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| <div style="width:800px; font-family:times; line-height:1,5; font-size: 14px;"> | | <div style="width:800px; font-family:times; line-height:1,5; font-size: 14px;"> |
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| Lasse van den Bosch Christensen | | Lasse van den Bosch Christensen |
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| | ='''GET THEM THESIS HERE! =========> [[File:thesis_for_wiki.zip]]'''= |
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| <p>SKELETON</p>
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| <H1 CLASS="western" STYLE="line-height: 150%">TITLE: I, for one,
| | [[User:Lassebosch/2ndyr/thesis/draft| Prev Drafts]] |
| welcome our new Overlords
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| </H1>
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| <P STYLE="line-height: 150%"><BR><BR>
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="line-height: 150%"><B>Outline: </B>
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%">The thesis will
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| examine the relationship between users of online platforms and the
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| provider of such. It will specifically look at motives for using a
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| platform and on the other hand providing it, and how these two can
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| differ entirely but to some extent accommodate each other.</P>
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| <P STYLE="font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%">As a case the
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| thesis will focus on the community around a 3D modeling software,
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| recently known as Google SketchUp, and it's close connection to the
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| virtual earth simulation tool Google Earth, which also until recently, allowed users to upload their models built in Google SketchUp.
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%">Google SketchUp was
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| sold in the spring of 2012, and the functionality for users to upload
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| their models to Google Earth was announced retiring as of October
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| 2013, supposedly because of advances made in automated, computed
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| model-making, replacing the need for users to populate Google Earth
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| with their content. These decisions naturally caused an uproar
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| amongst the users of the software and platform, leading to several
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| heated debates filled with anger and despair towards the sale and
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| future role of the modelers. At the same time a dominant awe towards
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| the provider and strong faith in it's decisions is present, shedding
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| light on the almost godlike position of such.
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%">A user-based
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| discussion thread on the sale of Google SketchUp and how the modelers
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| handle the situation, will be held as a central source, and used as a
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| 'backbone' for the thesis. The discussion thread is named: 'I, for
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| one, welcome our new Trimble Overlords', Trimble being the new owners
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| of Sketchup. This title already indicates the distinguished
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| relationship between users and provider.
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%">From this departure
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| the thesis will dive in to the trending idea of 'crowdsourcing' and
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| address its 'gray areas' of outsourcing and exploitation. It will
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| further look upon ideas of game-theory; how to construct a 'game' or
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| a system generating an optimized outcome, trough 'rules' based on
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| technical restrictions built into the soft/hardware or based on
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| certain social/psychological triggers.
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%">Broadening this
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| line of thought, the thesis will elaborate on the emergence of a
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| strong social and cultural scene which can emerge within such a
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| system, arguably crossing the boundaries of pure exploitation of the
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| users. In the case of Google SketchUp/Google Earth the emotional
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| attachments users gradually builds by populating the virtual earth,
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| clearly shines trough the aspect of exploitation, yet they are
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| extremely dependent on the provider since it serves the entire
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| habitat in which the users 'roam'. The users passionately generate
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| content for the platform, while the provider makes the existence of
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| the platform a reality and aggregate value from the content
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| generated. A certain, fragile, asynchronous relationship between
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| users and provider becomes more clear.
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%">Throughout the
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| thesis additional smaller case studies will be brought in, making | |
| space for a deeper cultural, more general understanding of
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| relationships between communities and providers, also addressing the
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| issues of sudden 'rupture' within a platform and the mutual
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| dependence between users and providers.
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| </P>
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| <H2 CLASS="western" STYLE="line-height: 150%">I: INTRO: Community
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| Panic</H2>
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| <P STYLE="line-height: 150%"><B>FOCUS: depict the despair/panic in
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| the modelers-community at the time of sale (of SketchUp). Give
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| overview of implicated software and platforms. </B>
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="line-height: 150%"><BR><BR>
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| </P>
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| <P ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-left: 0.48in; margin-right: 0.48in; margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%">
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| <FONT SIZE=2 STYLE="font-size: 11pt"><I>...I deleted all my [...]
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| models! </I></FONT>
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| </P>
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| <P ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-left: 0.48in; margin-right: 0.48in; margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%">
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| <FONT SIZE=2 STYLE="font-size: 11pt"><I>...I will also delete
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| all my models! </I></FONT>
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| </P>
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| <P ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-left: 0.48in; margin-right: 0.48in; margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%">
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| <FONT SIZE=2 STYLE="font-size: 11pt"><I>...It is Over. </I></FONT>
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| </P>
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| <P ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-left: 0.48in; margin-right: 0.48in; margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%">
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| <FONT SIZE=2 STYLE="font-size: 11pt"><I>...People are starting to
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| Jump! </I></FONT>
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| </P>
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| <P ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-left: 0.48in; margin-right: 0.48in; margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%">
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| <FONT SIZE=2 STYLE="font-size: 11pt"><I>...I, for one, welcome
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| our new [...] Overlords. </I></FONT>
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| </P>
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| <P ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-left: 0.48in; margin-right: 0.48in; margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%">
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| <BR>
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%">“I wonder that
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| people aren't adding to their models little prophets carrying 'The
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| End is Nigh!' placards.”.</P>
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| <P CLASS="first-line-indent" STYLE="text-indent: 0in"><BR>
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| </P>
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| <b>A broken trinity: Software, Platform &
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| Repository</b>
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| <P CLASS="first-line-indent" STYLE="text-indent: 0in">For the sake of
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| overview a brief outline of the different implicated software and
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| platforms and their relations will be sketched out in the following.<BR><BR>
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| </P>
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| <P CLASS="first-line-indent" STYLE="text-indent: 0in; font-weight: normal">
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| <BR>
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| </P>
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| <H2 CLASS="western">II: The crowd</H2>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%"><B>FOCUS: How to
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| harness the crowd into producing a desired output? How is the crowd
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| utilized for production? Main argument revolves around exploitation
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| of users. </B>
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%"><B>REWIND: google
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| acquires Sketchup: reasons </B>
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%">
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| <BR>
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%">
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| ...Already we’ve had hundreds of users create 3D content in
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| SketchUp and place their models in Google Earth. (A free plug-in
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| enables you to do this.) What will that virtual world look like when
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| tens of thousands of users are doing the same?
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%">
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| <BR>
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in">“<SPAN STYLE="font-weight: normal">Crowdsourcing
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| is outsourcing on steroids” - Jeff Howe (</SPAN>Crowdsourcing - Why
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| the Power of the Crowd Is Driving the Future of Business)
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%">
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| <BR>
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%">
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| game-theory: design systems which generate outcome for the provider
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| but enables 'freedom' for the individual. --> leads to next
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| chapter
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%">
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| <BR>
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%">
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| Exploitation critique</P>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%">
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| <BR>
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| </P>
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| <H2 CLASS="western">III: Users as Users
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| </H2>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%">
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| <BR>
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%"><B>FOCUS: Dependency
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| on software and platform. Google sells Sketchup. This chapter will
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| extend above critique and discuss more technical aspects of
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| rectrictions/regulations</B></P>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%">
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|
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%">
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| This chapter will discuss how the software and platform is designed
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| to make the crowd perform a desired task, by introducing certain
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| confinements and restrictions to the capabilities of the
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| software/platform and the users 'freedom'.
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%">
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| <BR>
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%">
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| Bring in more source-material
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%">
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| <BR>
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%">
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| - regulation/law/lessig:
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%">
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| <BR>
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%">
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| - Latour: on speedbumps: motivations and limits for the user.
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| confinement of 'movement'.
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%">
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| <BR>
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| </P>
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| <UL>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%">
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| - ganeesh (own note)</P>
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| </UL>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%">
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| <BR>
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| </P>
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| <H2 CLASS="western">IV: More than a user?
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| </H2>
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| <P><BR><BR>
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%"><B>FOCUS: Mutual
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| dependence? Broaden the perspective of the previous chapters. </B>
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%">
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| <BR>
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%">
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| - Enthusiasm amongst the users
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%">
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| - back to the title of the discussion thread
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%">
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| - Emergence of subscenes, and cultures some more conform than others
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%">
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|
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%">
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| The platform allows not only for rigid 'upload' to Google earth but
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| spawns a vivid scene of cultures and subcultures. The users evolves
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| strong emotional bonds towards the platform, and the content they've
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| produced, the provider plays a less 'dominant' role since the
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| production is 'benefiting' the user it self.
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%">
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| <BR>
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%">
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| <BR>
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%"><BR>
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%"><BR>
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%"><BR>
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%"><BR>
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%"><BR>
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| </P>
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| <P STYLE="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%"><BR>
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| </P>
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