I was rather lazy (or too busy) in the last weeks to frequently post into this blog. But there are various other very good blogs which deal with similar subjects. So as a backup, here my own reading list (comments and suggestions for further listings welcomed!):
MadeForOne.com is a web site by Ireland based Donal Reddington, reporting since two years frequently and really in depth about interesting trends in mass customization business and technology. Donal has a journalistic approach to mass customization, and has compiled over the years a really interesting collection of articles, cases, and analysis. A recent interesting contribution is his 2005-2006 "List of the Most Important People in Mass Customization". While a number of people very well deserving to be on this list are missing, it is a great starting point for further exploration.
B2Day on Culture of Participation: Business 2.0 is a great US business journal, which also publishes a great web blog. And on this web blog,, editor Erick Schonfeld has a great series of articles on the "Culture of Participation" – his term for User Innovation, Web 2.0, Open Innovation and Value Co-Creation. He provides a really insightful and in-depth analysis of this topic. Some of the old links in the blog are broken, but in general this site is a very good reference and source for new ideas on open innovation.
Outside Innovation: Patricia Seybold is one of the best known writers (next to her day job as a consultant) on the customer revolution and the new role of customers in a connected world. While her earlier books focused on how firms can improve the customer experience, her new book "Outside Innovation", due in Oct. 2006, will focus on the role of customers in innovation. In her blog with the same name, she is co-creating this book already now with her potential readers. She asks for examples and feedback, but provides also in-depth analysis on the topic.
Consumer Empowerment: Paul Marsden, a researcher at the London School of Economics, and Martin Oetting, a researcher at ESCP-EAP European School of Management in Berlin write a blog on customer empowerment and how firms can use empowered customers as a business strategy, or, as the blog's authors call it, "letting target buyers call the shots on your marketing and innovation." Great collection of case studies on open innovation and customer co-creation.
Exciting Ecommerce: And finally a blog in GERMAN language, but worthwhile also for English speaking readers to auto-translate with Google Bablefish. In this Blog, Jochen Krisch, a Munich based consultant, reports very frequently on new e-commerce trends and news. And one of his favorite topics is mass customization and configuration. Especially everyone interested in Spreadshirt.com, the leading mass customizer in the world in the t-shirt market, should read this blog: You will get a full analysis of Spreadshirt's business strategy and developments.
More interesting blogs or feeds:
http://ullamaaria.typepad.com/hobbyprincess/
http://franklampen.typepad.com/
http://www.customize-your-life.com/
http://www.coolhunting.com/
http://del.icio.us/tag/mass_customization
Frank,
Thanks for the plug, and for the USEFUL LIST of RESOURCES for those of us following this space!
Patty Seybold
Posted by: Patty Seybold | February 06, 2006 at 08:40 PM