6. Meta Collaboration

Your collaboration is not alone. Increasingly, initiatives around the world are taking a more open approach and using common platforms. The more your collaboration can connect into others, and contribute back to shared foundations, the more we all benefit.

Common standards and protocols

No one controls the internet. It works because everyone agrees to use standard conventions for how they put an address on their content. Consider what opportunities might exist for your collaboration to use standards, and thus open up the potential for eficient sharing of knowledge and resources with other collaborations.

Contribute back to the commons

Open source software and similar commons-based resources allow new collaborations to get started and sustain themselves more easily. These common resources only thrive, however, if those who use them take the time to contribute their learnings and new developments back into the common pool.

By participating in other collaborations, you not only ensure a healthy foundation for yourself, but you may also win new passionate participants for your collaboraiton.