#HackingCBCMTL: What is a hackathon?

Most of us have heard of a"hackathon"before, but not many people know what it actually is.

The word "hacker" might conjure the image ofa person who goes into your computer and steals your personal information.

• #HackingCBCMTL: How can we use tech to help cover the news?
• Managing Director's blog: Why host a community hackathon?
• Hacking Health on the power of hackathons

But hacking can also be for good.

A hackathon is a collaborative event where dozens of people with both technical and non-technical expertiseget together and findcreative solutions to various problems, using technology.

CBC Montreal teamedup with International Startup Festival, Notman House and Open North to host its first ever community hackathon.

Whathappened at #HackingCBCMTL?

Over the course of the weekend, developers, designers and engaged media consumers came and worked on their ideas with our journalists at CBC Montreal.

The weekend started on Friday evening with idea pitches and team formation. The rest of the weekend wasspent hacking away, using whatever tools they choose, to help bring their idea to life.

To help them out, we provideddata for them to work with information about stories weve covered, our presence on social media, andopen data from the city, province and country.

CBC Montreal journalists werealsoon hand to demystify the news process and act as mentors.

On Sunday afternoon, the teams presented their prototypes to a panel of judges. The team with the winning ideawona grand prize.

What is the goal?

The goal of our hackathon is to make CBC Montreal more open, accessible and interactive.

The winning group wasthe groupthat createda product that will help us serve the public better.