Many blog & RSS technologist/designers are working together to develop a new standard at a place, a Wiki being hosted by Sam Ruby, who works for IBM. Clearly that doesn’t stop him from demonstrating a great deal of 4th Vertex skill.

The community is as the saying goes, planning the working, and working the plan all on the Wiki. Activity is orchestrated and the products of the effort are organized in an extremely lightweight way. A case in point, look at how they are deciding on what to call the standard, not Echo, not Atom, maybe Pie. Quickly reminds you of meetings, functional and dysfunctional aspects, but meetings with say eight people in them. Meanwhile this Wiki has probably 50 active participants, and maybe will have 100s if it keeps going.

Stay tuned for more discussion of the 4th Vertex, a concept that has been having me for the last few months.

The 4th Vertex is now explained in the July 2003 issue of Information Flow.