Values vs. Interests in IG was RE: [Advisors] Internet Society activities in Canada: Expression of interest + survey

James Van Leeuwen jvl at ventus.ca
Fri, 21 Dec 2012 21:05:44 -0700


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Michael,

implementation begins with crafting simple, consistent and compelling =
value propositions to digital tool users (instead of advocacy positions =
for government or industry).

Doing this right will mean not just membership in large numbers, but =
substantial operating revenue from membership fees.

For convenience, assume there were ten million digital tool users in =
Canada (conservative).

Assume that one percent of these were willing to spend $10 for an annual =
membership (100,000 members).

How much impact could a national 'Digital User Club' have with an =
operating budget of $1 million, given the enormous leverage of the =
Internet for engaging and serving ICT users?

Assume the Club excelled in fulfilling its mandate to its members, and =
after ten years there were five million Canadians paying $20 for an =
annual membership.

How much impact could the Club have with an operating budget of $100 =
million?


That's the kind of serious leadership clout Canada is going to need to =
catch up with the world and get back in the lead.

The $1 million and $100 million revenue figures are both realistic =
objectives for three-year and ten-year growth plans.

By comparison, the Canadian Automobile Association now serves 5.6 =
million members through nine regional auto clubs which collectively =
operate 140 offices across the country.

For every dozen people on this email distribution, there should be an =
average of two CAA members.=20

I am one myself.



What value propositions did Auto Clubs offer to early motorists?

These clubs emerged in abundance just over a century ago, generally to =
address the need for better road networks and better protocols for using =
road networks (rules of the road, including speed limits).

They really took off when Ford began producing the Model T (1908), =
because motoring suddenly became affordable for a much greater =
percentage of the population (strong parallel to proliferation of ICT).=20=


Club activities focused on lobbying local and senior governments for =
more investment in new and better roads (as we need with broadband), and =
lobbying automobile industries to adopt more and better design and =
manufacturing standards (as we need for ICT).=20

Key issues with the auto industry were enabling interchangeability of =
parts (standards), improving overall reliability, and reducing the =
overall costs of owning and operating automobiles (as we need with ICT - =
I'm sick of replacing defunct batteries).

Auto Clubs pioneered the fields of automobile damage and liability =
insurance, which remain key sources of revenue for them (--> lower risk =
and cost of ownership).

They also pioneered roadside assistance, which I've used at least half a =
dozen times in my thirty-five years of driving (--> lower operating =
risk).=20

In climates like ours, this service alone is worth the cost of my annual =
CAA membership.

Imagine the same for ICT, with on-site diagnostics and repairs, =
including replacing dead batteries (seriously).

I don't want to have to book an appointment with a 'genius' at the Apple =
Store.=20

In my hour of need, I want technical support to come to me.=20



Many local and regional associations were initially called Good Road =
Associations, and today there are slightly different organizations that =
now operate under the same name.=20

They generally serve the interests of municipal governments, rather than =
directly serving the interests of motorists.

It didn't take long for governments to recognize the value of more and =
better roads to improving liberty, security and prosperity, and they =
understandably became a high priority in government affairs.

They remain so to this day, and broadband networks will eventually enjoy =
similar status.=20


As road networks and protocols improved and motoring became commonplace, =
Auto Clubs grew and amalgamated, and broadened the scope of their =
activities.=20

Their emphasis shifted from improving road networks and protocols to =
improving design and operation of automobiles, with security as their =
overarching objective (motoring is still a leading cause of death and =
injury).

We can thank Auto Clubs for driving industry adoption of seatbelts, and =
more recently, for driving government adoption of mandatory seatbelt =
legislation.

Most recently, they have played central roles in driving government =
adoption of distracted driving legislation.

There are similar needs for ICT users, as the Amanda Todd story =
powerfully illustrates.=20

Cyberbullying can have tragic consequences.=20

So can cyberfraud.=20


I drafted that eCitizen Club discussion paper more than three years ago.

The document could use some revision, but the basic concept makes even =
more sense to me now than it did back then.=20

I have since lost virtually all confidence in the leadership abilities =
of government and industry for advancing digital economy and society in =
Canada.=20

They cannot lead effectively, and if I could wave a magic wand and =
conjure the leadership I think we require, it would look a lot like the =
eCitizen Club as I envision it.=20

The best I can do for now is stimulate interest and dialog around the =
idea, in the hope of shaping it into something actionable.

It's up the flagpole...=20

James






On 2012-12-21, at 4:28 PM, "michael gurstein" <gurstein@gmail.com> =
wrote:

> =20
> Thanks James, yes I remember reading this earlier=85 It is a very =
interesting idea but I have no idea how one would go about implementing =
it=85 and to some degree it is what ISOC is attempting to do=85
> =20
> M
> =20
> From: James Van Leeuwen [mailto:jvl@ventus.ca]=20
> Sent: Friday, December 21, 2012 6:52 AM
> To: garykenward@eastlink.ca; michael gurstein; advisors@tc.ca; Evan =
Leibovitch
> Subject: Re: Values vs. Interests in IG was RE: [Advisors] Internet =
Society activities in Canada: Expression of interest + survey
> =20
> Forgot the attachment (thanks Michael)
> =20


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-webkit-line-break: after-white-space; =
"><div>Michael,</div><div><br></div><div>implementation begins with =
crafting simple, consistent and compelling value propositions to digital =
tool users (instead of advocacy positions for government or =
industry).</div><div><br></div><div>Doing this right will mean not just =
membership in large numbers, but substantial operating revenue from =
membership fees.</div><div><br></div><div>For convenience, assume there =
were ten million digital tool users in Canada =
(conservative).</div><div><br></div><div>Assume that one percent of =
these were willing to spend $10 for an annual membership (100,000 =
members).</div><div><br></div><div>How much impact could a national =
'Digital User Club' have with an operating budget of $1 million, given =
the enormous leverage of the Internet for engaging and serving ICT =
users?</div><div><br></div><div>Assume the Club excelled in fulfilling =
its mandate to its members, and after ten years there were five million =
Canadians paying $20 for an annual =
membership.</div><div><br></div><div>How much impact could the Club have =
with an operating budget of $100 =
million?</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>That's the kind of =
serious leadership clout Canada is going to need to catch up with the =
world and get back in the lead.</div><div><br></div><div>The $1 million =
and $100 million revenue figures are both realistic objectives for =
three-year and ten-year growth plans.</div><div><br></div><div>By =
comparison, the Canadian Automobile Association now serves 5.6 million =
members through nine regional auto clubs which collectively operate 140 =
offices across the country.</div><div><br></div><div>For every dozen =
people on this email distribution, there should be an average of two CAA =
members.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>I am one =
myself.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>What =
value propositions did Auto Clubs offer to early =
motorists?</div><div><br></div><div>These clubs emerged in abundance =
just over a century ago, generally to address the need for better road =
networks and better protocols for using road networks (rules of the =
road, including speed limits).</div><div><br></div><div>They really took =
off when Ford began producing the Model T (1908), because motoring =
suddenly became affordable for a much greater percentage of the =
population (strong parallel to proliferation of =
ICT).&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Club activities focused on lobbying =
local and senior governments for more investment in new and better roads =
(as we need with broadband), and lobbying automobile industries to adopt =
more and better design and manufacturing standards (as we need for =
ICT).&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Key issues with the auto industry =
were enabling interchangeability of parts (standards), improving overall =
reliability, and reducing the overall costs of owning and operating =
automobiles (as we need with ICT - I'm sick of replacing defunct =
batteries).</div><div><br></div><div>Auto Clubs pioneered the fields of =
automobile damage and liability insurance, which remain key sources of =
revenue for them (--&gt; lower risk and cost of =
ownership).</div><div><br></div><div><div>They also pioneered roadside =
assistance, which I've used at least half a dozen times in my =
thirty-five years of driving (--&gt; lower operating =
risk).&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>In climates like ours, this =
service alone is worth the cost of my annual CAA =
membership.</div><div><br></div><div>Imagine the same for ICT, with =
on-site diagnostics and repairs, including replacing dead batteries =
(seriously).</div><div><br></div><div>I don't want to have to book an =
appointment with a 'genius' at the Apple =
Store.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>In my hour of need, I want =
technical support to come to =
<b><i>me</i></b>.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>=
<div>Many local and regional associations were initially called Good =
Road Associations, and today there are slightly different organizations =
that now operate under the same =
name.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>They generally serve the interests =
of municipal governments, rather than directly serving the interests of =
motorists.</div></div><div><br></div><div>It didn't take long for =
governments to recognize the value of more and better roads to improving =
liberty, security and prosperity, and they understandably became a high =
priority in government affairs.</div><div><br></div><div>They remain so =
to this day, and&nbsp;broadband networks will eventually enjoy similar =
status.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><div>As road =
networks and protocols improved and motoring became commonplace, Auto =
Clubs grew and amalgamated, and broadened the scope of their =
activities.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div></div><div>Their emphasis shifted =
from improving road networks and protocols to improving design and =
operation of automobiles, with security as their overarching objective =
(motoring is still a leading cause of death and =
injury).</div><div><br></div><div>We can thank Auto Clubs for driving =
industry adoption of seatbelts, and more recently, for driving =
government adoption of mandatory seatbelt =
legislation.</div><div><br></div><div>Most recently, they have played =
central roles in driving government adoption of distracted driving =
legislation.</div><div><br></div><div>There are similar needs for ICT =
users, as the Amanda Todd story powerfully =
illustrates.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Cyberbullying can have =
tragic consequences.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>So can =
cyberfraud.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>I drafted that =
eCitizen Club discussion paper more than three years =
ago.</div><div><br></div><div>The document could use some revision, but =
the basic concept makes even more sense to me now than it did back =
then.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>I have since lost virtually all =
confidence in the leadership abilities of government and industry for =
advancing digital economy and society in =
Canada.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>They cannot lead effectively, and =
if I could wave a magic wand and conjure the leadership I think we =
require, it would look a lot like the eCitizen Club as I envision =
it.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The best I can do for now is =
stimulate interest and dialog around the idea, in the hope of shaping it =
into something actionable.</div><div><br></div><div>It's up the =
flagpole...&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>James</div><div><br></div><div>=
<br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><br><div><div>On =
2012-12-21, at 4:28 PM, "michael gurstein" &lt;<a =
href=3D"mailto:gurstein@gmail.com">gurstein@gmail.com</a>&gt; =
wrote:</div><br class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote =
type=3D"cite"><div lang=3D"EN-US" link=3D"blue" vlink=3D"purple" =
style=3D"font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; =
font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; =
line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: =
0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: =
0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; =
"><div class=3D"WordSection1" style=3D"page: WordSection1; "><div =
style=3D"margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times =
New Roman', serif; "><span style=3D"font-size: 11pt; font-family: =
Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); ">&nbsp;</span></div><div =
style=3D"margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times =
New Roman', serif; "><span style=3D"font-size: 11pt; font-family: =
Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); ">Thanks James, yes I =
remember reading this earlier=85 It is a very interesting idea but I =
have no idea how one would go about implementing it=85 and to some =
degree it is what ISOC is attempting to do=85<o:p></o:p></span></div><div =
style=3D"margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times =
New Roman', serif; "><span style=3D"font-size: 11pt; font-family: =
Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); ">&nbsp;</span></div><div =
style=3D"margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times =
New Roman', serif; "><span style=3D"font-size: 11pt; font-family: =
Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); =
">M<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style=3D"margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; =
font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span =
style=3D"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: =
rgb(31, 73, 125); ">&nbsp;</span></div><div><div style=3D"border-style: =
solid none none; border-top-width: 1pt; border-top-color: rgb(181, 196, =
223); padding: 3pt 0in 0in; "><div style=3D"margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; =
font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><b><span =
style=3D"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; =
">From:</span></b><span style=3D"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma, =
sans-serif; "><span class=3D"Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>James =
Van Leeuwen [mailto:jvl@<a href=3D"http://ventus.ca" style=3D"color: =
purple; text-decoration: underline; ">ventus.ca</a>]<span =
class=3D"Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br><b>Sent:</b><span =
class=3D"Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>Friday, December 21, 2012 =
6:52 AM<br><b>To:</b><span class=3D"Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><a=
 href=3D"mailto:garykenward@eastlink.ca" style=3D"color: purple; =
text-decoration: underline; ">garykenward@eastlink.ca</a>; michael =
gurstein;<span class=3D"Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><a =
href=3D"mailto:advisors@tc.ca" style=3D"color: purple; text-decoration: =
underline; ">advisors@tc.ca</a>; Evan Leibovitch<br><b>Subject:</b><span =
class=3D"Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>Re: Values vs. Interests in =
IG was RE: [Advisors] Internet Society activities in Canada: Expression =
of interest + survey<o:p></o:p></span></div></div></div><div =
style=3D"margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times =
New Roman', serif; "><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></div><div><div style=3D"margin: =
0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', =
serif; ">Forgot the attachment (thanks =
Michael)<o:p></o:p></div></div><div><div style=3D"margin: 0in 0in =
0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; =
"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></div></div></div></div></blockquote></div><br></body><=
/html>=

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