreement on these matters.

As the infrastructure of wikipedia is already well developed, seen by millions, and working, we would lie to see entries be adjusted directly on the wikipedia pages themselves, and to notify us of updates made specifically inspired by the Open Collab Encyclopedia for inclusion. Wikipedia is published under CC and this is all accomodated within the license. We are simply offering a unique and comprehensive information architecture to this material, as well as a well-developed psychological, cultural, economic, spiritual, social, political, and evolutionary context. In addition we offer a nascent but evolving navigational interface for practical application in the real world. Plus its a really nice book to hold in your hand, and have lying around on your coffee table at your next extended family gathering or C level meeting. A real conversation starter.

You are free to remix all you like, as I said the book is CC licensed. We’re not keen on forking the basic information as mentioned above, nor the project itself, but we have left that open. It is currently under a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike license,
without commercial or derivative exclusions. That means you can make money off it, and remix it. To learn more on these CreativeCommons licenses go to: http://creativecommons.org/about/licenses/

In order to accomplish all this listed above, and it of course can and will be evolved, we completely welcome collaboration, believe me. So do at least consider to help before you critique. We have done what we can thus far, really, and see the holes in it better than most. But we feel that now the Kernel and foundation is developed enough to have its compass remain pointed in what we consider the proper direction. Also that it is now ready to bring in a new layer of collaborators who can help build it more into its evolved incarnation, soething beyond our present expertise. The book is in perpetual beta, but we do want it to improve, surprise us all, contribute something of true value to the world, and operate in the true sprit of what it attempts.

Please do check it out. And get involved as you wish. Any consulting is welcomed.

Alden Bevington