TechLudd, Web2Ireland and collaboration

Paul Walsh has a rather strong reaction to the TechLudd initiative which I mistakenly interpreted at first as a condescending put down. That was my knee-jerk reaction because I've met Antoin at OpenCoffee Limerick and recognize that TechLudd was born out of the entrepreneurial passion which rubbed off on him during his recent trip to Silicon Valley. But, while I may not have been as blunt as Paul, who's a networker and event organizer extraordinaire, Antoin should definitely take onboard his advice and feedback -

"The main advantage the Valley has... is that it’s a cluster. Ireland is so small that it should be easy to have a cluster - but this will be impossible if everyone is doing their own thing. We need more collaboration amongst the ecosystem stakeholders/influencers, not more initiatives to address collaboration.... If I had my way, I’d scrap this initiative and run whatever they had in mind, under Web2Ireland."

Speaking of Web2Ireland Conor O'Neill has transferred all his Blognation Ireland posts over and switched on an attractive new Wordpress theme there. If you haven't already, bookmark and subscribe!

UPDATE: I think Fergus Burns' comment to Paul's post really nails it. Clear thinking and wisdom shine through - "In summary its all about a successful ecosystem - we’re struggling to create one - and I question if we’ll ever have one. Its not about who does what - its about who does what for everyone - and creating success for a everyone."

Comments

[Marcus Mac Innes]

"...which I mistakenly interpreted at first as a condescending put down" - this was certainly my first impression and the reason I voiced my option on twitter. See comments on Paul's post for my take.

[Paul Walsh]

To be fair, I shouldn't have twittered my thoughts until articulating my view using the blog. To put something down in less than 140 characters was unkind of me.

Thanks for your very kind words James.

As it happens, I've already suggested to my peers in the UK that we collaborate to make for a better networking environment - central resource, less duplication etc. Every competitor is a potential partner in my opinion. This is slightly different to the subject in hand, but the concepts are the same.

[Niall Larkin]

This is a great and highly refreshing set-to. If nothing else it shows the passion, commitment, and energy of so many people on and off this island. If anyone is wondering if there is really a vibrant scene over here or whether its just a couple of people making a lot of noise then this kind of debate answers that question.

There's also a lot of talk about the size of the community here and the importance of cherishing the ecosystem. From a biological and ecological perspective people have little to worry about. Or they should be worrying less about it. In fact worrying about it is doing more harm than good.

Some of the points made are based on misunderstandings about what makes a healthy ecosystem in nature. For example some people have said that Ireland is small and therefore we need to be very careful and selective about what goes on here because of the image it might portray. From a bio-logical or eco-logical perspective that argument makes no sense. Also people have been talking about the importance of cultivating an ecosystem that fits with what we understand as attractive to outsiders as opposed to letting the ecosystem itself work it out. This also makes no sense from a bio-logical or eco-logical perspective. Assuming you want a vibrant, healthy and sustainable ecosystem some of this thinking needs to be reappraised.

Its often not so easy to communicated bio-logic or eco-logic to people steeped in a culture of techno-logic but bear with me as I try out an analogy. You know that little corner of your garden that is awkward to get to and is generally neglected? Well that's exactly the part of your garden that is host to a vibrant ecosystem that is teeming with life. It might be that a freewheeling attitude in our small patch in the garden, where anything goes and where survival of the fittest is allowed to operate naturally will in turn naturally give rise to the kind of vibrant scene that we all desire. And one that is naturally attracts the attention of outsiders if that's what people want or care about.