The ultimate Web 2.0 metaphor: Legos

To the casual observer, it might seem odd to find coverage of a Lego-building contest on a technology news site. But the have become something of an unofficial emblem for technophiles, especially those who see the parallels between Legos and the Web.

The metaphor can be illustrated through a comparison with another geek toy from a generation ago, Rubik's Cube: Where the cube's challenges were confined to a single space, Legos offer infinite possibilities and can become the work of a community--not unlike much of the shared development of Web 2.0 technologies.

The Lego Group, of course, has fostered this thinking with initiatives that range from its own digital development to an open-source philosophy toward its mission. As a result, Legos have become a classic manifestation of the abstract relationship between art and engineering.

Blog community response:

"Since I have three avid Lego developers at home, I plan to actively encourage them to contribute their designs and work back to Lego Factory and the Lego community. Maybe now we can get two more of those little yellow hands that are lost from the soldier dudes."
--IMHO

"Being in the Lego Era means that people can construct new applications by piecing together existing components and services, a process that is much quicker than writing all of those components and services from scratch."
--Dawn of the Participation Age

"Since I view the most important aspect of Web 2.0 to be the harnessing of communities, I came up with the idea of a networked version of LEGO that allows children to share models in a cool way."
--Graham Glass