Getting it Wrong

eBay, Intuit and Facebook are all shining examples of what happens when a company ‘gets it right’. Creating opportunities that allow users to define, validate, and manage their s elf-identities increases the chances that users will use a company’s products and engage in acts of co-creation and co-production. Whether for reasons of identity (as was the case in the Intuit and Facebook examples) or personal utility (as was the case with eBay), by engaging in both co-creation and co-production users are likely to ‘misbehave’ and use a firm’s products in new and unforeseen ways. Each of these uses may represent new value creation opportunities for the firm. The use may extend the ease of use or the usefulness of the product in its current market, as was the case with Intuit’s Live Community platform, thereby increasing user satisfaction, retention and overall user account growth. The usage may also open up new addressable markets previously unforeseen by the firm, as was the case with the eBay Motors example. The new usage might also increase the activity level of the current user base, allowing additional opportunities to monetize transactions, as was the case with Facebook.