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Clive Thompson has an assignment from Wired to write a piece on radical transparency. It's a concept initiated by Mr. Long Tail (Chris Anderson) suggesting that that since everything is out in the open and on the internet, it's important that companies own up and join the conversation, instead of trying to avoid it.

Clive is building his piece around three pillars:

1. Secrecy is Dead

Don't both trying to keep secrets, you look like an idiot when they are exposed.

2. Tap the Hivemind

There's a huge opportunity to tap into the collective wisdom of the crowd.

3. Reputation is Everything

Google isn't a search engine, it's a reputation management system, where we look for what other people think of stuff.

He's obviously asked the crowd to help with ideas for the piece and has generated a huge number of comments, the comments suggest that the idea has a number of fundamental flaws.

The first is that the system can easily be manipulated- PR still exists on the Internet and there are more pay to post schemes being invented everyday for bloggers to capitalize on. The internet is still the Wild West and although community policing works to a point, it isn't going to catch everything. Reputation can be faked!

The second suggestion is that the Hivemind can easily become a hive of stupidity because the people you want to participate don't show up.

The reality is somewhere between these two perspectives- the mythology of the idealized transparent world and the notion that everything that can be corrupted, will be.

Corporations are starting to pay attention to what's being said, the most enlightened are engaging in conversation. Whether they become so open that they share all their secrets, is unlikely and it doesn't really make sound business sense. Once in a decade, an organization like Craigslist will come along, but it's an anomaly, for most, profit and the market rules.

The smartest and best companies are also tapping into the Hivemind, but they are managing it, controlling it and providing incentives for participation to make sure the right people show up.

It looks like Clive has quite a challenge on his hands putting this piece together.