Exciting things are coming to North Carolina for startups! The Startup America Partnership Program is coming to NC with the Startup NC Launch event at the RTP Foundation headquarters on Monday August 20! On Tuesday August 21, the Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED) will be hosting the Startup Resource Fair held again at the RTP Foundation headquarters. Tickets are still available.
What a great place to network and find out what is going on with the startup environment in the area. I will be there and will let you know what I found interesting at these 2 events.
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Monday, August 6, 2012
A Change in Perspective and Back...
Tonight was one of those rare moments where you get to see another side of the story, especially another side of a story that up until now irked you. A story that you had researched and could find no reason for why the story was playing out the way it was.
I sat in on the Information Services Advisory Board (ISAB) for the Town of Cary. As the newly appointed Chair of the Technology Task Force, I wanted to find out why the Task Force was needed in the first place and why the recent social media channels rolled out by the Town seemed to be so primitive in their use of these new media channels (Note - These are my opinions only and I am the only one responsible for them...) See here, here, here and here.
I will mention that I was the only citizen sitting in on this open meeting. My views had already been sent directly to the Town PIO, Susan Moran, and despite her claiming very bad vision, it is possible that all of Susan's comments in the meeting were skillfully directed at me. After a quick thought about my relative self-importance, I must discount this possibility and realize that Susan's comments and the meeting in general was a normal ISAB meeting.
All that the ISAB discussed in the meeting was social media!
What I will quibble about is the amount of time that the group will devote to developing their annual report to Council... Most of this ISAB meeting was devoted to brainstorming and trying to develop a "creative" way to deliver their report to Council. Since they *cannot* discuss anything ISAB related outside of the meeting, this will mean they will spend their next meeting (which will be extended beyond their normal 1 hour meeting) to develop their scripted and produced presentation of the annual report that was approved within minutes of the start of tonight's meeting...
If the volunteers develop a creative way to report a decision that was made by the public body, and if they will not expand upon or change this information, why do they need to meet in public??? When staff is directed to develop a report do they have to do it in a public forum? The presentation draft would have to be reviewed and approved at the next ISAB public meeting anyway so that it can be presented to Council... What a waste of volunteer time with over ~1/6 or ~17% of their time developing a way to report on their activities to Council!
Now I know why the Technology Task Force is required. How much time does the ISAB really have to advise?
I sat in on the Information Services Advisory Board (ISAB) for the Town of Cary. As the newly appointed Chair of the Technology Task Force, I wanted to find out why the Task Force was needed in the first place and why the recent social media channels rolled out by the Town seemed to be so primitive in their use of these new media channels (Note - These are my opinions only and I am the only one responsible for them...) See here, here, here and here.
I will mention that I was the only citizen sitting in on this open meeting. My views had already been sent directly to the Town PIO, Susan Moran, and despite her claiming very bad vision, it is possible that all of Susan's comments in the meeting were skillfully directed at me. After a quick thought about my relative self-importance, I must discount this possibility and realize that Susan's comments and the meeting in general was a normal ISAB meeting.
All that the ISAB discussed in the meeting was social media!
What I will quibble about is the amount of time that the group will devote to developing their annual report to Council... Most of this ISAB meeting was devoted to brainstorming and trying to develop a "creative" way to deliver their report to Council. Since they *cannot* discuss anything ISAB related outside of the meeting, this will mean they will spend their next meeting (which will be extended beyond their normal 1 hour meeting) to develop their scripted and produced presentation of the annual report that was approved within minutes of the start of tonight's meeting...
If the volunteers develop a creative way to report a decision that was made by the public body, and if they will not expand upon or change this information, why do they need to meet in public??? When staff is directed to develop a report do they have to do it in a public forum? The presentation draft would have to be reviewed and approved at the next ISAB public meeting anyway so that it can be presented to Council... What a waste of volunteer time with over ~1/6 or ~17% of their time developing a way to report on their activities to Council!
Now I know why the Technology Task Force is required. How much time does the ISAB really have to advise?
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