Strength in Numbers
While preparing for the first event JayÂ? & Silent Rob will be helping host as well as preparing for BarCamp Vancouver, I find it important to appreciate these types of events and what can be accomplished by creating an established network of contacts. Looking no further than Seattle and as far South as the Silicon Valley, these two regions are highlighted by the presence of an abundance of tech companies. It should come as no suprise that companies often move or establish offices in these regions, specifically the Silicon Valley, to help increase their presence in the industry. If nothing else, the Valley takes notice.Â? Because there are so many Tech companies, the area is obviously filled with potential employees and potential customers. It becomes a case of strength in numbers.
Two companies that started in the area immediately come to mind when theÂ? idea of relocating to the Silicon Valley is tossed around areÂ? StubleUpon, the formally Calgary-based collaborative searching company, and Flickr, the formally Vancouver-based (although I’m sure I read something about Victoria, too)Â? photo-sharing site that helped bring tagging to the forefront. It’s more understandable that Flickr would have made the move South, having been acquired by Yahoo!, but would they have been able to avoid this move? Maybe, but it would have been more difficult.
Vancouver has established itself in several different arenas - a hotbed for biotechnology andÂ? movies are two that come to mind. As those Industries became more established,Â? momentum within them built on itself. Could thisÂ? happenÂ? in the Internet Industry? While there is no specific reason why it can’t happen, it will be important for efforts in the industry to be made in a way that helps companies create attentionÂ? and awareness for eachother and the industry in the area, to help prevent the required move South.
Companies like DabbleDB, NitobiÂ? (or Ebusiness Applications), Sxip IdentityÂ? are just three examples of companies making their wayÂ? through this Web 2.0 revolution of the Internet, with some of the most innovative ideas and applications on the Internet. It can’t be ignored that sites likeÂ? ClubVibes, ClubZone, and online gambling company BoDogÂ? also have a presence in the Vancouver area. With companies like Bryght still feeling the need to open an office in San Francisco (for the understandable reason of their client base in the area), there is still more room to grow to create an industry in VancouverÂ? that is self-sustaining within the area and a resource to the rest of the world. Hopefully, eventsÂ? like ours and largerÂ? ones like BarCamp help bring the strength in number that the area needs to achieve that goal.Â?