I'm Todd Sieling, and I help design software experiences and strategies for the web. Here I write and can be contacted about creating humane, effective and memorable products for the connected world.
Learn about what I bring to making better softwareLast week I found myself in a guerilla marketing campaign that started while waiting for a friend on Granville St. here in Vancouver and ended up in the pages of the Globe and Mail. While not the most memorable affair, campaign for the Sumac Ridge winery left me thinking about subtle line that smart marketing can cross into bad experiences.
Vancouver’s tech community learned yesterday that the beloved coworking facility Workspace is to close its doors tomorrow. Jayson Minard, who took over the business from founder Bill MacEwan less than a year ago, emailed members with the bad news, and a shocking imperative to clean out any personal belongings before the end of August 21.
I planted myself at Workspace part-time for two years, joining before the doors opened on the basis of an idea and a tour from Dane. I made new friends, enjoyed what was still Gastown’s best cup of coffee, and got things done against the view of peaceful mountains and the busy harbour. Though I worked more on remote projects, Workspace made me feel like I was working in the Vancouver community. Last last year I needed to change things up and ended my membership, but was still in there every two weeks for meetings. I have one last meeting there today at 4.
Workspace showed what the upper bar in coworking looks like, but more importantly it was a fantastic hub for Vancouver geeks and a symbol of innovation. It doesn’t sound like there will be a chance for a closing party to give it a proper sendoff.
Speaking of losses, the wider world of geekdom saw another one on the same day with the disappearance of the anonymous uber-coder _why. Not being a coder, I never knew much of _why, only that the work under that name was widely-respected and packed with personality. John Resig’s tribute sums up the value that _why brought to the community, and touches on the ephemerality of our works:
If there’s any analogy that I can make about _why, his online persona, and all the works that he’s produced over the years it’s to the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of the sand mandala. After a mandala has been constructed – and displayed – it is ceremoniously deconstructed – which is meant “to symbolize the Buddhist doctrinal belief in the transitory nature of material life.”
It’s a fitting theme for those who work on digital products, which can have less durability than fresh sushi. Nick Sweeny recently wrote about the durability of things written down hundreds and even thousands of years ago, and the durability of what narratives are created by communities that form and live online.
Technology and business are relentless in the pursuit of tighter cycles, and the urgency can fool us into forgetting too easily what came before. I don’t think that the space left by the disappearance of _why or of Workspace will be so forgotten, as they live on in the better coding and better relationships that came out of their existence.
So, here’s to the life of things done well, all of which have their own ends.
A rare personal note to the blog today, letting you know that the Illuminares festival happens tomorrow. Also known as the Lantern Festival, this Public Dreams Society production is a signature summer event for Vancouver locals, and one of the purest community experiences I’ve ever seen. I’ve used my summer posting to the Slow Blog project to reflect on the personal and public value in this utterly unique event, and to announce that I’ve recently joined the society’s board of directors.
It’s an amazing event produced by an amazing group of people. It’s a chance to enjoy a family-friendly, non-corporate and truly memorable event. For those interested in technology, culture and the arts, it’s a chance to see how low-tech can create high-grade experiences, and to witness an emerging tradition of even documentation by attendees through cellphones, photos, and blogs.
If you weren’t at BarCamp Vancouver just over a week ago, you likely didn’t hear about the little product jam session that Darren and I kicked off that fine Saturday.
The gist was simple: there are people coming to Vancouver for the 2010 Olympics who need a place to stay, and there are people who live here who’d rather spend the event somewhere else, and want to rent their place out. Surely there’s a lucrative web enterprise waiting to be born of this happy circumstance? At the session we talked feasibility and high level requirements, and it went well, as you can see from our notes (props to Julie Szabo, by the way, for driving the whiteboard to help us capture the ideas).
There was enough interest to spin off a project-specific wiki, and we’ve snagged the big meeting room at WorkSpace tomorrow evening to continue creating a project scope and to see if a motley crew can put together something cool. The fun starts at 7 sharp.
It takes all types to get this kind of project off the ground, so it’s a come-one, come-all invitation, with one rule calling for constructive participation. If this sounds interesting, come on out.
In June I began working with DreamBank, a Yaletown based startup with a unique idea for reducing waste in gifting by using the social web. By posting a dream, members describe something they truly want as a gift, usually for an upcoming event like a birthday or wedding. Bringing friends and family to the dream, the dreamer can collect contributions towards the goal, foregoing the ‘buy something and hope they like it’ route. It also saves a shopping trip or 10 for those who make their contribution through the DreamBank.
That’s what I’d tell you in the elevator. Others have already blogged about DreamBank and painted a more detailed picture (youtube), and the website itself is generously self-explanatory.
DreamBank’s social model places a high value on being inspired by each other, with lots of opportunities to come across and keep in touch with the aspirations of other dreamers. I’ve been pitching in through product management role, and in early July we went from internal alpha to a well-received beta.
What stands out the most about DreamBank for me is the straightforward focus on creating beneficial outcomes on both small and larger scales. It happens at the personal level by reducing waste and guesswork in gift-giving while making it more collaborative. Across its community and beyond, DreamBank truly embraces a win-win-win business model; for each contribution towards a dreamer’s gift, members benefit by getting a bit closer, DreamBank benefits by sustaining and growing with transaction surcharges, and a charitable organization chosen by the dreamer receives a contribution from each dream.
The balance of positive benefits is more than a stated goal; it’s built into the core of what DreamBank does. As such. it really works to realize the promises of making a better world through the web. It’s one thing to bring people together and hope they do something good when they meet, but it’s something different, and I think more promising, to build that intention into everything you do. With that, I think DreamBank can go far.
But for now it’s the hard work of beta, the excitement of seeing early members explore and try out the service, and being able to work with the DreamBank team. As a bonus, I’m glad to be working again with Darren and Julie of Capulet Communications. It’s been great having them back in the Vancouver area, and to put our heads together on an innovative and interesting product.
Just a quick posting here to help a new client find a solid, intermediate-level LAMP developer. If you know someone who fits the bill, send them our way.
Here’s the posting:
Can you dream big while keeping your feet on the ground? DreamBank, a Vancouver-based 6-person web startup is seeking an intermediate-level LAMP developer to join our team.
Working from our Yaletown office, you’ll join the senior developer in maintaining and growing our brand-new web serivce. With a focus on making dreams come true, working with DreamBank will present opportunities to both brighten your portfolio and make the world a better, happier place. We’re a tight team that communicates well while working with passion and determination. DreamBank offers a basic renumeration package to start, and have a roadmap for significant growth that we want you to be a part of.
Can you fill that seat? If you think so, contact us at info@dreambank.org with a letter of introduction and links to live, viewable projects you’ve worked on. No resumes, please.
I thought that the winter/spring conference blitz was over, but one more caught my attention today, and I couldn’t say no. Open Web Vancouver, complete with a dual-logo of green jellyfish and red pirate skull, is coming mid-April. Like Northern Voice, this 2-day event is a low-cost local gem, for just $150 (I added $20 for a jellyfish t-shirt).
The sessions are fairly programmer-centric, but there’s more than enough for the softer side of open web development. I was going to jot down the sessions I’m planning to take in, but realized that typing all that out is for chumps in the age of Skitch. I’ve marked up the
If you’re interested in open web tech and the people behind it, this one seems too good to pass up.
