Creative Commons is 5 years old this year, and they’re trying to raise $500,000 before December 31. I’ve been a big fan of them since the very start, and I’ve been trying to think of something to do to help raise money that really meshes well with the idea of open culture. And here’s what I came up with:

This is the first page in a book. What comes next is up to you.

Here’s how it works:

• Anyone can play. Any style is good. Straight text, drawings, paintings, poetry or prose. Just sign up (see below) to get your position in the queue.
• Each page is posted here as it’s done, revealing a bit of the story. When it’s your turn, you take the newest page and come up with the next piece of the puzzle.
• You have to stay within the bounds of the story (no changing the entire concept out of the blue).
• You have a maximum of 24 hours to produce your page. If you don’t make it in time, you forfeit your turn. If you can do it faster, all the better.
• You have to agree to release your work under a Creative Commons Share-Alike license.

I’ll post each new page here as we go, so everyone can see how the thing evolves. At the end of 30 days, we’ll put the book up for sale on Lulu.com, and ALL money will go to Creative Commons. You’ll get proper credit, and get to do something good with your karma.

Want to sign up? This is a really patchwork project, so to sign up, just email me at this address and I will send you a message back to give you a heads-up about your likely 24-hour window, and then again to tell you when to start.

Please tell your friends about this project and sign up if you can. I think it’ll be fun and useful, and I hope you all will too.

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