01210nas a2200121   4500008004100000022001400041245008400055210006900139260004200208520078200250100002001032856003601052       2010                        eng d  a1913-610200aWhat's the Value of an Eyeball? Passive Participation in Open Source Ecosystems0 aWhats the Value of an Eyeball Passive Participation in Open Sour  aOttawabTalent First Networkc01/20103 aPassive participants in open source ecosystems should not be viewed as leeches as they contribute value to the ecosystem. Every eyeball has value. By better understanding the roles of passive participants in the ecosystem, keystone companies can assign resources, such as community managers, more effectively and better leverage the value these participants create. The next challenge is to better quantify the value of passive contribution.

This article discusses how passive participants in open source ecosystems play an important role in value creation in the ecosystem. It examines why the value they add is not well captured by current measures and suggests areas of future research, the outcomes of which would enable keystone companies to better position themselves.1 aMacAulay, Mekki  uhttp://timreview.ca/article/318