Dave Burke - No longer a Community Server Evangelist

No longer a Community Server Evangelist

First, the bad news. I am no longer a Community Server Evangelist with Telligent Systems and the Community Server Daily News is on extended holiday. Now for the good news (for me, that is), I get to continue working with a great product that I love and with some of the greatest developers on the planet. Starting after the Christmas break I will be doing full-time development on client projects in Telligent's Services Area. In my new role I will also be spending two hours a day in Gold Forums support and continue helping users along with the marvelous Community Server Wizard, Rick Reszler. The Wizard has come to mean more than a colleague to me, so that's a double-bonus.

I've been with Telligent as an Independent Contractor since May of this year. During that time, when I wasn't writing the Daily News my time was spent working in Gold Forums Support and getting as much information to the community in any way I could. That consisted of reposting information from Gold Forums and elsewhere into the new Forum Faqs, blogging like a crazy man, doing presentations, and engaging with users of Community Server at my every opportunity. As I said on my site home page (which I'll now need to update), the relationships I've made with others in the User Community were the very best part of my job as a Community Server Evangelist.

My long-time cyberpals know I've got a Masters in Library and Information Science from Louisiana State University, so being a Community Server Evangelist focusing on organizing and delivering information to the user community was definitely a good fit for me. But on the other hand, I do have substantial Community Server developer chops that have been sitting mostly idle since May, so this is a smart move on Telligent's part and I couldn't be happier with the opportunity.

How will this change things? Like I said, it's my understanding that the Community Server Daily News is going away, as least for a while. The Daily News was a great idea (though not mine), and I may continue to post some sort of similar news series on my blog. If I do, it will be something I'll do in my personal latenight geek time. I also think the Daily News List Blog, a blog that grew out of the Daily News, is a very valuable resource and will become even more valuable in the future as more information is added. The Daily News List Blog was something I dreamed up during Beach Week 2006 and which I built on my own time. It's been hosted on a site generously provided without cost by Dave Stokes on his GoDaddy VPS (and before that on Rick Reszler's personal server.) I search the Daily News List Blog for information almost every day when doing support and have a few ideas for new features going foward. I also want the Daily News List Blog to have a permanent home, so I'll either move it to dbvt.com or setup a new site for it. As for the Forum Faqs, being the Good Librarian that I am, I hope to continue reposting information generated from Gold Forums and elsewhere for users in the public forums and will try to keep the faqs going. That would have to be an extra-curricular activity as well, so we'll see how it goes. You probably won't see me as much in the public forums as you have been, since there are only so many hours in a day. I'll miss that a lot, but I'm still here and you know where to find me. No matter what changes result from moving into development, I'll still be here for you as an "unofficial" Community Server Evangelist.

Comments (29) | Post RSS RSS comment feed

Posted on 12/25/2006 7:43:12 AM by Dave Burke
Categories: Community Server
Tags:

12/25/2006 8:12:15 AM Permalink

I don't know should I call this bad news or not but changes usually happen.  I loved your position as an Evangelist because you had a friendly relationship with community.  On the other hand your're a repspectful man and I think all community members loved (and love) you.

However, managing a company needs these changes.  I see community acitivity is hitting its lowest level in latest 1-1.5 years and hope things get better very soon.

I hope you success in new position.  Merry XMass

Keyvan Nayyeri |

12/25/2006 8:40:03 AM Permalink

K-man, I feel the same about this being good news or bad when thinking about the community, so I took the easy way out and decided it was good news for me.  We'll have to see about the effect not having a dedicated evangelist will have on the community, and you're absolutely right that these changes in a company are inevitable.

As for community activity slowing down, I definitely agree that it dropped over the last few weeks because of the Christmas holiday season.  But overall, I think, community activity is pretty amazing when you compare the activity of the Community Server users with communities using other platforms.  Maybe I'm missing the exact point you're making.

I also think that another reason for less community activity is because we laid such an excellent groundwork over the last 8 months or so with your CS Developer Guides, J-O's work, Jayson's Tidbits, the faqs, the Daily News, etc., and users are for the most part getting what they need.  Related to that, while compiling the Daily News, particularly in the "from the forums" section, I've been starting to see duplication and not listing tips and solutions quite often because we've already covered those areas pretty thoroughly.

Thank you so much for the kind words and warm wishes.  I love you, too, man, and those in the community who made every day as a Community Server Evangelist so rich for me.  Merry Christmas to you, too!

daveburke |

12/25/2006 8:58:17 AM Permalink

Thanks Dave,

I definitely agree with you about holidays and activity but I think it should be more than this when I do a comparision between number of our users and our activity. You're absolutely right about community members such as J-O and Jayson and community activity, I think they were super busy recently.

Anyways, enjoy your holiday and think about your new position. I'm pretty sure communtiy finds its way

12/25/2006 10:01:36 AM Permalink

Dave, this is a great news and I'm really happy for your new position. Telligent has done a great choice because you're one of the most valuable professionals around CommunityServer. Now I think that you can express yourself much better
Again congratulation and have a nice Christmas.

Stefano Demiliani |

12/25/2006 10:15:14 AM Permalink

Thanks, Stefano! (Enjoyed your Christmas message blog post, by the way. You, too.) I don't know for sure what you meant by being able to express myself better, since I'm still going to have to watch what I say. Hopefully I will have more and more information to share from doing more development, so that would definitely be a plus for better communications.

Warm holiday greetings to Italia!

12/25/2006 2:02:14 PM Permalink

DB, sweet move on Telligent's part in my opinion! I know that they have more work then they can handle as of late, so it's a natural progression, and definitely a win-win situation for everyone involved.

I mentioned it before, but it's worth mentioning again: CS has become a relatively self-sustaining organism, no doubt due in large part to your work on the Daily News with getting info out en masse...the 6 month investment Telligent put into that has more than paid off.

Huge congrats, and hope you had a fantastic x-mas!

jayson knight |

12/25/2006 2:25:46 PM Permalink

Jayson, I wish I could have communicated the situation as efficiently as you did. Yes, a natural progression for Telligent and a smart investment in the past six months. I remember you saying how CS has become a self-sustaining organism. Someone must have read that and decided it was time to make the move! Thanks, X.Static. Have a fantastic North Carolina Christmas, too!

12/25/2006 5:15:54 PM Permalink

Dave,

Congratulations and good luck with the new role ! I see this as good news for your career.

I must admit that I will miss reading the Daily News - if and when it is reinstated - in your unique Voice.

Shiva |

12/25/2006 6:20:55 PM Permalink

Thank you for what you said about the Daily News, Haathi. That meant a lot.

12/25/2006 8:14:06 PM Permalink

Dave,

Congrats!

(and I hope this doesn't prevent you from coming down to Boston for Code Camps... =) )

- Aaron

Aaron Robinson |

12/25/2006 8:23:31 PM Permalink

Aaron, great to hear from you. And yes, I definitely plan on making the next Boston Code Camp. I already wrote up the abstract for an all-new CS url rewriting session so you can teach me more about the HttpApplication Object!

12/26/2006 9:00:22 AM Permalink

Dave,

This is indeed good news and bad news for the community. I'll miss the Daily News and I hope that Telligent sees fit to continue it. It's great to see you continue to contribute to the product, and this move can't be anything but the right one for your career. As a new-comer to CS, I can say that much of what I learned about the product is from directly you and the community.

Good luck!

Steve

Steve |

12/26/2006 10:23:07 AM Permalink

Thank you, Cheeseflavor. I sure enjoyed our exchanges over the last months on the forums and emails. Hopefully we'll have a lot more of that in the future.

Here's wishing that you can keep the phone receiver held to the right hole in 2007, Steveso. -Dave

12/26/2006 3:51:23 PM Permalink

Hi Dave,

I am sad that CS Daily News is on leave. It was a very valuable tool that allowed me to quickly see what was going on.

But I am glad that you continue to work with CS and that you are happy with the change.

Sean Winstead |

12/27/2006 7:44:03 AM Permalink

Dave,

That is great news. Good for you and Telligent.

I am a bit saddened that the Community Server Daily News might fade into oblivion, though. As I've told you before, I could never call my day complete until I read the Daily News.

Thanks for your time at the helm and congrats again.

Dan Hounshell |

12/27/2006 10:03:23 AM Permalink

Thanks Sean. Thanks for the kind words about the DN. As for being happy with the change, we're still in transition while the first project starts after New Years, but I know it will be a great gig once it kicks in.

Dan, yeah, I couldn't call my day complete without reading it either! The really sad thing is that weren't done reporting on WhatIWantMost.com yet!

12/27/2006 3:08:58 PM Permalink

Once a CS Evangelist always an CS Evangelist!

Unless of course you decide to use Wordpress instead but I doubt that!

As for the Daily News it's just on Winter Hiatus, I am sure when it's hungry again it will come out of it's nice warm cave looking for food!

Congratz Dave on the Migration!

12/27/2006 6:51:19 PM Permalink

Good one, wiz. Yeah, if I start using Wordpress you'll know my CS Evangelist days are pretty much done.

12/28/2006 8:49:51 AM Permalink

No more daily news! I come back from being sick only to find out there is no more daily news!

Ken |

12/28/2006 9:10:29 AM Permalink

You know how things are at Telligent. Miss a day and you don't know what's going to be changed when you come back! Sorry, Ken. Thanks for the kind word.

12/28/2006 1:07:58 PM Permalink

After some time off, I just read this post...bummer. I think you'll do well with the transition as services projects help the core product by figuring out what needs to be easier for customization. Hope you had a Merry Christmas...and have a Happy New Year!

Jose |

12/28/2006 1:20:19 PM Permalink

Thanks very much, Jose. I'll wait for CS 3.0 development projects to start submitting ideas for customization improvement. Happy Holidays to you, too.

12/28/2006 1:34:46 PM Permalink

I shed a tear for the passing of this institution... I think it's a real shame that the plug was pulled, as I think it was a great mechanism for aggregating the events in the CS world. But as companies change, so do priorities - I'm sure your addition to the Services team will more than pay off. All the best in your new position!

Gary McPherson |

12/28/2006 2:15:39 PM Permalink

Thanks, Gary. Yeah, me too and I feel the same. I'm hoping we can still aggregate CS events on the side. The Genyus played an important part in making the Daily News a valuable resource, that's for sure. If some sort of aggregation continues I know that will still be the case.

12/28/2006 5:44:18 PM Permalink

Hey, Dave: Congrats and congrats... Yeah, I'm going to miss the Daily News Blog, but I think Telligent made a great move by putting you into an even more needed role.

Best wishes for you and them (and the CS community in general) as we enter a new year!

Just keep the goods coming, in whatever form you're responsible for these days...

Logik! |

1/2/2007 4:15:50 PM Permalink

First I say congrats. Then I say; I took a xmas break after working intensively with CS during the year, and can’t help but make some reflections/conclusions reading this news. The Evangelist role has been extremely valuable for Telligent, CS and us, selling the product to end customers.
The MVP's are the warranty that this product are supported by a greater community and not only by a single company. I have reflected about the level of activities in the forum as mentioned previously in the comments, and I as well make up theories as to what causes there might be. You have been the proactive force and face David and it has played a very important role, and it still needs to be played. Let’s see what will happen in January. I think it will be evident how this affects the commitments fairly quickly.

Robert A |

1/2/2007 7:09:08 PM Permalink

Robert A, thanks for your comment.  Yes, I certainly believed in the Evangelist role and embraced it as an important function.  My projection of sweetness and light about my role changing and no longer being the Evangelist is to a degree an act and playing a part.  Good PR.

Yes I'm a developer and a dev position in CS will come naturally and easily, but like you suggested, I felt that there were many benefits in the evangelist role that were not being recognized or valued: individuals in the community getting well-deserved attention, who were finally feeling rewarded for their contributions and being motivated to further connect and contribute, general information flow and access efficiencies, aggregation, community education, corporate perception changes, real relationships being formed.  Just some of the things that were going on which are no longer being supported.

Not my company.  Not my call.

Thanks for the comment.  Obviously I appreciated it very much.

1/2/2007 7:10:40 PM Permalink

Logik! I failed to thank you for your congrats. Thank you, ASB!

1/4/2007 3:35:56 PM Permalink

"You know how things are at Telligent. Miss a day and you don't know what's going to be changed when you come back!"
How true. I'm always too late for the party.
Though I'm going to miss the Daily News, congrats on the new job, Dave. And a Happy New Year []

Thomas Freudenberg |

Dave Burke : Freelance .NET Web Developer specializing in Online Communities

No longer a Community Server Evangelist

Related posts

Comments (29) -