Business Association Italy America [BAIA] held an event in Palo Alto this past Wednesday evening, to address the topic of data portability and where the user fits in the various DP equations. You can find a PowerPoint deck covering the main points addressed by the panelists on SlideShare, a terrific website for posting and sharing presentations. Just click here and you can run through the slides.
About the same time I was preparing for the panel [I was the moderator], news started leaking about a new foundation with the word "open" in it, related to data. Here's what you need to know.
I spent around six months as an active volunteer in the DataPortability Project, which I still support -- largely because technologists and people like myself [liberal arts business folks] are working hard to address the question of how technology can understand and serve ease of movement around the Web. The inclusion of regular business people, as well as the focus on users, is what attracted me to the project. There are several excellent research and development organizations, but most of them are uncomfortable inviting business types into their folds. And they move very slowly.
What I learned during my time on the project is: there is a jihad afoot among so-called experts in openness and data portability. This jihad is all about power and influence -- not about the issue of data portability and certainly not about the people who are devoting a lot of time to making data more portable, legally and without an anarchistic ax to grind. The latest announcement and the silly people tricks associated with it, from all all sides of the jihad, wreaked yet another round of collateral damage upon the people who are really devoted to addressing data portability.
I left active duty with the DataPortability Project about ten weeks ago because, as someone with experience in handling these types of silly people tricks, I knew the time and energy required to deal with the high school-esque antics. While most of the antics were happening to people inside the project, there are a few there who contribute to these distractions. Further, most people in the project just didn't want to deal with stemming the bad behavior. While I can handle myself in either guerrilla or formal strategic battles, I prefer to focus on work. The weekly media manipulations and nasty assaults via wikis and blogs became too much for me to handle, so I moved to an inactive role.
So: I do not relish calling attention to this behavior. I tried to get it to stop, but to no avail. And as many of the folks involved are friends, I chose the path of least resistance. But things are out of control.
When I was preparing
for the BAIA panel and reviewing content, I invited the input and participation of
many in and around data portability who command the limelight. I know them, so
this was not a reach. Not only did I not receive any sort of input, I didn't
get a flicker of interest. While I'm used to the bad manners of many Silicon
Valleyites, this was pretty surprising. And telling. Because I thought that
even amid all the games they were playing, these folks cared about every effort
to illuminate data portability as a user issue -- no matter the size of the
effort or its reach. It was during all this that I really got a clue about why
data portability got the attention it did: as a way to further a few persons'
personal visibility.
Which leads me to a question: You companies out there who employ the folks at the forefront of data portability and open web and whatever, why do we never hear your names in all the publicity given by the major blogs, such as TechCrunch, ReadWriteWeb, Valleywag? It would seem to me that if you are employing this nobility of the Web, you would be getting some of the action. And some of the credit for the momentum around data portability. But all I hear are the names of illustrious individuals.
Further, it would seem that you would notice the bad blood flowing as a result of these folks' ability to waste a lot of time, on your dime. One of these days, that blood might splatter on you. Answers to this question are most welcome in the comments. If I've got this wrong, please elucidate. Because I want to get me some of that cash. Why volunteer when you can get paid to cause trouble? And let the unpaid volunteers do all the work?
Now, these folks have
done at least one useful thing. They have brought to light the
interesting question of how to make the movement and manipulation of Web content
profitable, valuable and useful to all concerned -- businesses and users
alike. That's why I ask all of you to demand from your information
sources -- journalists, bloggers, the various foundations, the jihadists
themselves -- accountability in analyzing and reporting facts and results in all
things data portability.
It's time to neutralize the impact of those who are
commanding and hogging media attention of all kinds. Demand real news from news sources. And grant some visibility to
the people who know what they're doing and are really devoted to the topic of data portability--
not using it to build castles or throw wars for their own amusement.
