[Foundation] thoughts from another commercial player

[Daniel Chote]

Nicely said Don, I agree totally.

Don Bergal /EXC/NOA wrote:

> I felt it was time to bring the new perspective of another commercial 
> player in the community to the debate on the name change.  
>  
> As a marketer, and as an executive for a software developer that has 
> no relationship or alliance with JINC whatsoever, I believe that the 
> proposed change is based on misguided assumptions and represents a 
> serious mistake that would take years (if ever) for the community to 
> recover from. 
>  
> Two fundamental arguments, presented as facts, appearing in the 
> proposal and in subsequent posts are absolutely incorrect.   First, I 
> can tell you that Antepo does not share the opinion of the proposal:
>  
>     "The Jabber brand will never be acceptable to the commercial 
> developer marketplace...Many companies are ... unwilling     
> to use the term Jabber".
>  
> The fact is that the Jabber community - however you measure it 
> (standards traction, market awareness, development participation, 
> commercial adoption) - has tremendous momentum today.  Independent 
> commercial developers absolutely benefit from the association with the 
> community, and the overlap of the name with Jabber, Inc.  has not 
> presented any serious issues for Antepo in terms of sales, marketing, 
> or corporate identity.    Losing the ability to connect with the many 
> aspects of the Jabber movement, through use of a name with 
> universal awareness, would hurt, not help, a commercial 
> developer.   As an alternative player, I would much rather be a member 
> of a well known thriving marketplace and differentiate based on real 
> software advantages, than to eliminate the critical mass that that the 
> name brings as means of hiding from competition.   If one objective is 
> truly to foster a healthy alternative commercial sector in Jabber 
> oriented technology, the name change is a terrible mistake.  
>  
> The proposal to transfer the Jabber trademark from JINC to the JSF has 
> not had much visibility in recent months, and its progress appears to 
> be stalled.   I suggest that an action far more beneficial to healthy 
> competition is to fully execute on that proposal and promote more 
> association with the name Jabber - not less.   What can be done to 
> accelerate this? 
>  
> Secondly, there have been many mis-informed statements about the true 
> cost of executing the name change.    How much would it cost to 
> re-establish the goodwill and market awareness currently enjoyed by 
> the name "Jabber"?    Not millions, but *tens of millions* of 
> dollars.    As an internet advertiser who tracks the results, I know 
> that the brand "Jabber" is increasing its reach with thousands views 
> every day.   What could replace it now?    It would take two years or 
> more, and untold millions of advertising and PR (that the JSF does not 
> have) to recreate the word-of-mouth on the 'net that Jabber, in all 
> senses of the word has fostered.   
>  
> Last year's bestselling book "The Tipping Factor" documented social 
> phenomena that spiral up and influence the world in ways far beyond 
> rational expectations or resources applied to them.    I submit that 
> Jabber has "tipped", or is on the verge of it.    Now is not the time 
> to blink!
>
> ____________________
> Don Bergal
> Vice-President, Business Development
>
> Antepo, Inc.  (www.antepo.com <http://www.antepo.com/>)
> mobile 646-251-4499
> direct 720 482 7900
> fax 805-926-3569
> don.bergal at antepo.com
>
>  


-- 
Daniel Chote
Developer/Designer and typical drunk!
email/jabber: daniel at chote.net
blog: http://daniel.chote.com
website: http://www.chote.com