The thought of having to co-write one book with 258 people may be daunting to some. Not for Charles Leadbeater. He wrote We-Think in exactly that way. He put a draft of his book online for anyone to adapt, comment on or think about.

The result was We-Think, a book that is a report on creative collaboration on the web, a guide to the culture of mass participation and a call for all to use it to further democracy, equality and freedom.

Its main argument is that new ideas come through conversation and as the internet gathers and facilitates conversation, it can and should be instrumental in mass creative collaboration. It tells about web initiatives which have come into existence through sharing information and ideas on the web, and sketches the endless possibilities there are to innovate and how it benefits power-sharing and equality.

But the book does not shy away from discussing the less desired effects of the internet; issues of how to protect privacy on the internet, the dilemma of how we garantuee quality of information and how people can make money in a world where people share so freely.

The books makes you think about how much we share and if we should share more. "We-think, therefore we share" is how Leadbeater puts it. Its not suprising that he lets you share your thoughts on it.

See here for a four-minute introduction of the book by Leadbeater: