I made a summary from a great publication in the Journal for Computer-mediated communication: " Overcoming Mass Confusion: Collaborative Customer Co-Design in Online Communities ". [Paul thanks for the tip!]

In the mass customization concept, goods and services are produced to meet individual customers’ needs with near mass production efficiency. The customer chooses an individualized combination of product specifications from an infinite set of options. During this process of elicitation, the customer is being integrated into the value creation of the supplier. The customer becomes a co-creator or "prosumer".
Co-design activities are the necessary prerequisite of mass customization in order to fulfill the needs of individual customers. However, these activities are also a major driver for complexity, effort, and perceived risk from the customers’ perspective, limiting the current success of mass customization strategies.

When acting as co-designers, customers face new uncertainties and risks, coined "mass confusion". The use of online communities for collaborative customer co-design icould be used in order to reduce the mass confusion phenomenon. In so doing so, we challenge the assumption made by most mass customization researchers that offering customized products requires an individual (one-to-one) relationship between customer and supplier.

read more on affinity groups, participatory communities (PEP), cost vs benefit, peer-group pressure, role model etc…

The main questions we will discuss in the sections of this paper are: 1) What is the nature of human experience? 2) What is the process of creating meaning? 3) What are the characteristics of meaningful experiences? 4) What are the starting points in bringing about meaningful experiences? 5) What are the design principles of meaningful experiences 6)What are the stages in designing and developing meaningful experiences?
Download paper

Uffe Elbaek, principal of Kaos Pilots,may be one the best
“universities” in the world located in Aarhuus Denmark, gave a
lecture the 18th of jan in Rotterdam. Lecture Organised by Ode . Uffe shared 6 very personal stories and did a Q&A session. Everything is focused and organised around the student. 24 hours a day.The values of the school are; 1.Playful, being at Kaos is motivating and inspiring. 2.Real world, working with real problems and conflicts. 3.Streetwise, the school must never be out of touch whith what is happening at street level in our society. 4.Risktaking 5.Balance 6.Compassion. 7.Social responsibility are the hallmarks of the school. An inspiring place to learn I cannot wait to visit the school and learn more…
Listen to the lecture