Kite-Building User Innovation Communities

Example

User-innovation example by Fortune

"A dedicated kite-surfer—the sport involves riding a small board through water while attached to a parachute-like "kite"—he was unhappy with the goods on the market. In 2001 he started Zeroprestige.com, a website where he posted his kite designs. Soon other amateurs submitted their own concepts, and sail manufacturers with excess capacity offered to make kites from the plans. The amateur designers kept coming back to make exactly what they wanted to buy. And though no one got rich, a few small businesses popped up to sell the finished products. Since then, kites have become commodities". (http://www.fortune.com/fortune/technology/articles/0,15114,1061773,00.html?)