This week, supporters of the open data movement celebrated a major victory in Toronto, as Mayor David Miller announced that not only would the City release all its transit data to Google Transit by mid-2009, but that the City of Toronto would explore options to “open source everything” that it does.
The announcement was made at the City of Toronto Web 2.0 Summit, which started off as an extremely frustrating exercise because the morning featured a panel by city councillors that had no clue what they were talking about. I’m glad I suffered through the panel and stuck around, because Mark Surman’s luncheon keynote was exactly what the mayor (and the rest of the city) needed to hear.
Mark’s presentation is embedded below, but I do recommend you all to visit his post so you can listen to the audio of his presentation as well — not only because he gave me a shout out, but also because he’s remarkably engaging. His keynote obviously made an impact on the mayor, who made his bold promises based on the challenges that Mark outlined during the talk.
Torontoist has a great breakdown of the Summit, but for some more insight into building a better Toronto through participation on the open web, check out some of the posts by some of the luminaries of the Toronto web community.
The moment was the culmination of a lot of our hopes and dreams for a city that understands the power of open, the meaning of participation and a signal of a more effective and responsive government of and for the people of Toronto. Will Pate and I have offered our assistance to make this vision a reality and we hope others will join us.
Some kind of “next steps” to keep moving the discussion and planning forward and encourage participation — there are, as we saw at the event, a lot of talented individuals inside the government who could easily be the point persons to manage something like a wiki (which if the two days had included workshops or similar direct participation could have been frameworked) to solicit ideas and keep the citizens who wanted to engage and share informed of what was on the agenda (and recruit organically from their local circles - build momentum). It’s a challenge of course to coordinate in government, but “idea labs” are something that should be on the radar.
So I ask, what do you think about the premise, the conversation, and do you want to participate in this conversation (or maybe you are already having it)? A couple of us have floated the idea of having a conversation at MaRS the morning of Dec. 11th.
Toronto has always been a hotbed for web-savvy people that are engaged in civic issues (see Metronauts, SustainabilityCamp, OpenCities, OneBigLibrary, etc.) and it’s great to know that the City is now committed to listening to those people.
There are exciting times ahead for this city, and I’m glad that I’ve been invited to be a small part of the excitement ahead.
More often than not, a good DJ can make or break your party.
Great DJs don’t just play music — they dictate the pulse of the night, keep people moving and entertained, and provide fodder for interaction and conversation.
Great DJs take input from the crowd and make their product better right there, on the spot, on the fly.
Nobody goes up to the DJ and tells them that they’re not feeling the music selection in their set. Instead, DJs have to gauge their audience through more subtle clues: the amount of people leaving the dance floor, the intensity of the dancing, and the number of people singing along to their mix. Great DJs read the crowd and get better.
Why are you waiting for your users or your community to give you explicit feedback on what you’re doing wrong?
Instead of waiting for emails of complaint or blog posts blasting your service or product, pick up on the hidden hints: diminishing quality of comments, less trackback diversity, fewer Twitter mentions, increased response waiting times, changes in return visit numbers, etc.
If DJs waited until someone complained before tweaking or enhancing their set, there would be empty dance floors across the city. Great DJs evolve constantly by reading the pulse of the crowd through barely-noticeable behavioral changes.
A recurring complaint: “there’s too much content out there on the web and it’s impossible to go through it all and find all the good stuff, so there’s no point in trying.”
If that sounds like you, here’s some advice: stop consuming and start creating.
If you can’t find good stuff, make it.
The 90-9-1 Principle says that only 1% of all users in any online community actually create content. The rest only consume content or occasionally edit existing content.
You can join that 1% at the top of the pyramid. You should join that 1% of content creators.
Creating content is good for you. It makes you think critically and creatively. If you create good content, you’re more likely to find and consume good content as well.
You don’t need to know how to write well or produce professional video. You don’t need to make a killer web application or change the way people think. All you have to do is commit yourself to creation, and commit yourself to creating things of value. The rest is up to you.
Preaching to the choir?
Maybe you know all of this. I’d argue that most people reading this blog are already avid content creators, or are at least working towards that goal. So here’s a better question for you:
How are you encouraging others to create and add value?
Are you visiting lesser-known blogs and leaving insightful and encouraging comments? Are you contacting the creators of your favorite freeware applications and telling them how much you appreciate their work (and maybe send them a few bucks)? Are you helping your less web-savvy friends post their amazing illustrations online?
Everyone has the potential to create, and create great things. We all need to encourage people who are willing to take that potential and turn it into action.
Are you creating? If you are, then are you also helping others create?
I’m ducking out of town for a few days, and will be otherwise preoccupied for a few more — not much time for blogging until Monday or Tuesday.
I do, however, have a lot of neat links sitting in my proverbial shopping cart, and I wanted to share them with you before I ran off.
Time to empty my cart.
Instant Photo Frame: A photo frame that’s cheap, easy to assemble, and looks like a Polaroid? I’m sold. Anyone want to get me one for Christmas?
The blogosphere is alive, well and kicking: Despite the fact that he uses the term “Blogging 2.0” and using almost anything “2.0” makes you lose a ton of credibility in my book these days, Duncan Riley has a point. Blogging isn’t dead, it’s just that the verb “to blog” is dead because the blurring of boundaries.
Um, don’t blog, or something: I’m not sure how this whole “blogging is dead” meme started, but Zeldman says it best when he asks, “when do we stop reducing the web to a vulgar and trivial competition between head boys, and start appreciating it as a maturing medium for real thought and expression?”
5 Additional Contacts Every Web Worker Should Have: From experience, I know for a fact that it is almost impossible to be a freelance web consultant without having someone around to take care of your legal paperwork and your finances. And if you’re working in web communications, you don’t want to worry about the technical stuff all the time — hire someone to manage your hosts, servers, development, etc.
What The F**K is Social Media? One of the best presentations on social media and its importance to companies and organizations I have ever seen. Humorous, and directly on point.
Flip Mino HD: Yeah, I’ve got a video camera. Yeah, I don’t need a Flip Mino. But hey, it’s a pretty camera, it’s small, and it’s HD. Guess what I’m buying myself for Christmas?
When Books Could Change Your Life: The two best books I ever read, I read before the age of twelve. Turns out, according to this article, some of the most important books we’ll ever read in our lives will be read before we hit the heart of adolescence.
Why Can’t Johnny Jump Tall Buildings? I’ve been thinking a lot about parenting these days (don’t ask) and one thing I remember growing up was my dad’s insistence that I can do better, no matter what I did. He was right, but it’s interesting to read articles about high parental expectations and compare them to my dad’s high expectations, which I think actually helped me in my development.
GOP should ask why U.S. is on the wrong track: I’m no Republican, but every time I hear Ron Paul speak or read something he’s written, I gain more and more respect for the man. I may not agree with everything he says, but I have to acknowledge his political acuity and deep interest in making the country a better place.
Should Every Outward Facing Employee Have a Web Presence: Chris Brogan gets it right again. “Not every employee needs a blog, and not every employee should be outward facing from a web perspective. But the folks who have jobs that put them in contact with people like me? I think you need a web presence, please.”
Oh, and before I go: KVETCH IS BACK! Now, it’s powered by Twitter. Awesome.
Alright, I’ve dumped out my shopping cart for now, time to check out. See you all in a few days.
When I decided to go out and start working for myself, nobody was more surprised than me. I’ve never thought of myself of the business-type, and never really had any aspirations of being self-employed growing up.
I didn’t take any business classes in school, and focused a lot of energy on learning what many called “useless” theories about community interaction and social relationships. I was a social science nerd to the core. My grades were okay, but not excellent: I preferred to engage with the ideas I was studying through discussions with friends outside the classroom instead of slaving over books and papers.
“The self-employed tend to have slightly lower grade point averages (GPAs) than their wage-and-salary peers.” The students with the best grades were more likely to seek work in the not-for-profit or government sector.
Business and management majors were among the least likely to become self-employed. The most likely folks to go it alone: Social science and “other” majors.
That being said, I’m actually currently in the process of exploring some more permanent work positions that would take me out of the world of the self-employed. More on that later, I promise.
As you can see from the graph below (click on it to see the larger view), people have a lot of appetite (no pun intended) for new types of street food in the city.
Samosas, skewered meat, and roti are definitely crowd favorites, as are things like fruits and vegetables. All of them seem relatively easy to do from a street vendor cart too, so let’s hope we see some of them come to Toronto streets soon.
I don’t have any family members that have ever served in any kind of military force. I don’t know anyone that fought or died in any of the major World Wars.
I do, however, remember the sacrifices that millions of people made and continue to make in order to protect our safety, our rights, our freedoms, and most importantly, our responsibilities towards our fellow man.
No matter what you may think of your current political administration or their stance on warfare and international conflict, it is impossible to deny the value of the young men and women that have put their lives on the line to make sure we can have the life we currently live.
Today, while I remember the sacrifices of those that fought in the past, I also pray for the safety for the men and women who are on the front lines right now.
I pray for the safety for my friend the pilot in Afghanistan who delivers medical supplies to coalition forces bases across the country. I pray for the safety for my friend the engineer who works in the Persian Gulf on an aircraft carrier fixing vital military equipment. I pray for the safety for my friend the medic in Sudan who takes care of UN Peacekeepers that are injured during their duties. And I pray for the safety for all of the people, my friends or not, who continue to put their lives on the line, each and every day.
When people ask me how I’ve been relatively lucky when it comes to my career and the opportunities I’ve had, I always tell them it’s because I’ve got great people around me and because of the law of large numbers.
Yup, the law of large numbers. Here’s an example of the law in action:
Say there are a hundred pretty women at the bar, and you’re unhappily single. The law of large numbers says that if you try and chat up all hundred of them (one at a time, discreetly and appropriately, of course) you’ve got a better chance of getting one of their phone numbers than if you just talked to two of them. Apparently, it has something to do with odds, but math was never my forte.
Silly example, perhaps, but the concept is an important one: the law of large numbers opens up more opportunities.
Don’t pre-screen yourself.
Sure, the advantages behind the law of large numbers seem evident, but just this week I’ve talked to two people who have flagrantly disregarded the law in their job searches.
Apparently, people pre-screen themselves much to closely for a job.
Now, I’m all in favor of doing some research and ruling out a position because you feel it would be a bad match for you, or you won’t be comfortable in the work environment, or even if you feel as if you won’t be sufficiently challenged. I’m not in favor of ruling out a position because you only have four years of experience and the job spec is asking for five.
If you honestly feel like you can do the job and do it well (and that you’ll enjoy and thrive in the work atmosphere), apply. Don’t pre-screen yourself. The human resources pros are paid to screen applicants, so keep them busy.
Don’t let minor qualifications get in your way. Too many people hold themselves back from opportunities because they underestimate their skills and experiences — in job searching or elsewhere. Apply to and immerse yourself in opportunities where you feel you can make a difference.
People will say no.
Sure, you’re going to have to deal with rejection. A whole lot of rejection.
Get used to it.
Every no you get is one step closer to getting a yes. If you stop after getting your first no, then you’re never going to get a yes. It’s that simple.
Just make sure you’re not the person looking in the mirror and saying no. If you know that you can do something, eventually someone else will notice it too.
There’s no harm in putting yourself out there.
In high school, I applied to 18 universities instead of 3 like everyone else. Before I launched my freelance career and I was still in school, I applied to a different job every week. Sometimes two or three.
I didn’t get in to all of the universities where I sent an application. I didn’t get most of the jobs I applied to. I did, however, get into a great school and end up with a few great jobs because I didn’t let the fear of not being qualified enough stop me from trying.
Go big. Think big. Remember the law of large numbers.
And when you finally get that job (or that phone number of that pretty girl at the bar) after 47 attempts and applications, let me know and I’ll take you out for lunch to celebrate.
Was walking in front of the Eaton Centre the other day when a nutjob on the street called out to me and asked:
“Hey brother, are you married?”
I replied that I wasn’t, at which point he started screaming that I was “a sinner and that I was going to hell.”
I’m not sure when being a single 26-year-old became a sin and grounds for eternal damnation, but I sure didn’t get the memo on that one.
Over the past summer, three of my really close friends got married. In the next three weeks, another two people who have been significant in my life are about to tie the knot. There are wedding bells ringing everywhere. Which reminded me of a great post on marriage that I found on Anil’s blog the other day.
In his post, Anil speaks about how marriage continues to get a bad rap in popular culture:
I feel like I got hoodwinked as a single guy because I heard marriage described so often as some cross between a prison, being grounded as a misbehaving teen, and being castrated. I don’t doubt that lots of people make mistakes in who they marry, and I am not trying to be a pollyanna about the very real fact that a successful marriage takes a lot of dedicated effort, or that some people just can’t make it work even with their best efforts. But most marriages work, even if the people who don’t get it quite right end up being a lot louder about it.
He goes on to talk about Proposition 8 and why voting no on the proposition was the right thing to do:
It is now a historical inevitability that our country will legalize marriage for all couples. Though the fight is particularly polarized right now, and we will naturally face serious setbacks on the way to civil rights for all, I believe the time is close. As we saw in the fight against interracial marriages, the forces against progress are most extreme and invested right when they realize that history is against them.
Which got me thinking: as an umarried straight man in Canada, why was I so upset that people voted yes on Proposition 8 in California?
I came up with two basic reasons. The first is intrinsically tied to basic human rights. However you feel about homosexuality or marriage in general, it is fundamentally wrong to deny a civil liberty to only one group of people without any compelling and substantial reason. Denying the right to marriage for gay couples and allowing it for other couples makes about as much sense as denying the right to sit on park benches to people who have blue eyes. (Yeah, I’m not sure where that analogy came from either, but it works.)
The second reason — and here’s where you’re allowed to be surprised — is that I think that marriage is one of the most beautiful social institutions that exists in our culture.
I’ll allow you to catch your breath. Yes, I’m the same guy that goes around saying that marriage isn’t for me and that in its anthropological essence, marriage is nothing but an economic contract. I still believe that, to an extent.
But in all honesty, it’s impossible not to be completely enamored with the whole concept of marriage: that two people can feel so strongly drawn to each other that they are willing to devote themselves to each other for life — or at least try to do just that. There’s so much beauty in that whole idea that I’m tearing up just writing about it now.
Plus, I’m a sucker for a good love story.
Denying someone the right to engage in one of the most beautiful acts of devotion just because their sexual orientation is different than yours is not only wrong, but cruel and heartless. People that voted yes to Proposition 8 may think that they’re exercising their political opinion, but instead, they’re just demonstrating that the world is still capable of immense callousness and lack of compassion. And that’s just sad.
Denying the right of marriage to any of us attacks and disrespects the institution of marriage for all of us. As it turns out, marriage is worth defending, no matter what you might see on TV.
With that, I’m wishing both Julia & Adam and Ami & Rohan congratulations on their upcoming weddings. Thanks for continuing to fill my life with the hope that love and selflessness still exist.
Yesterday, the citizens of the United States of America proved a few things to me.
They proved that it was possible to rise above race and elect a leader who is not defined by the color of his skin.
They proved that young people truly have a voice in the political landscape and will continue to be influential in the decision-making arena in the years to come.
They proved that they are ready to embrace a global perspective and understand that the actions they take in their own country have repercussions and consequences around the world.
They proved that there is no false hope, and more importantly, that “in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.”
They proved that an American child’s potential is limitless; that they no longer have reason to say that they “can’t” do something, that they have to stifle their aspirations because of something beyond their control.
Instead, they proved that the words coming out of every child growing up in America should be, and is, “yes, we can.”
They also proved that there is a lot of work left to be done.
They proved that bullying and scare tactics — instead of inspiration and hope — still have resonance in political decision-making. (More.)
They proved that many people are still willing to take away the civil liberties of the people around them because they are different and don’t understand them. (More.)
They proved that unity and forward-thinking on a national scale is possible, but still a long way away.
There’s a lot of work left to be done.
So today, let’s quickly wrap up the celebrations and get back to work. America has more to prove.
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