Susanne Dansey’s Blog

It’s been nearly a month since I read what I consider to be one of the most powerful posts to come from one of who I consider to be a very respected peer and good friend. Ironically, it was published in response to a post that came from another respected peer and very good friend and since then I’ve been thinking about Vijay’s response to Vlad’s post (and the comments that followed between the two gentlemen).

Both guys are pretty different and anyone who is lucky enough to know both of them will know exactly what I mean but what I do know is that both have a passion for the network of IT businesses that work in our small business market. This network of professionals is the Community with a big fat capital ‘C’.

This Community isn’t owned by anyone except by those who choose to help it flourish and encourage it to benefit those who also step up to the mark to really make a difference. A list of some of these ‘owners’ can be seen down the right hand side of this page but I can guarantee you that everyday I find someone new who either wants to connect or offer something new. It’s as big or as small as you choose to make it and it’s all yours.

It’s no surprise to those who subscribe to Vlad’s blog that sometimes what he says may not be popular or always right. It’s our perogative to read it and it’s his to write it. I’ve had many discussions as to why people blog with colleagues and I suppose as we all evolve, our writing does too as we experience and observe different ways of working and of course living. I don’t always feel comfortable reading all of my syndication feeds at times but I feel that the power of the blog is when it takes you on a journey of thought. I don’t always agree with what I read but it gets me thinking… that’s 100 times better than looking at an advert that cost thousands to produce that I forget about as soon as I get distracted by the next one.

I suppose that’s why I love the Community. I get to sit in a virtual lounge of peers and friends and listen to them sound off at my convenience - it’s meant that I haven’t read many books lately but what I do read certainly gets the brain cells buzzing.

The Community evokes thought, it brings out the passion in people, and it unites common thought to make a difference.

We’ve been talking loads about the Community at work and about how we can understand and facilitate it better. There has been a few times where I have to re-itterate that the Community isn’t owned by Microsoft  or any vendor and therefore isn’t just limited to the 900-odd Small Business Specialists in the UK. The Community is whatever you make of it.

The Community is what you make it, it’s full of people who are similar to you in terms of passion, and it’s also full of people who can appear to drag their feet. The beauty of the Community is that you can pick and choose who and how you do business within it; no contracts (unless you choose it), no need to work with that annoying guy who just keeps doing what you do but in the wrong way, no need to do anything that changes your own business plan - unless you choose it.

So why am I posting this now? Doesn’t everyone who reads this blog form part of this Community?

Well yes, but they may not realise it. End-users, resellers, IT consultants and specialists, vendors, and even my friends read this and in some way they help link this network of people who I interact with together. In some cases, they get to meet others who I know and more often than not, they find they have something in common with each other and a new relationship starts. Lots of the feedback from the event last week has been about how people made new business contacts and realised that there was the opportunity to get involved with the Community even at a UK level just for starters!

Tomorrow, I am spending an evening in Birmingham (not Alabama Chris!) with some friends of mine who also happen to be Small Business Specialists and members of some of the regional UK SBS Groups. I’m not going because I think they’ll all shift their spend to my business. I’m going because I respect them and I know that they’ve helped me along the way; I’m going to share some Christmas cheer and celebrate what has been a very eventful 2007.

So whilst I don’t always agree with what everyone says, I recognise that there is a place for everyone in this crazy ol’ world and that technology has made it so much more accessible.

Don’t get overwhelmed by the mass of information out there. Make sure you prune your RSS feeds regularly and make sure that you try and read at least a few of the articles that may otherwise make you feel uncomfortable.

Even the negative (I like to see it as constructive criticism) feedback allows you to grow and in the same way I believe you change for the better even by basing your decisions on something that is a little harder to agree with.

I respect Vijay for staying true to his beliefs and I also respect Vlad for staying true to his. We’re not always right but that’s part of growing up isn’t it?

And who says we all have to grow up?