No, not yet. But there's hope.

For a refresher on ICT Toronto's intentions and missing the point, see Joey's critique and his great series on "How to be Silicon Valley" here, here, here and here.

Thanks to Estelle (Recovering VC) Havva, Jay, David and I were invited as representatives of Toronto's BarCamp community to speak to the ICT Toronto committee at their most recent breakfast meeting, held on Thursday June 15th, 2006. While David was convalescing with DVDs of Battlestar Galactica, Jay and I represented. Jay introduced attendees to the concept of BarCamp, its successful history in Toronto, its values of participation and community and invited members the ICT Toronto committee to come to the next event, DemoCamp7 on July 4th.

As the policy nerd of Toronto's BarCamp community, my message was about what BarCamp represents to the technology industry in the Toronto region and to ICT Toronto's stated economic development objectives of creating the 5th largest and most vibrant technology cluster in the world and the 2nd largest in North America. These are laudable goals, but I have yet to see an articulate outline of how they plan to achieve them other than a marketing campaign to attract foreign investment, which is the standard tool of industrial-era economic development policy.

Yawn. Not enough. Not by a longshot. ICT Toronto needs to understand the skepticism it faces. Old mechanistic industrial models of what supports innovative and dynamic local economies are not going to achieve the stated goal. There doesn't appear to be a true understanding that a global race is on, and traditional thinking and PR pitches are not going to beat the competition. ICT Toronto needs the BarCamp community's energy and new and original thinking to help it achieve its objectives. A vibrant technology scene is as much about transit, culture, authentic places and creative communities of practice as it is about executive breakfasts and glossy brochures. This is my message of why ICT Toronto should care:

BarCamp is the plankton of a vibrant technology ecosystem. It is a series of events that create excitement and showcase the dynamism of our community to ourselves and others. It presents an exciting opportunity to engage young people in the technology industry, support their creativity and connect them with experienced professionals and jobs. It is a marketplace of ideas and talent. It is the battle-hardened stuff of the dot-com supernova mixed with new energy that is the birthplace of future stars and startups. It is a self-organized virtual think-tank of energized and connected leaders, social innovators and agents of change. Toronto's BarCamp community is part of a global network of leading technology thought leaders and influential opinion-makers. BarCamp is a global movement that links Toronto to Silicon Valley and the rest of the world. BarCamp is the future.

Our presentation of what is BarCamp gathered a significant amount of interest and excitement from the committee, but for some reason it didn't make it into the official meeting minutes. And no, those minutes aren't posted publicly anywhere, nor is there a real effort to continue the conversation between meetings or to engage the energy of Toronto's technology blogging community. Back to business as usual...the Marketing Campaign, 1.0 style.

We tried to inject some new thinking into the conversation about marketing Toronto, but there seemed to be little understanding of the true source of influence of the technology blogosphere in defining what is cool and where interesting things are happening. The power of authentic voices and the absence of public relations speak is something that is difficult for people schooled in traditional approaches to comprehend. I fear that a traditional PR approach is the direction that they are heading, with perhaps a limp attempt at an "official ICT Toronto blog".

Alicia Bulwyk has graciously invited somebody from BarCamp to work with their marketing subcommittee to better understand blogs and their influence and possible role in a marketing campaign.

So rather than continuing to bitch that government doesn't get it, this is a call to action. Get involved and contribute. This is a call for the blogger/marketers out there to bring some insight to the suits gathering at City Hall to determine how public dollars are spent to create a vibrant technology cluster in Toronto. Let me know if you're interested in joining.

Technorati Tags: barcamp, cluster, creativecluster, icttoronto, Innovation, Toronto

Sean Wise is someone I got to know during my Tercina startup days when we were pitching our Enboard product idea to the now-defunct Excelerator tech incubator at U of T's Innovartions Foundation. Well look what he's up to now.

Some of you will recall my recent ideas on extending on DemoCamp's success with a startup pitch contest with seed money as a prize to the winning idea...my working title was "DemoCamp: Monster Island". Well, it looks like Sean and others have taken up the challenge with a Canadian version of the BBC's Dragon's Den franchise on CBC.

Some excitement around startups and an injection of dynamism in the community are definitely needed and appreciated. I look forward to watching and hope to see some familiar faces. Auditions are this Saturday, June 24th, so polish your pitch and show up for the call.

Technorati Tags: Canada, Toronto, VC

I recently had the opportunity to talk to a number of librarians and fell in love. Librarians are unsung heroes. Scholars and caretakers of ancient knowledge throughout the history of civilization, the modern librarian continues this tradition in a world that is increasingly information rich, but often context and knowledge poor.

Our community public libraries are hubs of civic engagement and culture, social development, commerce, technology access and lifelong learning. Librarians are connectors and libraries are sites where social capital is accumulated and distributed for the public good. Librarians are also eminently practical, with strong ties to their communities. They have the potential to function as interdisciplinary resources and community builders who enable innovation and creativity.

In a rapidly transforming society, resources this valuable need to exploited much more intensively. Librarians have a critical role to play in helping us grasp our collective and individual futures and enhancing our quality of life.

Hug a librarian today.

Technorati Tags: creativity, Innovation

As many of my regular readers know, I will be cycling from Toronto to Montreal the last week of July to benefit PWA Toronto. After sprinting to a client project deadline in July, 6 days and 600km of cycling is my masochistic reward!

I would greatly appreciate your support of my fund-raising efforts. I need to raise $2000 by June 30th in order to keep my place on the ride, and hope to raise much more beyond that. Please donate what you can using this online donation page. (https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/StartUp.aspx?SID=989685). You will receive a tax receipt directly from PWA Toronto.

And a big thank you to everyone who has already pledged their support!

The Toronto People With AIDS Foundation provides critically needed services and support to people in the Toronto community who are living with the devastating physical, emotional, economic and social effects of HIV and AIDS. They are a fantastic organization that help people dealing with a fatal disease, many of whom are socially ostracized or rejected by family members.

Here are some of the programs your donation will support:

• $150 supplies a family for one week with groceries (Food Bank),
• $70 provides a massage once a week to a PHA suffering from neuropathy,
• $60 covers 1 naturopathic appointment,
• $50 covers 1 month of naturopathic medication,
• $45 buys a 2 month supply of glutamine (helps alleviate wasting),
• $35 buys 1 week of meals (Food For Life Program),
• $30 buys 1 bottle of vitamins.

Thank you for your support!

Technorati Tags: bikerally06, bikerallytoronto, inmylifetime, Toronto