Social Media & Social Software

Passion:

Development of an operating system for online social software. Already have experience in doing this from my previous company, RealCommunities.


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Product brochure for platform (CiviServer)
Product brochure for management tool (Producers Workbench)

Expertise:

• Product vision: ability to generalize from a specific example and then devise requirements for a general product or service.
• Product prototyping, specifications, management, development, and marketing.

Experience:

• Actively creating, developing and implementing online interactive software since January 1995 when my co-founder and I launched GolfWeb, an online website for golfers, that included a course database with reader reviews and playing parter matching.
• Envisioned social software application for golfers and formed and led team of product managers and developers. Launched "GolfWeb Players Club" in 6 months. Subscription service included a compelling application to enable golfers to improve their game, member profiles, reputation system, groups, viral marketing tools, and full integration with the golf course database including the ability of members to add content (e.g. tee lengths).
• Generalized the GolfWeb experience by researching sociological literature. Formalized findings in the "12 Principles of Civilization", a blueprint for successful online social software.
• Founded and ran RealCommunities, a startup that build a platform for social software based on the 12 Principles. Customers included eBay, ThirdAge, Women.com, and Hewlett-Packard.
• Proposed innovative subscription business model based on member reputation system to Napster.
• Wide variety of consulting engagements typically based on the 12 Principles framework.
• Envisioned and created the ResumeBlog service out of existing free social software services
• Founded and manage the Software Product Marketing (SPM) eGroup. This all-volunteer group succeesfully promoted its members, who were primarily seeking jobs, out of existence. The link goes to the Internet Archive version of the group. The pieces that continue are the 5,000 member job posting service (SPM Jobs) and the 1,000 member SPM discussion group.
• Developed a working prototype of a social networking site focused on professionals and their careers in January 2003.
• Regular speaker on social software, social networking, online communities, career blogs, and viral marketing.
• Creative visionary in the social media space.
• See also Typaldos.com, my blog, my ResumeBlog, and additional information on my two previous companies, GolfWeb and RealCommunities.

The 12 Principles of Civilization



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Online Career Profiles & Social Networking

Passion:

Online Career Profiles and Social Networking. Built a working prototype in January 2003 of a career profile social networking service. Business model included fees for:

• barter economy - transactions
• membership
• linking advertisers to testimonials (e.g. member product/service reviews)
• job postings
• project posting and project team bidding
• elearning, webcasts
• professional certifications

Expertise:

Innovative thinker, product visionary, author, expert authority, and speaker on the opportunities for online career networking:

• My article on Mark Granovetter's Strength of Weak Ties comes up number 4 in a Google search on "Strength of Weak Ties".
• Practical application of "Strength of Weak Ties" theory at my Software Product Marketing eGroup is featured in an article in the New York Times titled "A Little Help from Friends of Friends".

Experience:

• ProfGuilds (a.k.a. Working Persona) executive summary and presentation. Prototype is no longer available, however here is the working specification for the "Connections and Validations" and a screenshot of the member profile homepage.
• Founder and manager of the Software Product Marketing eGroup a.k.a. ProfGuilds.
• Regular speaker on the topic of social software.
• "My Career is MY Business" presentation

Software/Internet Marketing & Product Management

Passion:

Creation and development of innovative business models, products, and services that leverage the social media aspects internet.

Expertise:

• GolfWeb (acquired by CBS Sportsline)
• RealCommunities (acquired by Mongoose Technology)
• Consulting in social media, software and networking; online product marketing and management
• Developer and instructor for courses at UC Berkeley Extension and companies in "Software Product Marketing", "Consumer Website Marketing", and "Web Communities".

Experience:

• Launched internet company/website (GolfWeb) in January 1995. Created and implemented 3-pronged business model of advertising (1995), ecommerce (1996), and subscription service (1997).
• Founded second internet company (RealCommunities) in 1997. Created enterprise platform for social software and media applications.
• Developed prototype for Online Career Profiles and Social Networking service in early 2002.
• In process of developing business model and prototype for SubscriptionPal, an all-encompassing content delivery service.

Enterprise Software Product Management & Marketing

Passion:

Product Marketing & Management of software platform products including management and reporting tools.

Expertise:

• Product vision, strategy, roadmaps, definition, prototyping, specifications, management, marketing, pricing, etc.
• Management of product management/marketing professionals (I have hired and managed several hundred people and trained hundreds more in my U.C. Berkeley course titled "Software Product Marketing")
• Business models
• Speaking and training

Experience:

• Director of Software Marketing for Sun Microsystems (operating systems, networking, and applications software)
• Founder and CEO of RealCommunities which created a new enterprise software platform for social media

Speaking, Teaching, and Training: Hi-Tech Marketing

Developer and instructor of courses for the University of California at Berkeley Extension:

• Software Product Marketing
• Standards as a Competitive Weapon
• Consumer Websites

Software Standards

Director of Standards at Sun Microsystems.

Developer and instructor of course "Standards as a Competitive Weapon" for the University of California at Berkeley.

Current Projects Spring 2005: SPM Jobs

SPM Jobs is a payment front end to the Software Product Marketing Yahoo Group that enables charging for job postings, yet takes advantage of all of the features of Yahoo Groups to manage the job seekers. This is a much simpler solution to an email-based job board than the full-blown somewhat overkill solutions offered by Jobbex and JobTarget.

Development of this front-end software is out for bid; several software development companies are reviewing the specifications. The specifications are posted in a public blog at www.spmredux.blogspto.com.

Here is the introduction to the specifications -- go to www.spmredux.blogspot.com for complete details.

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Introduction to SPM Jobs board development specifications

History: The SPM Jobs board previously existed as a free service to both job poster and job seeker using the Yahoo Group www.groups.yahoo.com/group/softwareproductmarketing. The job postings were halted late last year* but the members of the group have been told that the service will be restarted. There are approximately 5,000 group members. Hundreds of job posters have posted jobs during the 3 years the board was active and thousands of jobs were posted.
*We have posted a few jobs during the last few months as a courtesy to job posters.

Running the job board is too much of an effort to be done as a totally free service. This RFP describes a front end to the job board such that job posters must pay a fee. The service continues to be free to job seekers. Because of the large number of job seekers and our contacts with hundreds of satisfied job posters, we expect that once the system is installed it will quickly become active to the level it was and then grow beyond that as the economy continues to improve.

Please read the requirements carefully. If you have any questions please ask them using the blog comment capability. If you want to be notified when questions are answered please join the the spmjobsrfp Yahoo Group (link in right-hand column) or visit this blog regularly or sign up for the RSS feed.

These requirements are not 100% complete but should provide enough information for software developers to understand the basic needed functionality and provide us with a job bid. We expect to work very closely with the developer on this project.It is expected and encouraged the developer will start with an Open Source base such as Drupal or CivicSpace Labs or one of the many others that are out there (we have no preference, whatever is best for the job and also easy to support is fine).

Proposals (bids) or confidential questions can be sent to spmredux@yahoogroups.com.These requirements were made public on 3/22/05.