Virtual = not really
by Volker Weber
Nice spin:
We used the same tried-and-true Redbooks residency method and assembled a team of subject matter experts made up of IBMers, business partners, and customers. However, we used a virtual approach instead of asking everyone to travel to one location.
Imagine a virtual Lotusphere. And here is some virtual money for you: $1000. Spend it wisely.
Comments
in effect, but not in fact
It has been a great pleasure to work onsite with a team of residents in Cambridge on a Residency two times in the past. That experience was really great - the main thing is not the travel or the places to visit - it is the true experience and knowledge shared on a personal level and the close cooperation of the Residency team with the Lotus developers and senior technical staff members which makes the travel worth doing it. Amazing.
The spin is that IBM does not have to ask for travel. What matters more is that IBM does not have to pay for travel.
Well, IBM paid in the past for all travel regarding Lotus Residencies. It's a matter of re-creating such budgets for the Lotus brand.
They have a new GM, who does not have to admit to a bad decision. Why not? All the other brands still do real residencies and real Redbooks.
Volker, I don't really see that you are making any point other than knocking IBM for the sake of knocking them.
IBM is a gigantic company and while it must be true that if they watch every penny the pounds will take care of themselves - which I am sure their shareholders will applaud and especially in current economic climes - the monies involved in funding travel are quite trivial in the scheme of things.
What's your beef?
Following the official sources IBM Lotus has been a growth story for a long time. Cost cutting an organic growing business combined with annual passport fee increases is nothing that any customer should be happy about. I agree for shareholders this is a great story. I just got my yearly invoice for Domino.doc which is another "We charge for nothing" story so maybe this is the reason I am a bit sensitive in this area.
Hah, trivial they may be. But in a Dilberesque way, essential. The Lotus Redbook Center in Cambridge was dismantled, the people who worked there had to move on. There are no more residencies.
So are you saying that Redbooks that are created using the virtual approach have less value than ones created using the traditional residency?
The wikis are good. The actual books are better. The last GM got it wrong. Hopefully the new GM will change this decision.
