Sorry Ben, but I do have to disagree. I don't see lots on uncoordinated marketing of service companies as a particularly effective way or raising the OpenACS' profile.
Maybe if one of these companies was an Oracle or a Sun... but realistically we aren't..
Even clients like Sloan, whilst I'm sure have some weight in your part of the world, count for very little over here. In fact a direct quote from a product manager in one of the largest cable operators over here was...
'Sloan... Academic types, well thats hardly a good recommendation'
Not that I'm defending such ignorance, but I'm afraid its somehting of a truism. Business folk are often sceptical about anything outside of the pure commercial arena.
Just to push that example a little further, one of the previous problems we had in getting classic ACS into my previous company was the 'Academic Evangelism' that AD pushed so vehemently. It just doesn't sit well with the business community.
So, in order that OpenACS does not disappear down that road (i.e. serving charities, education, amateurs and little else, although I accept they are important) we absolutely must give thought and effort to its commercial marketing.
My ex boss had a saying.. 'If it looks professional it might well be, or it might not.. but if it don't it almost certainly isn't'
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However I can see the difficulties in trying to merge a commerial and a technical entity into one. And with that in mind I would certainly suggest a two pronged approach. An OpenACS.ORG and an OpenACS.COM as it were..
But, it still requires the leading lights from the former, to actively contribute and assist the latter..
And of course in comparision to development, marketing is cheap! Anyone in this community can help, anyone can make calls, anyone can produce collateral and so forth.. by effectively marketing this community so the technical arm benefits...
Would you not agree with this?
