about bizdev

Hi,

I'm new to bizdev, but I'd like to add my comments and
make some
suggestions.  I hope I don't step on any toes.

I think the primary mission of bizdev should be:

"To support and accelerate the growth of OO related
companies by
providing an array of targeted services and
resources."

This parallels the mission of most business incubators. 
Specifically
I think the most important services are/should be:

1) The Business Directory

This Project can become something very useful,  to the
people looking
for OO services and to the businesses listed in the
directory.  But
the information is useless unless it is organized and
accurate.  I
think that we should raise the barrier to being added to the
list
slightly, so that we can be sure that the consultants listed
are
serious about supporting OO.  I think every consultant
listed should
provide the name of the company, full address, phone, and a
link to
their website.  The link should point to a page that details
the kind
of OO services they provide and link back to the directory. 
This
proves the individual is serious and also provides an easy
way to
validate the list.  If the site is down the company is
probably no
longer in business.  If we simply have a disorganized wiki
with no
barrier to entry and no validation it becomes useless to
prospective
clients which in turn makes it useless to the companies
listed.

The business directory as it stands, is written by
consultants, for
consultants.  A potential client is not going to enjoy
parsing
CPSHILT.  It needs to be formatted with it's prospective
audience in
mind.  Also we need to consider how this audeince locates
this list in
the first place... google?  openoffice.org? ask on the
mailing lists?


2) A Community for Consultants

This can be provided with a mailing list, forum, or any
number of
technical implementations, but growing an active community
isn't so
simple.  We need to find ways to reward participation.  We
also need a
core team, to help the community build steam.

3) Featured Business

I think we need to highlight one exceptional business on a
regular
basis (weekly/monthly).  A short article, pictures, a little
technical
information, how to solve a specific problem, advice on
dealing with
clients , etc.  The featured business would supply most of
the
content.  This creates positive exposure for the featured
business and
provides incentive to create content.  The content provides
information for new businesses, and stimulates activity and
dialogue
in the community.

I suggest working on these three, as this projects core
missions,
until it is successful enough to take on others.

I also think this group should stay seperate from marketing,
although
we should move projects like whitepapers etc, to marketing,
and
concentrate on business community development.  Whitepapers
and such
cross over, but I think should fall under the mission of
marketing.

Does anyone agree?  Is there enough of a community out there
now to
make this work?  If not can we recruit anybody?

--
Best regards,

Sherman Boyd

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Hello Sherman,
thanks a lot for your input. You do have some great ideas.
See my other
comments inline.


>
> "To support and accelerate the growth of OO
related companies by
> providing an array of targeted services and
resources."

interesting way of stating the project's mission, indeed.

>
> This parallels the mission of most business incubators.
 Specifically
> I think the most important services are/should be:
>
> 1) The Business Directory

>
> The business directory as it stands, is written by
consultants, for
> consultants.  A potential client is not going to enjoy
parsing
> CPSHILT.  It needs to be formatted with it's
prospective audience in
> mind.  Also we need to consider how this audeince
locates this list in
> the first place... google?  openoffice.org? ask on the
mailing lists?

Hmm, we had a long conversation about this at the beginning
of the project
but I don't remind what actually came out of it. I think we
were looking
for trackability and exhaustiveness more than interfacing
with the broad
community and people out there... Might be worth
reconsidering this
question, though, if the project leads wish so.

>
>
> 2) A Community for Consultants
>
> This can be provided with a mailing list, forum, or any
number of
> technical implementations, but growing an active
community isn't so
> simple.  We need to find ways to reward participation. 
We also need a
> core team, to help the community build steam.

That was actually part of the initial plan. We have so far
failed and I
think this is really what Louis was talking about in the
first place.
There is unfortunately no magical solution for this. This is
obviously
community building, and I wasn't that good for the bizdev
in the first
place, I reckon.
>
> 3) Featured Business
>
> I think we need to highlight one exceptional business
on a regular
> basis (weekly/monthly).  A short article, pictures, a
little technical
> information, how to solve a specific problem, advice on
dealing with
> clients , etc.  The featured business would supply most
of the
> content.  This creates positive exposure for the
featured business and
> provides incentive to create content.  The content
provides
> information for new businesses, and stimulates activity
and dialogue
> in the community.

Some of the items you mentioned definitely belongs to the
Marketing
sphere, others are indeed meant to be here. But it is a
great idea,
indeed.
>
> I suggest working on these three, as this projects core
missions,
> until it is successful enough to take on others.

Yes.

>
> I also think this group should stay seperate from
marketing, although
> we should move projects like whitepapers etc, to
marketing, and
> concentrate on business community development. 
Whitepapers and such
> cross over, but I think should fall under the mission
of marketing.
>
> Does anyone agree?  Is there enough of a community out
there now to
> make this work?  If not can we recruit anybody?

I'm all for it, and I'm ready to help depending on my time
spent on other
OOo areas (the NLC and the newsletter) and my other
occupations.
But the project leads here should really tell if they feel
it's worth
giving this project a second chance.

Best,
Charles.

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Hi again,

Is there still an active leader for this project?  Who is
interested
in contributing to the project, and on what level?

I'd like to try and revive this project.


--
Best regards,

Sherman Boyd

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Hello Sherman,

Sherman Boyd a écrit :
> Hi again,
> 
> Is there still an active leader for this project?  Who
is interested
> in contributing to the project, and on what level?
> 
> I'd like to try and revive this project.

I believe the two project leads were fairly busy these last
days; first 
LWE at Boston and several other trips they had to make. I'm
sure they'll 
get back on this list soon.

Thanks for your interest,
Charles.

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I'd like to contribute, so as soon as the gentlemen in
charge get
back, please let me know.

On 4/11/06, Charles-H. Schulz <charles-h.schulzlaposte.net> wrote:
> Hello Sherman,
>
> Sherman Boyd a écrit :
> > Hi again,
> >
> > Is there still an active leader for this project? 
Who is interested
> > in contributing to the project, and on what level?
> >
> > I'd like to try and revive this project.
>
> I believe the two project leads were fairly busy these
last days; first
> LWE at Boston and several other trips they had to make.
I'm sure they'll
> get back on this list soon.
>
> Thanks for your interest,
> Charles.
>
>
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>
>


--
Best regards,

Sherman Boyd

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Sherman,

What would you like to do? Is there anything of special
interest to you?


Best regards,
Erwin




Sherman Boyd wrote:
> I'd like to contribute, so as soon as the gentlemen in
charge get
> back, please let me know.
> 
> On 4/11/06, Charles-H. Schulz <charles-h.schulzlaposte.net> wrote:
>> Hello Sherman,
>>
>> Sherman Boyd a écrit :
>>> Hi again,
>>>
>>> Is there still an active leader for this
project?  Who is interested
>>> in contributing to the project, and on what
level?
>>>
>>> I'd like to try and revive this project.
>> I believe the two project leads were fairly busy
these last days; first
>> LWE at Boston and several other trips they had to
make. I'm sure they'll
>> get back on this list soon.
>>
>> Thanks for your interest,
>> Charles.
>>
>>
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>>
>>
> 
> 
> --
> Best regards,
> 
> Sherman Boyd
> 
>
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> 

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> What would you like to do? Is there anything of special
> interest to you?


I'd like to start with maintenance of the consultants list.
 When
people ask to be added, they don't seem to get a quick
response. 
What's the chain of responsibility?  Who adds to the list?

The directory provides a valuable service to the consultants
on the
list.  Yahoo directory charges $300 USD a year, and they are
one of
the cheaper business listings.  We should raise the bar to
be on the
list:

1) A link to a page on their site describing the OO related
services
they provide should be required.

This gives us an easy way to cull the list.  If the link is
dead,
chances are they don't support OO anymore.

2) Phone number and address should be mandatory too.

I don't want to do business with an email address, and I'm
sure most
clients don't either.  If you don't have these two things
then you
probably aren't in business.

3) Exceptions could be made, under extraordinary
circumstances, such
as a rural or homeless OO consultant.  Hopefully this is a
rare
condition...  =)

In the end, if the list isn't accurate, and the consultants
on it are
not professional, or serious about supporting OO then the
list isn't
valuable to clients.  If it isn't valuable to clients it
isn't
valuable to the consultants on the list, except maybe to
increase
Google pagerank.

I know most of what I am saying is critical, but I see a
project that
is foundering.  I also see a project is a valuable one and
I'd like to
step in to support it however I can.  When I look around
this site, I
see evidence of a lot of hard work, by a very few people. 
Eventually
these people burn out.  For the project to succeed:

1) The quality of the Consultants Directory needs to
improve.
2) The work will need to be distributed among teams of
responsible individuals.
3) The projects goals need to be clearly defined.
4) The projects org chart and individual responsibilities
need to be defined.
5) The active participants should recieve some reward for
their work. 
Recognition, mention in the newsletter, perhaps a preferred
or
accented position on the list.  People need motivation.

Things I can do to help:

1) Consultant Directory maintenance.
2) Rework the copy on the Website, maybe a little graphic
design.
3) Provide a MySQL database, although I'm not sure why
it's preferable
to what you are using now.

I guess this is less an answer to your question, and more
about where
I would like to see the project going.  Sorry about that. 
Here are
some questions of my own:

Where is the project heading?

Who is actively contributing?

Where do I fit in?

Do my goals fit the project?

--
Best regards,

Sherman Boyd

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