Platform co-operatives, social enterprises, and nonprofits are building out various components of the decentralized web (dweb) stack — from open hardware to p2p applications. The most exciting developments are coming out of close collaborations and partnerships. DWeb projects that are stewarded by more than one organization are that much more resilient because they can rely on partners’ respective networks and resources. The strength of decentralized systems comes from the interdependence of its parts. This is especially true when it comes to the Web, where interoperability is key.
But collaboration isn’t easy. It takes time, resources, and a whole lot of trust and communication. This session will share case studies of organizations working together to build open, decentralized platforms and protocols. Presenters will share lessons (including those learned the hard way) from our work building DWeb projects, and half of the hour will be a facilitated discussion with participants.
This session will be valuable for those invited, no matter how many other participants join the session. I will be inviting representatives of all the organizations that are a part of these inter-organizational collaborations on the decentralized web. I believe this discussion will be very fruitful for anyone who comes to reflect on these best practices or want to learn more about how to embark on that type of partnership.
What is the goal and/or outcome of your session?:The goal of the session is to share lessons and practices for organizations and individuals to successfully work together to build digital public infrastructure. It is to make explicit the importance of the social layer in building decentralized networks, and to continue to learn from each other how to best build these networks of trust and collaboration.
We need to share lessons of projects that are actively breaking down the barriers created by siloed, profit-motivated tech development. We need to celebrate inter-organizational partnerships that reject the current winner-takes-all economy of the Internet.
Holding this dialogue might be one of many ways to expand these practices!
We're hoping that many efforts and discussions will continue after Mozfest. Share any ideas you already have for how to continue the work from your session.:I think it would be valuable to have a write-up about this session, along with the video of this discussion, to share these lessons out with the decentralized web community.
By holding this session and inviting groups to share these lessons is also a way to build up this network of projects that are open to collaboration. Whether it’s to share common protocols for financial partnerships, or strategies on having optimal communication, I believe that reflecting on these practices are a way to make future collaborations easier.
Mai is an organizer, writer, and social entrepreneur. She co-founded COMPOST magazine and Distributed Press. She is the Associate Producer of Decentralized Web Projects with the Internet Archive.