Xpert Insights
Britt Blaser goes deep on the specifics of the Xpertweb protocol in response to some questions he has received. Great summary. A few thoughts:
Britt and I see the potential for the Xpertweb in different ways, though we both think the other is right about how the system, which basically builds quality assurance into each transaction between buyer and seller into the Web, can be applied. Think of Xpertweb as accounting for accountability in the promises we make and keep. You can do more than have a mentor/mentee system that passes payments along. A lot more.
Britt writes:
XPERTWEB IS MEANT FOR TRADESPEOPLE MORE THAN FOR ENGINEERS.
That's because there are so many more tradespeople than engineers.
Yes, and the mentor approach Britt describes makes tremendous sense for that part of the economy. Essentially, we return to a guild model in the sense that a mentor lends part of their reputation to get someone started in the system.
I also see Xpertweb as a way to securitize a wide range of transaction types, from paid email and strip mall infomediaries to built-in insurance that protects the buyer from theft or failure to perform in all transactions. Why? Because with a system for keeping track of performance you also have a system for tracking risk, the very foundation of financial instruments and insurer's actuarial tables.
So, the Xpertweb system as I see it is has many potential applications, growing from a single simple system for establishing accountability.
Posted by Mitch Ratcliffe at May 16, 2003 02:37 PM | TrackBack