The Manchester city region (see:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester_City_Region) – and across the wider region – has a wide range of well-established digital communities. This is be partly due to the size of the digital business sector in the region3, the number of students in higher education in the region (approximately 73,000 students in Manchester”suniversities4 alone), and Manchester”s transport infrastructure which includes a well-connected international airport with direct flights to many world capitals and a rail system that enables a person to travel from London to Manchester within two hours. The details of three existing digital communities – who they are, how they work, and some of their activities – are given below:
Manchester Digital is the independent trade association for the thriving digital sector in the North West of England. Manchester Digital”s members work together to make Manchester and the North West an even better place for Digital Business. Manchester Digital”s events programme brings members together where they can learn from each other and do business. The events range from the flagship annual Big Chip Awards – celebrating the best in digital talent from the region – to regular top quality seminars and evening events – such as the Manchester Digital Summer Barbecue5 – to small self-help groups and networks offering practical help and advice – such as Open Data in Practice6. On the website members exchange news, information on events, business opportunities and vacancies and can keep up to date by subscribing to MD’s RSS feeds. Manchester Digital is a non-profit association, independent of the public sector, but well connected with policy makers and committees, where they promote the sector’s interests. It is a democratic organisation with an elected council7.
Manchester Digital”s membership is mainly made up from existing digital business SMEs, with a number of freelancers and digital creatives. Manchester Digital is unique in Europe in that is a fee-based, membership-led organisation for the digital business sector that is independent from financial state support.
Website: http://www.manchesterdigital.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/mcrdig
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6127014011
GeekUp is a community of web designers, web developers, and other tech-minded folk from the UK. It’s a grassroots knowledge sharing and networking social for folks involved or interested in the web and technology industry. Monthly events8 take place in Chester, Doncaster, Grimsby (East Coast), Hebden Bridge, Lancaster, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham, Preston and Sheffield. GeekUp started as small social events in Manchester for freelancers and employees of digital SMEs who work “at the coalface” rather than at management level to meet, share ideas and knowledge and network. GeekUp was one of the first groups to tap into this demographic and as such saw huge success and has gone on to replicate the model in a number of locations in the UK.
GeekUp set up an online job board9 on their website to promote job opportunities to their members of the wider digital sector. GeekUp could be seen as a more grass-roots level version of Manchester Digital.
Website: http://geekup.org/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/geekup
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/groups/geekup/
Manchester Digital Laboratory MadLab is a building in the Northern Quarter area of Manchester”s city centre that opened in September 2009. The Madlab describes itself as, “…a community space for people who want to do and make interesting stuff – a place for geeks, artists, designers, illustrators, hackers, tinkerers, innovators and idle dreamers – an autonomous R&D laboratory and a release valve for Manchester’s creative communities.” Operating as a volunteer-led, non-profit organisation, the MadLab has quickly established itself as the “go to” place for Manchester”s digital and creative communities to meet and network, as can be seen from the range of groups that meet and the events that take place there – electronics hacking days, creative coding, girl geek tea parties, and more – which have involved participants from not just the Manchester and North West England geographic areas, but also from across the UK, and internationally from the USA, South Korea and more.
The MadLab is important as it is an open space where anyone with an interest in digital technologies can set up their own community of interest.
Website: http://madlab.org.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/madlabuk
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/madlabuk/
In addition MDDA works in partnership with a wide range of Manchester Digital SMEs who are actively engaged in supporting developer communities, the list below provides a cross section of these locally based SMEs who will be engaged through the project at a number of different levels:
PRWD: A highly experienced user experience consultancy and web application development agency, providing expert services in generating return-on-investment for businesses of all sizes, whose clients have included the Royal Mail & Manchester Airport.
Pushon: An Online Marketing agency who develop strategies and campaigns for companies to gain maximum business benefit and value from their investment by increasing relevant site traffic, increasing conversion rates, and thereby increasing revenues. Recently they have been working with Manchester Metropolitan University Business School on a research project that has led to the creation of Digital
Directions: How Business Decision-Makers in the North West use the Internet.
Cahoona: A company that work”s with businesses and organisations in communicating better with their audience online. Using the latest techniques and innovations they build websites that are functional and usable, for example with Umbro Industries (part of Nike) to re-position their brand and engage with their desired market segments using digital technologies.
Stardotstar: Develop creative interactive digital content & tools for companies & public sector organisations. At this year”s Big Chip awards they won 3 awards for Best use of Technology with the iPhone App Nosey Parker, Best E-Learning with Things to Come for the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Best New Media Agency award.
Code Computer Love: An award winning digital marketing and communications agency who provide digital brand-building, strategy, design, animation, site/systems development & support to a wide variety of well know companies such as Matalan, HMV & Sharwood”s.
Vanilla Storm: specialise in providing secure eCommerce business solutions for small businesses.
Reading Room: Provide digital communications products & services to clients such as Skoda UK & the Open University with a staff of more than 150.
Amaze: A pan-European integrated marketing and technology company media and technology and a New Media Age top twenty agency based in Manchester, whose clients include Coca Cola Enterprises, BT Global Services & Manchester United TV.
Future Everything: An award winning, world class organisation which for the last 15 years has organised and run the Future Everything conference focusing on mass participation in creativity and social innovation to bring the future into the present.
Magnetic North: Digital design company who create commissioned work for some of the world”s most interesting companies and brands including the BBC & Tate Gallery.
Westhawk: An established, independent bespoke software house with more than 15 years of successful business and technology experience who have worked with the likes of Honeywell a Fortune 100 company in developing a simulation of chemical plants, whilst also developing a unique piece of VoIP software which gives website owners the ability to add telephony to their users’ online experience.
CTI: Specialise in the development of web applications, eCommerce & CMS sites for SMEs and Blue-chip companies for the last 12 years. Some of their portfolio of clients has included working with the e4 TV programme Hollyoaks on an interactive campaign and with TNT Freight on a website to link into an offline marketing campaign.