DigitalCircle – Page 12

Looking East Across the Irish Sea….

One of the opportunities for 38minutes and the whole ‘ning-based’ network is the shortening of these distances – isn’t that what the internet is all about (apparently it’s not just about porn and advertising). When I look at a map, I like to draw a line circle from where I am to around 75 miles… … Continue reading “Looking East Across the Irish Sea….”

When I look at a map, I like to draw a line circle from where I am to around 75 miles…

and I find myself wondering what is across the Irish Sea, what new counties and towns exist over here and is it simply the cost of the ferry which stops us working together more? I’m looking to look and learn, eastwards over towards Glasgow – what are my cousins over there doing?

Over the last twelve months I have been in Scotland twice – both times passing through – past the towns which, to me are simply legends of my heritage (apparently my family is from Annan) and having no real concept of the life and people who toil and live there. Even Glasgow, not much further from me than Dublin, is seemingly distant due to the tyranny of around 26 miles of sea.

So where should I ask? Here? What’s going on in Lochaber and Skye, in the Western Isles, Ayrshire, Dumfries and Galloway?

Create or Facilitate

Ian Graham of TheCodeFactory.ca writes about whether we CREATE or FACILITATE communities: Create is in fact a very strong word and implies that you make something from nothing. If you read the bible you will recall the story of creation. In seven days God created the earth, man and all of the wild beasts. Pretty … Continue reading “Create or Facilitate”

Ian Graham of TheCodeFactory.ca writes about whether we CREATE or FACILITATE communities:

Create is in fact a very strong word and implies that you make something from nothing. If you read the bible you will recall the story of creation. In seven days God created the earth, man and all of the wild beasts. Pretty powerful stuff. Most mere humans lack the capability to create something.
Facilitate is different and more of a catalyst in nature. When you facilitate you act as an agent on existing elements helping to bring them together. Communities waiting to happen exist everywhere. These communities can often be made more vibrant and dynamic with a bit of facilitation or the act of bringing elements together.

I tend to the side of FACILITATE.

The first community I worked with was the Northern Ireland Mac User Group. I created the mailing list, web site and the forum which allowed the community to manifest. The community was already in existence throug word of mouth and shared emails.

Some groups don’t tend to naturally congregate and therefore it’s hard to quantify the community as whole – though the internet provides a method of easily managing this side of community engagement.

My day job, as the Facilitator for the Digital Circle really means creating a focus to allow the digital media creation ‘community’ which then permits the “Steering Group” to focus the direction of those members of the community who want to collaborate towards the given goal. Yes, at times it’s a little like herding cats and everyone can joke about managing a committee towards a decision.

If we, as facilitators, focus our energies on creating an ‘oasis’ where communities can engage with each other, and then work through the process removing baggage where necessary, we can better achieve the stated aims of the ‘oasis’ (which, again, may not be core to the community aims).

Make Corporate Butts Pucker

I wrote: A year ago Rich Segal wrote an article on how to make a corporate butt pucker. As we inch closer to opening the CoWorking site in Belfast, I find myself having loftier dreams regarding it. I envisage a place where we can assist startups and if necessary turn a couple of dreamers into … Continue reading “Make Corporate Butts Pucker”

I wrote:

A year ago Rich Segal wrote an article on how to make a corporate butt pucker.

As we inch closer to opening the CoWorking site in Belfast, I find myself having loftier dreams regarding it. I envisage a place where we can assist startups and if necessary turn a couple of dreamers into new entrepreneurs.

The level of support required for this would, of course, be minimal.

What does ‘Code4Pizza’ get out of it?

Well, the aim is kudos and ten percent. Ten percent? Yes, ten percent of the company created. Which means the directors of code4pizza are motivated to make it a success. It will be the only way that code4pizza can become self-sustainable.

What do students get out of it?

A real placement? How about a placement where they’re not washing the VP’s car (as happened in Nortel). Or making tea for line managers in manufacturing (again, Nortel). They’ll get real experience, real mentoring from real business people who are highly motivated to turn them into a success. And at the end they’ll hold 90% of a company they helped build.

So…

I’ve not yet tested the viability in terms of putting it in practise. I’ve spoken to lecturers and they think it’s a great idea. I’ve spoken to entrepreneurs and they love it too. I’ve even spoken to a few students about it and they’re convinced it would take off. So everyone loves it, now what.

CoWorking Belfast
Collaborative Contracts
Initial Funding
Programme Development

Okay….

…why will this make corporate butts pucker?

The idea is that a simple, lean company with three founders and one good mentor can kick butt.

Crazy? I don’t think so.

A quick startup formula

Today I spoke to two guys in Belfast Metropolitan College. The subject line was regarding ‘placements’ for their students in Interactive Media and Software Engineering. Placements for media students tend to be easier than for software engineering students. Reason being that in my experience you can set a creative person down in front of a … Continue reading “A quick startup formula”

Today I spoke to two guys in Belfast Metropolitan College. The subject line was regarding ‘placements’ for their students in Interactive Media and Software Engineering.

Placements for media students tend to be easier than for software engineering students. Reason being that in my experience you can set a creative person down in front of a workstation and as long as they have the standard industry tools installed (Illustrator, Photoshop, etc), they can be cracking out content in minutes. Not so much with software engineering – unless you’re doing something pretty standard it’ll likely take a few weeks for a smart guy to learn the language you’re using, get familiar with the frameworks you’re using and become a useful member of the team. Back when I was in Nortel, the saying was that a placement student you had for a year would be useful during the second half of his or her placement and that the first six months were just an attempt to acclimatise them.

This lag is what makes it difficult to place software engineering students.

My idea is to take your software engineers (and maybe some of the iMedia students) and get them to create their own company. They can apply for funding like anyone else, they can work together on projects and they can get a taste of what it’s like to run a business. Add a funder/mentor/visionary who can help them get started and you’ve got a formula for churning out new startups. this is like a self-motivated version of Code4Pizza.

Ironically, the first thing I’d have a group doing would be to create the engine behind the code4pizza site itself.

I’m very encouraged by this concept – and have offered to talk about student entrepreneurship at BelfastMet as well as suggesting they publicise the Digital Circle throughout their courses.

Thinking about TV

I’m not a fan of TV. Not at all. I do like movies. And I like series that are aired on television which I can hoard and watch in multi-hour segments. It seems odd therefore that we (the royal ‘we’) are coming to Channel 4 and putting our ideas in front of them. It’s certainly … Continue reading “Thinking about TV”

I’m not a fan of TV. Not at all.

I do like movies. And I like series that are aired on television which I can hoard and watch in multi-hour segments.

It seems odd therefore that we (the royal ‘we’) are coming to Channel 4 and putting our ideas in front of them. It’s certainly my feeling that Channel 4 might not be the best people to ask about what makes a compelling online experience but I am encouraged that they are at least trying. We don’t really see much of this from the Beeb (and bugger all from UTV).

What is the role of a public service broadcaster when there is no audience?

The first is to strike the word “broadcast” from the lexicon.

It becomes a ‘public service’ and the audience becomes participants. You can see what Ewan McIntosh, Digital Commissioner for 4 IP is talking about in the Digital Circle podcast (RSS) when says that proposals in to 4IP which have the word ‘audience’ in them are going to find it hard to be accepted.

But what does 4IP know about these services that we don’t?

I think the answer is not a lot and this is why the fund exists. The obvious ones have started to be discussed on the 38minutes site – greater transparency and participation in politics, the participatory nature of Alternate Reality Games, the possibilities (and possible pitfalls) of crowdsourcing. The trick is to ignore these low hanging fruit. It’s not to re-invent the search engine but to think about what will be the methods of interaction in the future.

Ewan mentions, in the podcast, that he sits in front of the TV with his mobile beside him and his laptop on his lap. Same here. And that he watches telly that he doesn’t want to watch. If that doesn’t sound a death knell for traditional television, then you need your aural receptacles syringed. So, looking at what we have there – a large viewing screen, a powerful computer, a device that is location aware, and the entirety of the internet – what would be your pitch?

Also important to note: Channel 4’s ‘iPlayer’ technology is Windows only. Seeing as the Alpha Geeks use Macs…that’s a bigger issue than you might think.

I’m going to OpenTurkey, mnahhhhh!

And I’m only in 8th place!!!!! Andy McMillan Dave Rice Davy Mac Simon McCartney Jackie Pollock Steve Wilkin Stuart Gibson Matt Johnston David Braziel [UPDATED!!!] Here’s the Belfast Open Coffee Club thread. Join up. Related posts: London, City of the Future Belfast OpenCoffeeClub A little bit of appreciation goes a long way

And I’m only in 8th place!!!!!

Andy McMillan
Dave Rice
Davy Mac
Simon McCartney
Jackie Pollock
Steve Wilkin
Stuart Gibson
Matt Johnston
David Braziel

[UPDATED!!!]
Here’s the Belfast Open Coffee Club thread. Join up.

More on Co-Working

Andy and I viewed a great location today for Co-Working. We’ll likely post photos over the next day or so but right now we’re wanting to know who will be interested in taking a space. It really is time to put your chips on the table. I’ve also posted a little update on the Digital … Continue reading “More on Co-Working”

I reckon we can fit 20 people in there which brings the rent down considerably per person – down to Â£100 per month which is incredibly good. The venue isn’t perfect but nothing other than a custom venue will be and I think it’s important that we put our foot down, stand up and be counted.

At the Digital Island Meetup last Thursday it was argued that the reason broadband in the Republic of Ireland is so poor is that it has yet to be proved by broadband faster than 512 Kbps is needed. The point was made by the panel that unless people get faster connections, that’s impossible to prove – like deciding to build roads after everyone decides they need a car. This is why it’s important to show that it’s time for Belfast to have some sort of Digital Hub – that the people needing it are here waiting.

I have, with the help of BCC, applied for some funding under the Creative Industries Innovation Fund for computer equipment and desking but we don’t have to wait for that in order to get started.

[UPDATE: Andy posted his own blog entry which includes an excellent photo]

Who is interested? Seriously.

Coming soon: Black Box Horror Film Club

Also this week at the Black Box, is the Pre-Symposium Event for ISEA2009. Related posts: Jonathan Gems on the abolition of the UKFC London, City of the Future The Saturday Night Really Tedious Film Club This Life Is Ours….video coming soon…

Also this week at the Black Box, is the Pre-Symposium Event for ISEA2009.

Digital Circle – get involved!

I’ve written a lot of content about the Digital Circle this morning, mostly in the area of upcoming events , sources of funding and I’d like to invite people who read my blog, who are also involved in the Digital Content sector in Northern Ireland, to register here. It would also be appropriate to note … Continue reading “Digital Circle – get involved!”

It would also be appropriate to note there are now nine Digital Circle podcasts (click here for iTunes link) and more will be coming over the next few weeks before Christmas. All of the podcasts are produced by SimsDigitalMedia.