Robert wrote:
I understand the difficulty you've put yourself in with respect to answering the above question.
If you answer "DNN will be bundling the OpenDNN product in the Community version" then you've effectively put Document Exchange out of business and maybe others who don't want to suffer the same fate.
If you answer "DNN will be selling the OpenDNN product on Snow (but everyone knows will be tightly integrated into the framework since it is a standard component of the PE edition) " that still effectively (imho) puts the screws to Document Exchange and discourages others as well.
If you answer "DNN will take the product off the market and it will not be available in anything but PE" (which you've done via bulletin) then the whole of the Community will feel screwed (which we do).
As an earlier poster has rightly pointed out, you have a bad PR problem. My reading of Geoffrey Moore on this is that you would rather take the Community into the Tornado with you, so that you can be more assured of making it. It's too early to jettison us.
You must have calculated in your make or buy decision that someone would have to get cut off at the knees.
Who is it going to be?
I don't believe for one minute that dnncorp should have bought and made it a 'free' option for the community. That just doesn't make business sense.
I have no issues with the sale of modules as they are in Snowcovered, even if they are owned by dnncorp.
What I object to is that something that was made available for sale is no longer available until we pay a premium. To me, it makes perfect business sense that they want to improve the premium product, but NOT at the cost of stripping back what is on offer at the moment.
There are challenges now for dnn that never existed prior to the funding. We had a fairly active community, with contributions from lots of people, but now, they don't really need the community at large. It's almost like a thorn in their side because how do you make money out of us 'freeloaders' - you know, the people just don't step up ot the plate and pay 2k per year for a dnn site, which I also heard is NOT backward compatible and cannot be switched over to CE should circumstances change?
Well, I would have thought through Snowcovered, having purchased it, to build up a hungry community with a fantastic free version and then buying modules and skins would have helped. I thought it was a smart move and would give great cash flow to the guys. Afterall, they take 25% of every sale by the developer, but they also give back 10% for referrals too.. and you get a discount on modules if you are an active seller on Snowcovered. So building up this area would have been ideal. It gets alot more prominence now compared to what it did in the past, where I'm sure that if dnn could have, they would have removed the word 'snowcovered' from the dictionary with their dislike to the company competing with their marketplace aspdfns solution.
But, by comparison, does it make as much as selling one PE version - that's 2k in the kitty per year per site, so that's not bad going, plus the ongoing support and other add ons that are being sold, why on earth would they focus on supporting the 'free, no money based community'. I just can't quite work that out yet.
I think what I get a bit weary of hearing at times is how good dnn has been to us and how it's helped many of us build and foster a business, solve a problem , patch a friendship, find a friend... whatever, bla bla bla.. forgetting that this whole eco system was BUILT on community efforts by such an incredible amount of contributors. It's just incredibly clever marketing. Go to an update page, for the average punter, you don't get to the download, but through a myriad of sales pitches to buy. Good luck to dnncorp for doing this - it's a business, it's their sales funnel even though you //edited // can download without registration from codeplex or using the microsoft installer.
However, I feel over the past 12 months have seen an almost 'glorification' and twisting of information in clever little ways to try and appease a broad audience, when in fact it's going to be nearly impossible to get the community back to what it was on the basis that it's all about the money now because if I had money invested in this product I'd be looking for a return too.
I think there will be continuous struggle over time to remove the mixed messages from the 'older' pre commercialisation dnn audience because the information heard, and what was delivered, was not quite the same. Over time, many of these users will disappear but the new style of 'community members' coming through is signficantly different. They don't contribute like they did, as dnn has paid staff, often answering forum posts that the community did.
The dnn team at large has been very tightly knit, very closed, very private and that has not changed, and if I hear the word 'transparency' any more by some people, I'm thinking - oh what you mean is ... INVISIBLE.. I'm just interpreting it incorrectly.
For the record. I am a strong supporter of DNN. I have no issues with dnncorp making money at all, there have been improvements in delivery of the core build and I would expect that to continue. I continue to support DNN as best as I can where I get no return what so ever financially but do this because I feel that it's important that people who do know about dnn to share their knowledge and educate people as a 'right', not a privelige.
I can also see that by no signficant comment except by one employee (thanks Chris) this also reflects the lack of consultation / care... call it what you like to those who have contributed close on 7 years of their time to help this be what it is today, whithout any of the rewards that the Nik, Shaun, Scott and Joe are enjoying. You can also read in this what you like - it's my choice to be involved, but sometimes I think that you guys need to know that not all of us blinded by the light from the sun shining from you know where....
Thanks Chris for waving the dnn flag on your own... and shame on the decision makers to find this is NOT important enough post a comment, but I wonder how long it will be before you lock the thread!
And yes - I saw the blog post come in just now and read it.. It does nothing but self justify - because guys, the decision has been made. And all I can say is that Navin's comment here - / I request that we don’t read more into things than have actually occurred./
What has occured - I'm not reading into any more than what has occured, not a single thing... You purchased a premium module that was enjoyed by thousands of users, of which I have been using and endorsing for over 4 years, and now, as a community member you've taken it away. I am not reading one more thing into it.. because that is what you did and that action alone will impact my business to offer my services as the price I do, not viable. Does that worry you Navin. I think not, for no other reason than the comment .. hey it's business....
Anyway- that's my rant and rave - I still choose and love the dnn product albeit I'm quite vocal in the community about things that annoy me and as a contributor for years to this project and will continue to do so for the next few years at least.
Nina