I have been reading with interest this thread. I think that the recent purchase of SC and ODL IP has opened the pandora’s box of many issues that have been barely under the surface for some time. I like to say at R2i we are a ‘front line’ organization, meaning we are an integrator, module vendor, designer and community contributor with much of our revenue wrapped around the success and direction of DNN. To this end we try to always put the customer’s interest first in our recommendations for CE vs. PE, core, 3rd party or custom module decisions, DNN vs. another CMS.
I think that DNN Corp has two major initiatives that often conflict: make the product(s) as strong as possible and generate revenue (PE, Snowcovered, training, etc…). Like many of the people commenting we monitor DNN Corp moves carefully. I am always watching the lines drawn between what DNN provides and R2i.
One thing I know is that business is a real life game that is always changing. If you rest on your previous success, do not try new things that may not always work or do not learn from mistakes you will fail. In this regard DNN keeps me on my toes all the time.
The recent two major news items in terms of DNN Corp business moves (SC and ODL IP acquisition) are perfect matches for the DNN Corp goals mentioned previously. Think about the SC purchase. Yes DNN Corp has a steady revenue stream now. Almost as important they have the DATA. Years worth of purchases. They are now able to analyze consumer buying, behavior history and have real measures to leverage. Do you think the popular metric - 700,000+ registered users means anything in terms of the revenue? It means NADA. By purchasing SC they have some secret sauce to the community as a whole. Perhaps ODL was a direct analysis of understanding what consumers want most that PE did not have?
As a business owner I need to navigate DNN Corp., our customer needs, our IP, etc… I appreciate DNN Corp not staying stagnate and making business moves that will generate revenue, continue making the product strong and survive an increasingly competitive Open Source CMS landscape.
My rant would be that DNN Corp. has not focused its resources nearly as much on the community. Ranging from technical support (ie. documentation, forge project module upgrades, etc…) to marketing support (case studies, CMS comparisons that show TCO, relevant marketing material). I have always felt our relationship with DNN can be a win-win. The more we can contribute to the community and DNN Corp the more we get back. This for the most part has worked for R2i. I think that DNN Corp needs to realize this and act on it ASAP. Once they do this they will understand that the best sales force for them will be the front line module vendors, integrators and designers who are in sync with the pulse of the challenges and customer needs that occur everyday.
A few Suggestions:
1. Communicate better and more frequently. Put themselves in the shoes of the stakeholders effected (vendors, integrators, designers and customers) and think thru all the issues and have the answers for how these moves effect them beforehand. Don’t wait until after the fact. By not doing this it almost automatically creates a defensive posture.
2. Start putting your money where your mouth is. Now that we are in the second round of funding lets see some of the resources spent towards the community. Make this a big deal. Promote the heck out of the fact that DNN Corp. cares and is willing to do whatever it takes to support and grow its community. Find out what we really need and attack that with appropriate resources. Think of this as a priority. Remember Win/Win. I guarantee the more resources spent in this regard will pay dividends many times over.
3. Provide better tools for the community. Make sure dedicated DNN Corp resources are monitoring these tools. Provide better and up to date materials.
4. Do not insulate DNN Corp. Be more up front and engage the community to be more involved. Create committees such as a module vendor, design/skin, integrator, customer, etc… that talk monthly and listen to them. Make moves quickly that demonstrate you are paying attention. Reach out to community members and get more ‘front line’ with what challenges there are and craft the CE & PE offerings around what you discover.
The ironic thing here is we ultimately have similar goals: a strong competitive product, great supportive community and happy customers that can enable our businesses to thrive. I think this should be able to be achieved in a manner that does not create doubt but enthusiasm and trust.