User:Statprof/BlogEntry: 2007 March 24 16:02:01 EDT

From sasCommunity

I have started reading Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything by Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams.[1] Several other folks who are involved in the rollout of sasCommunity.org have recommended the book and I am looking forward to reading more of it. An incident today, however, pointed out how things have changed in the way we live in the Web 2.0 world.

I had purchased a multipurpose gadget that looks like a pen, but is also a stylus and a laser pointer. Earlier this week the batteries gave out so today while doing errands I stopped by Radio Shack to pick up 4 new batteries. The clerk looked it up in the chart and started to pull cards off of the display. As he did that, I noticed that each battery was $4.95. Since I had paid less than $20 for the stylus/pen, it made no sense to me to pay $20 each time I needed new batteries! I came home, looked on e-bay and ordered a pack of 50 of the correct size batteries for $12.50. This connection to the resource that I needed would not have been possible in our old way of doing business.