Online Monopolies: Virtue or Vice
Overview
Session Date: April 13, 2009
Featured: a debate on the Value of Online Monopolies between Professor Jonathan Zittrain and special guest Peter Thiel with closing remarks provided by Professor Terry Fisher
Video of the session can be found on Big Think here: Can Monopolies Save The Internet?
back to syllabus
Technology + Incentives = High Quality Content
The premise of our session was that quality content can be created by the using right technology and incentives irrespective of the content.
Please feel free to edit the below formula if you find improvements in the future.
There are 6 main ingredients in this equation:
1) An interesting topic with two reasonable viewpoints
2) Two intelligent and articulate discussion leaders
3) An engaged classroom. 3 main sub-ingredients:
a) No Laptops
b) Name placards.
c) Required preparation with threat of "cold-calling". (Note: in our session, we did not have to resort to "cold-calling" because the class was engaged and prepared).
i) To execute on cold-calling, we suggest a random-name generator, which can be designed in Microsoft Excel with the following formula:
=VLOOKUP(RANDBETWEEN(StudentNum1,StudentNumN),StudentNum1:StudentNamesN,2); <--- This function then refers to a two column list. Column 1 = List of "StudentNums" from 1 to N, where N = Number of students. Column 2 = List of student names.
MS Excel Template for Name Generator Random Name Generator
4) Live video streaming. (We recommend using: [www.ustream.tv UStream])
5) Live Twittering. We had 4 students "tweet" throughout the class to engage the outside audience. This yielded participation and comments in the Q+A period.
6) Course Format: 10 Minutes Introduction; 30 Minutes Debate; 40 Minutes Question & Answer; 10 Minutes Closing
Topic Online Monopolies: Virtue or Vice
The specific content of our class centered around the concept of Online Monopolies
Introduction
Readings
Required Readings
In preparation for our class discussion, please do the following required readings:
http://www.hoover.org/publications/policyreview/14801241.html The Optimistic Thought Experiment - By Peter Thiel
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200905/imf-advice The Quiet Coup - By Simon Johnson
News items/blog posts on Facebook and monopoly power/anti-trust issues:
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=54964476066&topic=7960
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=67758697570&topic=7569
http://venturebeat.com/2009/03/31/is-the-big-facebook-advertising-experiment-working/
http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheat-sheet/item/facebook-owns-us-all/friended/
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c62b0e4c-2243-11de-8380-00144feabdc0.html
Suggested Background and Readings
In addition,
Old Outline
Prior to the class, students had access to this outline: The Internet, Industry and Investing. The original framework for the course discussion was broader, but in planning the course we realized that narrowing the discussion would be beneficial