DCP - Innovating Workforce Development

Digital City Project
Innovating workforce development with social media

3 areas of focus
Workforce development
On-line multimedia content and services
Digital City Open platform software infrastructure
The chess game….

Innovating Workforce Development
Connecting Cyberspace to Meatspace
Interactive Multimedia Content and Services
Dashboard software
Virtuous circle of volunteerism and training
Software Infrastructure
Sustainable Business Model

On-line world connects to Real world
Getting people comfortable with computers
All jobs in the future will require tech skills
Learning by doing
If they can:
play videogames
use an ATM or remote control
program their mobile phone

Social Media as a vehicle
Social Networking
Blogging
Activity Streams
Meetups
Flash Mobs
Groups

Haves helping the Have Nots
Matching knowledge and expertise to those who need it
Volunteers operate Live Video Help
Master craftsmen work with Interns
Urban Farming, Senior Citizens, Health clinics
Wide range of job skills

I used to be famous
22 years ago I said I wanted to build Multimedia Encyclopedias

MacroMind/Macromedia
1st multimedia player = 1984
1st multimedia authoring system = 1985
1st author once, playback on many platforms = 1988

But we needed to be on-line
Between 1990-1994 85% of CD ROMs were created with our tool - Director
25,000 titles, only room for 300 in the channel
Then the thin straw came along (dial-up Internet)
We went backwards (no more video or photos)
15 years later we’re right back to where we were

Wikipedia is bricks & mortar
Text + Photos
Community creation
Web links
2M entries
But the old school form of knowledge and education

Interactive On-Line Multimedia Content and Services
Picking up where the Multimedia Revolution left off in 1994
Video, simulations, annotated diagrams, animated charts, visualizations
Multimedia Encyclopedia is how people will learn and knowledge will be stored
Every Foundation, Government and Brand has a topic or issue they’ll sponsor

Multimedia Encyclopedias
Animated Charts of battles
Videos and exploded annotated diagrams of Green Jobs skills
Interactive simulations of Polymers
3d Visualizations of any data or info

Free Dashboard software
Social Networking
Activity Streams
Blogging
Media Sharing
Live Video Help
Points
Volunteerism
Training
Facebook Import

Virtuous Circle
Utilizes live Video Help to intern and train
Volunteerism
Training
Points
Live Events
Project management and coordination
Based at digital bureaus

What is a Digital City?
In the 90’s = access
In the 00’s = social media
In the 10’s = software infrastructure

Software Infrastructure
Open Digital City platform
Shared servers – two-way APIs:
Digital City ID
Regional timeline of historical events
Jobs, Events, Business directory
Webcam and location pages
For others to build on top of
Open Standards – Open Stack

Software as infrastructure
Dashboard is persistent, throughout the region
Dashboard adapts itself to the city it’s in
An ‘operating system’, that knows it’s context
Features and services available to all
Solutions, Compelling Experiences
Applications and Services
Hardware, Bandwidth, Servers, Access

A Day in the life of a Digital City

Webcams and Location pages
See top 16 webcams, editorially selected
Rotate throughout the day
Click on webcam, go to a location page
Location pages:
Who lives by
Photos, videos
Other webcams
Leave comments,
Reviews, Media, Links
On shared servers

Regional Alliance
Digital Bureaus are the nodes in a distributed architecture
Build on the strength of many:
Lorain
Akron
Youngstown
Cleveland
Columbus
20 employees, 100 trainees per node
$75k per month

Sustainable Business Model
501c3 solicits funding from government and foundations
Use the money 3:1 ways:
Build out the MM Content and Services
Train workers in the skills necessary to do that
Create and maintain Open Digital City platform

More than just Creative Jobs
Wide of range of jobs interned and trained
Sales, Marketing
Ops, Live Events
Urban Farming
Health-Wellness
Media Records digitizing
Management

NEO is the Pilot
Initial Alpha test in Youngstown
Use the Regional Alliance to set of nodes in:
Akron
Greater University Circle
Collinwood
Lakewood
Also:
Lorain
Columbus

Ex-Auto Workers
Another angle to focus on
Get them comfortable using computers, see what happens
Different kind of Alliance – DOL
Kokomo, IN
Warren, OH
Flint, MI

Advisors/Supporters
George Nemeth – social media maven
Jim Cossler– YBI portfolio company
Lev Gonick – CWRU
Ed Morrison – Purdue Center for Regional Development
Mark Hill – Strategist/Biz dev
Miles Gilburne –VC/Angel investor
Kent Smith – Cuyahoga County Democratic club

Looking for
Funding
Partners
Legal representation
Customers