Posts by Chris Schmitt
Do your ideas keep you awake at night? Do you have a great idea for a web application or an iPad app? Are you looking for a technical or business partner who also dreams of starting their own business? Then come on down to TeamCamp Thursday March 3rd for an idea “Pitch Fest”. Pitch your idea to a friendly group of people just like you. Together, we’ll explore and collaborate with you on your idea. You’ll meet new friends and who knows, maybe you’ll meet a co-founder? Prepare to spend about 20 mins per pitch. The format is not important, just be convincing and passionate.
To participate in a PitchFest you will need to review and acknowledge the TeamCamp Participate Agreement located at:http://teamcamp.pbworks.com/TeamCamp+Participation+Agreement
Where: The Code Factory, 2nd floor (Ring the buzzer to come to take the elevator to the 2nd floor)
When: March 3rd, 2011 at 6pm
RSVP: Here
Join us on Feb 17th for a lively discussion with Robert Saric around “Gamefluence”, or how to add gaming elements to a website to improve the user’s experience.
A large part of Robert’s research on game mechanics has been around the psychology of achievements, appealing to one’s competitive ego and understanding two distinct personalities: incrementalists and completionists. Robert is in the process of building a gaming engine for the WhyHire.me community, that will ultimately serve as a framework for motivation without encouraging nonconstructive community behaviours (i.e. just getting the most points). His goal is to educate their users with relevant advice based on each user’s chosen career path, congratulate completion of learning modules and tasks, and ultimately, make “fun” a consequence of a successful learning experience where the outcome can fundamentally benefit each user’s career. Based on his research, and the fact that everyone is talking about gaming mechanics, Robert thought it would be worth while to share some of his thoughts on this topic.
Agenda:
1 Gaming is huge, let me quantify it for you.
2. Don’t use the word Gamification (it’s as bad as Web 2.0).
3. Gaming is all about experience. That’s it.
4. The psychology of game theory
5. The evolution of gaming continues .. in 5 years .. in 10 years
For more information, see Robert’s article on the topic.
Robert is the co-founder of WhyHire.me, a startup that’s focused on connecting employers with talented students and recent-grads. WhyHire.me has helped almost 3,000 of its users establish powerful, relevant online resumes that are directly applicable to their chosen career path. As a speaker, Robert has had the opportunity to present to students across Canada talking about: career success, digital leadership, influence and interaction, and even game theory in social commerce. He enjoys participating in open-forum/panel discussions, and some of the more recent topics included: monetizing mobile apps, identity management, lessons for student entrepreneurs and social network awareness.
Where: The Code Factory, 2nd floor (Ring the buzzer to come to take the elevator to the 2nd floor)
When: Feb 17th, 2011 at 6pm
RSVP: Here
- Chris
The next TeamCamp meeting will be Feb 17th with @Robert_Saric. Robert will speak about Gamification of web applications/sites. More details to follow.
Note: there will be no regular TeamCamp meeting on Feb 3rd.
The last project night at TeamCamp was so successful that we’re going to do it again. We’ll keep working on projects underway. If you have a new idea for a project drop me a note and we’ll set aside some time to discuss it. If you’re new to TeamCamp, please make sure you review and acknowledge the TeamCamp Participation Agreement.
RSVP: here
Where: The Code Factory, ring the buzzer to take the elevator to the 2nd floor
When: Jan 20th, 2010 from 6:00 to 8:00PM
We now have a “tradition” at TeamCamp: everyone has an opportunity to make predictions about the year to come. It doesn’t have to be about technology; it can be about anything. Last December we gathered around the proverbial table, shared some Christmas cheer and shared our insights for 2011. But first, let’s take a look at our predictions for 2010:
Eric – Google Web Toolkit will take off making it easier to develop web apps:
Outcome: Well, yeah, I guess a few people use Google Webkit. Eric, we’ll give you that one.
Mike – 1. Oracle will have a challenging time trying absorb the Sun (and mysql) 2. Mashups.
Outcome: For sure the Oracle/Sun merger has been controversial. Should we be worried about the future of Java? Probably. On the other hand, there are lot’s of other/better opensource platforms out there.
Bryan – 1. HTML5 – Flash and Silverlight applications will start moving to HTML5. 2. ChromeOS
Outcome: Good one Bryan! More and more websites are deploying HTML5 and Apple decided not to support Flash on the iPad. Who knew? I guess Bryan did!
Fred – Real time video will start to appear on wireless devices. Other countries already have it, why not Canada?
Outcome: Yup, that’s happened too. For example, both “The March to Fear Alive” and the “The Rally to Restore Sanity” were both made available live on wireless devices. In addition, Apple launched Facetime on iPhone4.
Ian -1. The economy will “double dip”. 2. Twitter will figure out how to monetize its service – or suffer a steady decline in valuation.
Outcome: The economy definitely convulsed: Ireland, Greece… need I say more? Twitter has started to monetize its service. But I think the jury is still out on that one.
Cory – 1. There will be more angel and VC money and as a result more startups will stay in Ottawa rather then relocate to Silicon Valley. 2. The web will leverage people-power to greatly improve recommendation engines. 3. Google’s biggest threat will be the US Justice Dept.
Outcome: Another good prediction: example – Shopify received a 1st round of VC money, Protus was acquired for $213M.
Len – Social networks will dramatically change the way people search for and find work.
Outcome: Good call! More and more people find jobs through Twitter. LinkedIn has introduced social networking plugins. GitHub Jobs.
Chris – Hyperlocal web ecosystems will take off.
Outcome: While not an “ecosystem” there’s no doubt that Groupon has figured out how to tap into the Hyperlocal market and created a plethora of copy cats.
Although we hit some pretty good predictions, that were lots of things we didn’t predict:
- Curated content – applications like Flipboard has done a great job of providing beautifully formatted layouts of your Twitter feed.
- Netflix – Finally access to decent entertainment over the Internet at an affordable price. But who knew it would be so popular us to generate as much as 20% of the bandwidth on the Internet?
Now, predictions for 2011:
Ian – Sarah Palin will announce her attention to acquire Blackberry One (i.e. run for president). Well, she hunts – what more can we say? Also, she’s Glen Beck’s first choice. This prediction, by the way, is a direct outcome of the “Rally to Restore Fear” (or was in “Restoring Honour” – oh well, whatever). Against the advice of everyone, Ian’s second prediction: next year Rim’s global sales will flatten – this is the “end of the beginning”.
Filip – First prediction: Mobile devices will outsell PCs and laptops. Second prediction, native apps and web apps will unify into a single marketplace.
Mike – Small developer shops that develop apps as a craft will flourish. It will be a new “cottage industry”. Mike’s second prediction: 2011 will be the year of the app store, but there will be a big mess and a lot of failures.
Denis – Smart phones will become commoditized. Other smart phones will become “good enough”. Denis’ second prediction: we’ll see a regime change in South Korea or a war with North Korea.
Jean-Claude – As an outcome of WikiLeaks all diplomats throughout the world will be required to take extensive training on RSA AES256. (Mike’s prediction: they’ll still screw it up.)
Brian – The Playbook will crash and burn (within North America anyway). It won’t make a big dent in the enterprise market because companies are already thinking about moving to another platform. Brian thinks the Playbook will do OK globally. Brian’s second prediction: Poor offers on group buying sites will drive competition and lower margins.
Madhi – Nokia will rise again.
Chris – iPad will break into the enterprise market. Enterprises will start to deploy single purpose apps that access enterprise applications well suited to mobile platforms. related to this prediction, Chris predicts that the general purpose PC in the enterprise will be replaced by platforms that provide single purpose applications.
Bryan – Oracle will continue to screw up open source. Open office will not survive. Java will be screwed up. Bryan’s second prediction: The will be a lot of changes in banking. For example, Banksimple.
How will things really turn out in 2011? I guess will have to wait until next Christmas to find out. Stay tuned!
- Chris
It’s a TeamCamp Christmas! Last year we enjoyed some eggnog and festive treats while revealing our predictions for 2010. It was such a blast that we’ve decided to do it again! So get out your crystal ball and come on down to The Code Factory at 6pm at 246 Queen St. West, Ottawa, and let’s hear your predictions for 2011. Bring your favourite holiday treat.
RSVP here
When: Dec 16th, 2010 at 6pm
Where: The Code Factory, 246 Queen St. West, 2nd Floor (ring the buzzer to take the elevator)
Great post in Seth Godin’s blog this morning on where ideas come from. Seth has an uncanny way of summing things up concisely. You’ll notice that a lot of the items listed have to do with overcoming fear, or what Seth refers to as the “lizard brain”. That’s the little voice inside your head that says things like: “it’s been done before”, or “nobody would be interested in that” or “no one would ever pay for that”. Beat that little voice down because nothing ever gets done by not starting.
Got an idea to share? Want to overcome that little voice in your head? Come to TeamCamp next Thursday and share your idea. Who know’s, maybe you’ll spark the “next big thing”.
Where: The Code Factory, 246 Queen St. West
When: Thursday Dec 2nd at 6pm
RSVP: http://twegather.com/events/1655
If you’re new to TeamCamp please acknowledge the Participation Agreement
Start-up Guide to the Galaxy
Ha, you don’t know how long I’ve be waiting to use that line! Well, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit, but over the last couple of years we’ve learned a lot, collected some great resources and listened to fantastic speakers. For this 2nd anniversary edition post on the TeamCamp blog I thought it would be nice to provide some background and round up some of the of articles that are worth a read.
First things First
I still remember that day when I naively cold-called Ian Graham at The Code Factory (TCF): “Hi, I’ve got this idea for a web service. Do you know of anyone that might be interested in building it with me?” Ian’s response: ”Come on over. The first hour’s free.” Still not sure whether he was serious or not, I headed over to TCF and demo’d my very first web application, GiftMyList. Ian seemed impressed, enough so that he suggested I demo my application at DemoCamp. Then we had this notion that perhaps there are other people out there want to join the fun. Thus was born TeamCamp.
Where it all started – From zero to 60 in 6 seconds.
What is TeamCamp? – TeamCamp in slides.
The grand strategy – The kind of stuff our speakers talk about
Great ideas – they’re everywhere
Every great business starts with an idea. A germ of idea that gets tested, and then warped, then chewed up and spat out, so that you barely recognize what you started with. But don’t fret: all the best inventions started that way.
Tip of the ice berg – So you think your idea is so amazingly fantastic that you can’t share it ’cause someone might steal it – GET A LIFE!
What’s a good idea? – How do you know when you’ve got a great idea; something that you could actually sell?
Work it! Work it! – Collaborating to develop your idea (PS – this is where Twegather was created).
Life of a TeamCamper – This is what happens when you get really hooked.
Finding people to work with you
So you’ve got a great idea, or two, or ten. So what? Unless your friggin Einstein you’re probably going to need some help. And believe it or not, most people aren’t going to think much of your dumb-ass idea. You’ll need the 3 P’s: persistence, passion and patience. Keep at it. Show people that you’re idea will work. Build a Minimum Viable Product (see below). Pretty soon you’ll get your own tribe.
Do you have time to start something new? – Busting the “I don’t have enough time” myth.
Start your own “Camp” – Find a tribe to join and if you can’t find one then start your own.
Forming your first team – More expert advice on finding the right people for your team.
Bacon and Eggs – Important advice from some farm animals
Building a Start-up
Now you’ve got an idea, and a small team to work on it with you. What’s next?
Minimum Viable Product – The most import thing you need to do before you go any further.
Business Planning – How do you write a business plan for a web-based business? Clue: The back of a napkin works particularly well.
Business Models – Abundance vs. Scarcity – this will blow your mind.
Um, or you could just charge for it – A simple way to determine if your product/service has legs.
Change the rules baby! - Don’t simply settle for offering the same thing your competitor offers.
Dotting the ‘i’s and crossing the ‘t’s (or shit you may never need)
If you reach this point your really moving. You’ve got a working service, with some real customers, and some wild ass concept of a business model, and
Structuring your business – Everybody thinks this is the first thing they have to do. Reality: wait until you get your first paying customer.
Raising capital for your start-up – The absolutely best presentation ever on raising capital from the genius John Shannon (just don’t use the word “funding” in front of John).
Intellectual Property – You’re really motoring if you need this shit – and you will. PS – see the link for Neil Milton’s book. I’m sure he’ll give you a copy if you ask nicely.
After thoughts
For those of you that have been to TeamCamp, I hope you enjoyed this walk down memory lane; For those of you that have never been, you now should get the gist of some of the things we do.
Care to join us? Our next meeting is this Thursday, Nov 18th at 6pm in The Code Factory, 246 Queen St. Help us plan the 3rd year of TeamCamp. RSVP here.
Parting thoughts: becoming a “linchpin” – No matter what happens you’ll become a better person for trying.
Cheers,
TeamCamper Chris.
TeamCamp is 2 years old. In it’s 2nd year we focused on more speakers (1 per month), quarterly idea sharing nights (PitchFests) and the occasional Project Night. If your interested in sharing great ideas, building things, listening to great speakers, meeting like-minded people, and perhaps starting a company, please join us on Nov 18th and share your ideas on how you’d like to see TeamCamp evolve in its 3rd year.
Please let us know if you plan to come. RSVP via Twegather.
When: Thursday Nov 18th, 2010 at 6pm
Where: The Code Factory, 246 Queen St., Ottawa (Ring the buzzer to take the elevator to the 2nd floor)
About TeamCamp
TeamCamp is a series of events aimed at forming like-minded individuals into teams for the purpose of turning smart ideas into startups.
TeamCamp is for you if you are…
- Someone with an idea that you would like to turn into a web or software business;
- A full-time employee looking for part-time experience running a startup;
- A student looking for experience in being part of a startup;
- An experienced entrepreneur willing to share advice and lend a hand.
How do you get involved?
Step 1. Contact Chris: chrisjschmitt[@]gmail[dot]com or Ian Graham: info[at]thecodefactory[dot]ca.
Step 2. Review and acknowledge the TeamCamp Participation Agreement via email to Chris
Step 3. Request access to the TeamCamp pbwiki and the Stealthy Mailing List
Step 4. Attend the next meeting - Bring your ideas!
Unless otherwise noted, meetings are held every 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month.
We are extremely pleased to announce that Tony Bailetti will speaking at TeamCamp on October 7th.
Tony Bailetti is the Director of Ontario’s Talent First Network and the Director of the Technology Innovation Management program at Carleton University. He founded Lead to Win in 2002 and was part of the faculty that delivered the original program. Professor Bailetti holds a tenured faculty appointment in both the Eric Sprott School of Business and the Department of Systems and Computer Engineering at Carleton University. His teaching and research interestsare in commercialization of new technology. He was the Director of Carleton University’sSchool of Business from 1981 to 1988 and worked at Bell-Northern Research (part of Nortel) from 1988 to 1992. Professor Bailetti has published in engineering management journals such as IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, Journal of Product Innovation Management, Research Policy, and R&D Management. He won a Fulbright scholarship to study in the United States. In 1996 he won a Carleton University Teaching Award and in 2007 a Carleton University Leadership Breakthrough Award.
Please let us know if you plan to come. RSVP via Twegather.
When: Thursday Oct 7th, 2010 at 6pm
Where: The Code Factory, 246 Queen St., Ottawa (Ring the buzzer to take the elevator to the 2nd floor)
