For anyone in the financial community who is interested in the potential of what Don Tapscott calls "Wikinomics," this weekend saw the Toronto technology community embrace the collaboration form to generate new ideas for the TTC's obsolete website. The one day event -- held at the popular Gladstone Hotel on Queen Street West -- brought together the TTC's top brass including Chair Adam Giambrone and Commissioner Joe Mihevic with some very smart and enthusiastic brainstorming participants.

Organized by many of the people who bring the city its successful BarCamp and DemoCamp Wiki-organized gatherings (David Crow - thanks), the Toronto Transit Camp is a case study in how the "Wisdom of Crowds" phenomenon can be applied to difficult problems.

In his opening remarks to camp participants Jay Goldman, of Radiant Core, said the day would provide answers to these three questions:

How do we improve the dialogue between ttc and its ridership?

How do we apply the BarCamp group problem-solving model to other problems?

How do we build bridges between different creative communities in the city?

The day's events provided answers to the first question. It seems everyone left on a high knowing that they'd contributed to improving the city and "Bettering the Better Way." Mark Kuznicki, of ReMarkk Consulting, framed the day's events as an approach or system that can be used to tackle city-related issues. Here is an excerpt from Mark's blog:

This was an experiment in bringing BarCamp event practices, social media and online collaboration tools and community stewardship practices to the rest of the world - the real world. Web 2.0 obsessed technologists (this means you DemoCamp) often forget that technology is a means, not an end. Transit Campers were challenged to become city-builders and at the end of the day an amazing new community was born armed (...read more...)