????很多企業(yè)往往傾向于將最重大的活動(dòng)限制在公司內(nèi)部這個(gè)范圍內(nèi)；它們經(jīng)常從零做起，認(rèn)定應(yīng)該對(duì)自己的計(jì)劃嚴(yán)加保密，等到某一天才發(fā)布這個(gè)石破天驚的消息。事實(shí)上，更多企業(yè)應(yīng)該考慮借助來(lái)自外界的熱情幫助和支持。

????外界的民間活動(dòng)能夠幫助企業(yè)鎖定已經(jīng)深入?yún)⑴c某一特定事務(wù)的人，并與他們建立聯(lián)系，通過(guò)其他渠道通常難以識(shí)別和接觸到這些人。以23andMe公司為例，這家公司致力于新興領(lǐng)域個(gè)人遺傳學(xué)的工作，并已獲得Google公司的資助。23andMe正在利用自發(fā)的自跟蹤醫(yī)療保健活動(dòng)，來(lái)推動(dòng)自己的商業(yè)目標(biāo)。

????2009年，?？怂古两鹕习Y研究基金會(huì)（Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research）、帕金森氏癥研究所及臨床研究中心（Parkinson’s Institute and Clinical Center），以及23andMe公司聯(lián)手，希望能夠發(fā)現(xiàn)最可能罹患帕金森氏癥的人群。他們的目標(biāo)是，通過(guò)邀請(qǐng)公眾參與研究，從而更快得到結(jié)果，并通過(guò)在線方式進(jìn)行大部分研究。此外，對(duì)于那些通過(guò)該項(xiàng)研究了解到自己有較高患病風(fēng)險(xiǎn)的人，該聯(lián)合研究組織希望幫助他們做出更明智的醫(yī)療保健選擇。

????為了發(fā)起23andMe帕金森氏癥項(xiàng)目，主辦方公開(kāi)邀請(qǐng)所有帕金森氏癥患者參與進(jìn)來(lái)。前10,000名注冊(cè)并同意在研究期間提供自己健康狀況和生活方式信息的患者只需25美元即能獲得自己的基因組“地圖”，這項(xiàng)服務(wù)目前的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)收費(fèi)為400美元。實(shí)際上，活動(dòng)的組織者通過(guò)這種方式利用群眾的力量，從而在更短時(shí)間內(nèi)獲得更大的研究樣本，并通過(guò)自我跟蹤方法更快地獲得研究成果。這些結(jié)果可以跟通過(guò)研究者和研究對(duì)象之間的互訪取得的結(jié)果結(jié)合使用。

????這項(xiàng)研究得到的一項(xiàng)結(jié)果令人振奮，由于同病相憐，這些帕金森氏癥患者在網(wǎng)上社區(qū)形成了關(guān)系緊密的小團(tuán)體。例如，研究參與者相互鼓勵(lì)，根據(jù)自身的檢驗(yàn)結(jié)果積極采取預(yù)防措施，并在網(wǎng)上匯報(bào)自我跟蹤的結(jié)果。在采取預(yù)防措施的同時(shí)，他們會(huì)比較彼此的記錄，并在網(wǎng)絡(luò)討論區(qū)中向?qū)＜姨釂?wèn)。他們快速學(xué)習(xí)的成果也會(huì)進(jìn)行跟進(jìn)并提供給其他參與者參考。

????這個(gè)帕金森氏癥研究項(xiàng)目的靈感來(lái)自于舊金山灣區(qū)一項(xiàng)更為廣泛的草根活動(dòng)，這個(gè)名為量化自我（Quantified Self）的集會(huì)動(dòng)力十足，勢(shì)頭迅猛。這個(gè)松散的活動(dòng)組織成員聚會(huì)，彼此分享各自的經(jīng)歷，話題則涉及疾病、情緒、認(rèn)知等等廣泛的領(lǐng)域。組織成員會(huì)用自己設(shè)計(jì)的數(shù)碼設(shè)備或電腦、手機(jī)、監(jiān)控設(shè)備，甚至是紙筆，記錄自己的發(fā)現(xiàn)。帕金森癥研究計(jì)劃通過(guò)提供優(yōu)惠基因組繪圖服務(wù)及與病友分享結(jié)果的機(jī)會(huì)挖掘了這些活動(dòng)蘊(yùn)藏的熱情和興趣，帶動(dòng)了項(xiàng)目的推廣。

????亞歷山德拉?卡邁克爾及其丈夫丹尼爾?瑞達(dá)加入了舊金山的量化自我組織，學(xué)習(xí)如何追蹤記載卡邁克爾的長(zhǎng)期慢性疼痛癥，并發(fā)現(xiàn)了可以改善其病情的方法；瑞達(dá)曾是分子生物學(xué)家。不久之后，他們就推出了網(wǎng)絡(luò)小組CureTogether，供患有慢性疼痛癥的人記錄并分享自己追蹤記錄的結(jié)果。

????Companies often tend to keep their biggest efforts internal, and they frequently start from scratch, with the idea that they ought to keep their plans close to the vest until the time comes for a splashy announcement. But more businesses should consider using the help and support of passionate outsiders.

????Grassroots efforts can help a company find and connect with people who are already deeply involved in the topic and are often difficult to identify and reach by other means. For example, 23andMe, Inc., a company working in the burgeoning field of personal genetics with financial backing from Google (GOOG), has built on the momentum established self-tracking healthcare movement to support its own business goals.

????In 2009, the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, the Parkinson's Institute and Clinical Center, and 23andMe joined forces to discover who was most likely to get Parkinson's disease. Their goal was to get results faster by inviting the general public to participate in the study and to conduct much of the research online. They also wanted to help those who learned, through the study, that they had a higher chance of getting the disease to make smarter healthcare choices

????To launch the 23andMe Parkinson's initiative, the organizers publically invited anyone with Parkinson's disease to participate. The first 10,000 to sign up online and agree to provide health and lifestyle information over the course of the study received their genomic "map" test for $25, instead of the standard $400 charge. In effect, the sponsoring groups were crowd-sourcing study subjects to get a larger sampling more quickly, using self-tracking methods for faster research results. These results could be used in conjunction with studies based on subjects making in-person visits with researchers.

????One exciting outcome of the study was that participants formed tight-knit groups in the online community based on their common experience with Parkinson's disease. For example, they were encouraged to take preventative actions based on their test results, and report their self-tracked findings online. The participants compared notes with each other while taking these preventative actions and asked experts questions in online discussion forums. The results of their accelerated learning were also tracked and made available to other participants.

????The Parkinson's research project was inspired by the energy and momentum of a broader grassroots initiative that grew out of a San Francisco Bay Area Meetup group called Quantified Self. This loosely organized initiative hosts gatherings where members share their experiences related to topics as diverse as disease, mood, and cognition, among others. To record their findings, they use digital gadgets they design or computers, mobile phones, monitoring devices, or just pen and paper. By offering discounted genomic mapping and the opportunity to share results with others, the Parkinson's initiative tapped into the enthusiasm and interests of this existing movement to help spread the word.

????Alexandra Carmichael and her husband Daniel Reda, a former molecular biologist, joined Quantified Self in San Francisco to learn how to track Carmichael's long-term chronic pain and discover ways to improve her condition. Soon after, they launched CureTogether, an online group where those with chronic pain could document and share the results of their self-tracking.