Endgame: Part 5: The Community

This blog has been a frequent snowball fight over the very definition of that word. It simply means a lot of things to a lot of people. This year, perhaps, is the first time in my life that I’ve seen a more broader view in the way OWN has been able to contribute to the overall community, both technically, business and fund-wise.

Personal contributions are easy to measure. For the most part they are reported to IRS each year. Professional contributions, where companies sponsor events or send it’s employees to college, have a long lasting impact that is difficult to achieve on an individual basis. I am, on behalf of OWN, very thankful for what we’ve been able to do throughout 2008 on that front.

One of the interesting developments of 2008 has been the clear separation of businesses. SPFs simply ran out of business because it’s hard to scam people in a tough economy when people watch their money and double-check their decisions. Riff-raff went to the riff-raff festivals and joined hug groups that are milking them to a slow death. Lifestyle became a job. Arlin finally got money out of Microsoft to sponsor something meaningful. People, and companies, set themselves apart.

One of the new communities that I joined this year, which fundamentally changed my thinking and the further development of Own Web Now, is the Slimy Vendor Whore club.

We partnered up with Dana for a hosted security model.

We put a lot of muscle behind the offsite backup software we didn’t develop in house (first time doing that).

We sponsored ConnectWise summit and are going to be sponsoring AutoTask summit in the spring because the tide is rising and our partners demand integration.

We partnered up with competitors. A lot.

In 2007 and 2008 something interesting happened that radically changed the voice of the technology community out there. It is no longer a top down model, of Microsoft dictating the technology sector and platforms, putting some partners over others and abusing the monopoly. You no longer have to be “authorative” to speak nor do you need to be remarkably loud to be heard.

This has been a true game changer in the technology community and you can see it all over the place. From the technology magazines dying to IT conferences struggling to Microsoft flipping the middle finger to their partners – 2008 has been the year in which technology decidedly got a lot simpler and a lot easier to consume.

I for one feel that trend is set to continue and if the economic activity continues to decline we will see further demand for ease of use and straight forward pricing.