10:03:15 pm, Categories: Business, Computers and Internet, 381 words Posted by: Joseph A. di Paolantonio
Startup Camp is a mix of traditional conference panels and an open space "unconference".
The juxtaposition of the two is a bit jarring in some ways. 'Tis somewhat like going from a warm fuzzy blanket [panels] to an exhilarating plunge into the chilly North Pacific [unconference sessions]. Actually, panels have been losing their appeal over the past few years. A good panel is a lively debate. The panelists engage each other. A good panel is both entertaining and informative. Too many panels today bring to mind an event from my college days. This is an unfair analogy but I'll tell the story anyway. 
The only diner within walking distance of the college was the S&W [or, as it was traditionally known, the "Slut & Whore" - hey, don't yell at me; it describes the area well. Think of the Tenderloin in SF on a bad night.] Anyway, after an all-night study session, or maybe a drunken game of Diplomacy, we made a visit to the S&W in the wee hours for some coffee and rice pudding. Among the other patrons were two old transients [a.k.a. hobos, stumblebums]. They were at opposite ends of the diner, but seemed to be having a loud argument on who was the greatest baseball player of all time. After a while, we realized that they weren't arguing. They were merely proclaiming in loud voices on the same subject. OK, the panels aren't that bad, but getting close.
Another problem with panels today is that most panelists blog. If you are at all interested in the subject, it's likely that you read their blogs and already know their opinions.
Ah well, onto the good part.
The unconference sessions are intimate and, as mentioned before, exhilarating.
The only problem is that there are so many great topics being discussed at the same time, that it's like being in a candy store: you don't what to grab onto, there are just too many choices.
But you can read all about what happened on the Startup Camp wiki, if the attendees upload their notes. 
Just follow the links from the Startup Camp Unconference schedule at the bottom of the page.
Tomorow will be running back and forth between Startup Camp and CommunityOne. Can't wait.
11:58:04 am, Categories: Business, Computers and Internet, 453 words Posted by: Joseph A. di Paolantonio
Today, I'm at Startup Camp, in conjunction with CommunityOne, which starts tomorrow, in conjunction with JavaOne. The schedule is online, but this is a camp, an unconference, and the rules are different.
The introduction is over, and the keynote with Jonathan Schwartz and Om Malik is going on now.
A question from the audience, essentially that there is no simple, online solution for a Java developer to just go online and develop, led to an interesting side discussion where I'm seated about what it means to be a developer. The old folk at the table, have a much broader definition of a developer, and the skills they should have, than the young'uns, who are more focused on just one language, and just code monkey banging away.
The first panel is starting up, moderated by S. Neil Vineberg, President, Vineberg Communications. The topic is branding, and how the brand comes out of the founders and the culture that they create.
One interesting point for me, is that while the panel is discussing the importance of branding, and that the brand can flow from the founders' personality and the culture, I have found that if the founders are too focused on creating a brand, and selecting their brand category, they'll fail to infuse their brand with their personality, that is, the brand can seem sterile and contrived. Branding is very important, but, to me, it must come naturally from the company if it is to truly reflect the company. Of course, sometimes you have a founder that you need to keep locked in a closet, feed caffeinated drinks and pizza, and never, ever let them talk to the customers. 
The use of social media is a given today, especially for startups. The use of Ning [why doesn't PeopleAggregator ever get a mention?] and the growth of social network platforms for startups [others] to grow their own social networks is a great indicator of this.
For all the talk of social media, the message of this panel seems to be that traditional methods, through PR, is still the best way to reach out and get your message across; especially outside of the technology centers like the SF Bay Area. However, it seems to me that when the panel starts talking about what's really effective, they use terms like "community" and "authentic conversations". It also seems that creating markets and driving markets is the better than pushing a product, in terms of success, and in terms of getting noticed.
The morning is done. I'm looking forward to networking and learning throughout today and tomorrow, to CommunityOne and seeing Michael Coté at Redmonk's Unconference, and a great conversation with Gianugo Rabellino at JavaOne and for supper on Thursday.
The Open Source Solutions Blog is a companion to the Open Source Solutions for Business Intelligence Research Project, sponosred by InterActive Systems & Consulting, Inc. This Blog, a Wiki and Lens will be used to develop, support and publish the findings of our research into enterprise open source projects.
InterActive Systems & Consulting, Inc. (IASC) performs research in the areas of data analytics, collaboration and remote access.InterASC Professional Services, a service mark of IASC, provides strategic consulting and project management for data warehousing, business intelligence and collaboration projects using proprietary and open source solutions. We formulate vendor-independent strategies and implement solutions for information management in an increasingly complex and distributed business environment, allowing secure data analysis and collaboration that provides enterprise information in the most valuable form to the right person, whenever and wherever needed.
TeleInterActive Networks, a service mark of IASC, hosts open source applications for small and medium enterprises including CMS, blogs, wikis, database applications, portals and mobile access. We provide the tools for SME to put their customer at the center of their business, and leverage information management in a way previously reserved for larger organizations.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
broll(http://rpc.blogrolling.com/display_raw.php?r=bbe09dcc0a590ffb1b1a401f8dc4a360,)
