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Prepare for the Next Revolution in Business

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Trent University Alumnus Don Tapscott's New Book, Wikinomics, Awakens Companies to the Power of Mass Collaboration

Thursday, January 11, 2007, Peterborough

Internationally-renowned business strategist and Trent University alumnus Don Tapscott has released a landmark new book for the corporate world entitled Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything.

Widely recognized as a leading expert on the impact of new media and technology on society, Don Tapscott, along with co-author Anthony D. Williams, wrote Wikinomics to prepare businesses and individuals for the economic transformation underway due to mass collaboration.

Mr. Tapscott describes his book as focusing on "how the new web, a new generation of young people, and a social revolution are all coming together to make the perfect storm in business."

Wikinomics analyzes the social, technological and cultural conditions that enable vast online communities to create new wealth and new modes of production, symbolized by the development of Wikipedia, the popular on-line encyclopaedia.

"If we can create an encyclopaedia with a million people who have never met, what else can we create? The answer is just about anything," says Mr. Tapscott.

According to Mr. Tapscott, this new participatory economic model will have profound implications for both companies and workers alike. "The way we innovate, orchestrate capability and create is changing," he says. "The democratization of the economy is an enormously positive thing."

Named "likely the most influential Canadian media authority since Marshall McLuhan" by the Washington Technology Report, Mr. Tapscott graduated from Trent in 1966. Along with his family, he has been a great supporter of the University: both of Mr. Tapscott's brothers are Trent graduates and his partner, Ana Lopes, is a former member of the University's Board of Governors. In 2006, Mr. Tapscott received an honorary degree from Trent for his outstanding contributions to the greater understanding of technology's impact on society. Together with Ms. Lopes, he sponsors the annual Tapscott-Lopes Business and Society Lecture Series at Trent University. This event brings prominent speakers to the Trent University community to address issues of values and ethics as they pertain to business and society.

Reflecting on his university years, Mr. Tapscott credits Trent's influence with developing his global awareness and passion for social change. "Trent is where I learned how to think, to write, to communicate. It is where I learned to see the big picture. I also developed the courage to tackle big problems and big issues."

Currently Mr. Tapscott is the chief executive of New Paradigm, a Toronto-based international think-tank that produces groundbreaking research focused on the role of technology in productivity and business design, effectiveness and competitiveness. Wikinomics is Mr. Tapscott's eleventh book. He is also the author of Paradigm Shift, Growing Up Digital and The Naked Corporation.

After only one week since its release, Wikinomics is currently usually rated the #1 business book in Canada and a top 10 book on amazon.ca, including fiction releases. Considered essential reading by several top Canadian CEOs, in December 2006 the Globe and Mail ran a seven-part series of articles co-written by Mr. Tapscott and Mr. Williams, featuring the ideas presented in Wikinomics.

On January 15, copies of Wikinomics will be available at the Trent University Book Store, located in Champlain College on the Symons Campus at 1600 West Bank Drive, Peterborough. The book store is open Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and on Saturdays from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

One of Canada's top universities, Trent University is renowned for striking a unique balance between outstanding teaching and leading-edge research. The University is consistently recognized nationally for faculty who maintain a high level of innovative research activity and a deep commitment to the individual student. Distinguished by excellence in the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences and increasingly popular professional and graduate programs, Trent is dedicated to providing its students with an exceptional world view, producing graduates who are ready to succeed and make a difference in the world.

Trent's Peterborough campus boasts award-winning architecture in a breathtaking natural setting on the banks of the Otonabee River. Together with its satellite campus in Oshawa, Trent draws excellent students from throughout the country and around the world.

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For further information, please contact Don Tapscott, chief executive, New Paradigm at (416) 863-8880.

Trent University contact: Marilyn Burns, director of marketing and communications (705) 748-1303.