Career 2.0: I’m leaving IBM and joining Socialtext
July 9 2008 10:00:00 AM
Add/Read Comments [142]
Of all my blog posts over the last few years, today's is certainly one of the most interesting.
I'm both excited and sad, to tell you all that as of today I'm no longer working at IBM.
This was not an easy decision, as I've been bleeding yellow for Lotus since 1993. Back as a co-op student those many years ago, I never imaged the people I'd meet, the places I'd visit, or the involvement I'd have in such an exciting industry. However, I've reached a stage where I feel it is time for me to move on.
You see, IBM is the only professional employer I've ever had. While the benefits of working at one of the world's largest companies are immeasurable, I've always been curious about what it would be like to work somewhere else. Somewhere smaller. Somewhere I can gain a vastly different set of skills and experiences. Over the years I've listened to many of you talk about how different things are in small companies. Well, now is the time for me to discover some of those differences first hand.
So I'm jumping with joy to announce that I've accepted the position of Director of Marketing at Socialtext.
This is an incredible opportunity. Not only will I be working at leading edge company developing amazing and innovative products, but I'll also be working with industry greats such as Ross Mayfield, Eugene Lee, Dan Bricklin (the dude invented the electronic spreadsheet!) and the rest of the amazing staff at Socialtext. I'll blog more about Socialtext, and my role there in upcoming posts, I don't want this one to be too long.
So back to the change...
I've had so many exciting times during my IBM career, but when I look back, my top memories always revolve around the social interactions that I participated in. I've loved working directly with you, IBM's customers and partners, analysts and press, and my top notch colleagues. I've enjoyed all the interviews, executive briefings, visits to your offices, and especially speaking at conferences. Without a doubt, Lotusphere is certainly the crown jewel of IT events, and I've had the incredible honour of not only attending around 10 of them (and hopefully more in the future), but I've also been part of two Lotusphere Opening General Sessions. I can't imagine anything topping that! I'm also extremely proud to have won the 2007 Penumbra Prism Award, presented by our partners for outstanding dedication and support to the partner community. It is the overall Lotus Community that has made my time so special.
While I am sad to go, I'm thrilled that I'm able to leave Lotus at a time when things are doing so well. After the mixed messages of the early-mid 2000s, it is wonderful to see our core products standing tall in today's fierce competitive landscape. The newest releases of Lotus Notes/Domino and Sametime are unmatched by anything else in the industry. It is equally exciting to see Lotus expand into new markets with products like Connections, Quickr, Mashups, Symphony, Foundations, Unyte, Bluehouse, the list goes on and on. I'm proud of the things I've done to help drive this success, and wish Lotus all the best in future. Actually, I guess I'll be contributing my $100 towards a Notes license now, as I can't get a free ride from IBM anymore!
Also, I'll still have close ties to Lotus, as Socialtext is a partner, proving wiki capabilities into Connections. I'd love to see all Lotus Connections customers using Socialtext, and all Socialtext customers using Lotus Connections! (plus Notes, Sametime, etc!) I can easily think of several other potential integration points between the Lotus and Socialtext portfolios, so expect to see me blogging about this in the future. Perhaps an IdeaJam site will be perfect for this! ;-)
I want to sincerely thank each of you for the times we've shared. I hope to remain a very active part of the amazing Lotus community. Dedication to Lotus runs deep in my veins, and is not something I plan on giving up any time soon!
Over the next few days I plan on blogging about some specific memories, and in keeping with today's "web 2.0" themes of open sharing and participation, it would mean a lot to me to have you post a memory or two in the comments, that way we can all have a central place to reminisce.
I'm both excited and sad, to tell you all that as of today I'm no longer working at IBM.
This was not an easy decision, as I've been bleeding yellow for Lotus since 1993. Back as a co-op student those many years ago, I never imaged the people I'd meet, the places I'd visit, or the involvement I'd have in such an exciting industry. However, I've reached a stage where I feel it is time for me to move on.
You see, IBM is the only professional employer I've ever had. While the benefits of working at one of the world's largest companies are immeasurable, I've always been curious about what it would be like to work somewhere else. Somewhere smaller. Somewhere I can gain a vastly different set of skills and experiences. Over the years I've listened to many of you talk about how different things are in small companies. Well, now is the time for me to discover some of those differences first hand.
So I'm jumping with joy to announce that I've accepted the position of Director of Marketing at Socialtext.
This is an incredible opportunity. Not only will I be working at leading edge company developing amazing and innovative products, but I'll also be working with industry greats such as Ross Mayfield, Eugene Lee, Dan Bricklin (the dude invented the electronic spreadsheet!) and the rest of the amazing staff at Socialtext. I'll blog more about Socialtext, and my role there in upcoming posts, I don't want this one to be too long.
So back to the change...
I've had so many exciting times during my IBM career, but when I look back, my top memories always revolve around the social interactions that I participated in. I've loved working directly with you, IBM's customers and partners, analysts and press, and my top notch colleagues. I've enjoyed all the interviews, executive briefings, visits to your offices, and especially speaking at conferences. Without a doubt, Lotusphere is certainly the crown jewel of IT events, and I've had the incredible honour of not only attending around 10 of them (and hopefully more in the future), but I've also been part of two Lotusphere Opening General Sessions. I can't imagine anything topping that! I'm also extremely proud to have won the 2007 Penumbra Prism Award, presented by our partners for outstanding dedication and support to the partner community. It is the overall Lotus Community that has made my time so special.
While I am sad to go, I'm thrilled that I'm able to leave Lotus at a time when things are doing so well. After the mixed messages of the early-mid 2000s, it is wonderful to see our core products standing tall in today's fierce competitive landscape. The newest releases of Lotus Notes/Domino and Sametime are unmatched by anything else in the industry. It is equally exciting to see Lotus expand into new markets with products like Connections, Quickr, Mashups, Symphony, Foundations, Unyte, Bluehouse, the list goes on and on. I'm proud of the things I've done to help drive this success, and wish Lotus all the best in future. Actually, I guess I'll be contributing my $100 towards a Notes license now, as I can't get a free ride from IBM anymore!
Also, I'll still have close ties to Lotus, as Socialtext is a partner, proving wiki capabilities into Connections. I'd love to see all Lotus Connections customers using Socialtext, and all Socialtext customers using Lotus Connections! (plus Notes, Sametime, etc!) I can easily think of several other potential integration points between the Lotus and Socialtext portfolios, so expect to see me blogging about this in the future. Perhaps an IdeaJam site will be perfect for this! ;-)
I want to sincerely thank each of you for the times we've shared. I hope to remain a very active part of the amazing Lotus community. Dedication to Lotus runs deep in my veins, and is not something I plan on giving up any time soon!
Over the next few days I plan on blogging about some specific memories, and in keeping with today's "web 2.0" themes of open sharing and participation, it would mean a lot to me to have you post a memory or two in the comments, that way we can all have a central place to reminisce.
Congratulations, Alan! A huge loss for our team at IBM, but a great move for your career and for Socialtext.
{ Link }
Congratulations!
Wow, that's some change! Congratulations; SocialText produce some great stuff, and I look forward to hearing about your adventures with Ross and co.
Congratulations! It has been a pleasure working with you at IBM, and I expect great things from you at SocialText. Best of luck!
Congrats and best of luck in the new job
That's great news for you Alan, congratulations. Hopefully we'll still see you at the various conferences around the world.
Matt
I'm so happy for you, but sad for me and my fellow IBMers. I look forward to hearing what cool new things you do! Take care.
Joyce
Congratulations on the new role. Maybe you will be able to stop traveling so much and actually find time to get a girlfriend. ;)
Does this change include a change in location?
Congratulations! I am glad you will still continue to have ties to the Notes community. I remember several of the press meetings where we met, it was always a pleasure to meet you. And for the record, I never throught you were Ed Brill. :-)
Hope to see the Notes tips continue to some extent here on your blog, they have been very useful to send on to our users.
Congratulations, Alan! Thanks for all the help you've given to the community over the years! Good luck!
Hey Alan, Congratulations...this must be an emotional week but very exciting to see you will still have ties to the community. Hope to see you at a certain Florida event once in a while!
Congratulations Alan, all the best for your new role.
Good Luck. I always considered you (and always will) a good business colleague of mine. See you in the future, at some event.
Alan, Best of luck in your new adventure! Will always have fond memories of organizing and running Best Practices conferences with you!
Thanks for being such a passionate voice at Lotus and helping us tell a compelling story to our reporters! Looking forward to checking out SocialText and running into each other in person. I'll be in Montreal through October or November...
-Jennifer
congratulations Alan, well deserved even if for IBM in general and Lotus brand in particular it's a sad news... All my best again
Congratulation Alan, all the best with the new post.
Look forward to about all the SocialText stuff.
Congratulations Alan, and good luck in your new role. Exciting stuff.
Congratulations Alan. Best of luck in the new job. BPC sure wont be the same without you !
Congratulations, Alan and way to go Social Text! I can't wait to see the greatness that comes form this.
Passion, passion, passion. That is how I describe you and your commitment to business, technology and life. This is a HUGE LOSS for IBM. Have fun but stay in touch with your friends at Lotus and IBM.
Hasta luego, felicitaciones y SUERTE mi amigo Canadiense, Take care, elena
Congratulations, Alan. I am sure you spent many hours contemplating your career change so I am pleased that you have found a path that will bring you a new set of challenges. You know how much I have enjoyed working with you -- you are a true professional, dedicated, hard-working and always with a smile. You certainly have made my job easier -- IBM's loss is SocialText's gain! Best of luck in this next chapter of your career...we'll definitely keep in touch.
Well, that's certainly surprising news! All the best in your new position!
Cheers,
Gerco
All the best in your new job! Will definitely miss you at IBM... but hopefully we will run into each other at Lotusphere! CONGRATULATIONS!
Wow, I just received the e-mail and I head here and there's already 20 comments. You see folks, e-mail isn't the best way to collaborate ;o)
All the best Alan, we've been thru it in the Lotus brand but you're right, we've come out stronger. And as you were in the strategy role you can take full credit.
Now, if you can get Socialtext integrated into Connections you'll have an excuse to go to Lotusphere, ILUG, etc.
Heeey - congratulations!
I think after working for IBM for so long, you'll find it refreshing to work for a smaller company.. Its a huge loss to IBM - after all, your blog is the most popular Lotus blog out there - but I'm sure they'll find someone to replace you...
Good luck, and here's hoping you achieve sufficient escape velocity..!
---* Bill
How fortunate for Socialtext, sad for Lotus. I've been proud to be a colleague, and lucky to call you friend. Stay in touch!
Congratulations and good luck!
I'll be looking forward to seeing the mix of the Socialtext stuff with your passion for Lotus.
Exciting times!
I have to echo Elena's comments, as I view the equation as Alan = Passion. You've been an inspiration to me in terms of how you bring enthusiasm and excitement to all of your interactions, both internal and external. I remember the warm greeting you gave me when we met at Lotusphere for the first time and all the cool links you sent me when I became an IBMer. Your presence at Lotus and IBM will be greatly missed, but I look forward to working with you in the future!
Congratulations, Alan...Onward and Upward! :-)
Terrific for you, Alan, and terrible for IBM. I am sure we'll still be working together in some capacity.
You still owe me a dance (which you promised me at the Devcon in SanFrancisco in 2001 hum or maybe it was 2002-- when Smashmouth played)... and if we can't manage that, maybe we can do a duet at Kimono's instead-- I'm expecting to still see you there :)
Alan, congratulations to you! I will miss you a lot. I will never forget it that at Lotusphere 2007, you and I had to run from outside the main tent, through the crowd, to the Oceanic room downstairs, for that phone interview with the Bloomberg reporter in Europe. And it made a nice story. A great "run" at home Dolphin. Stay in touch and visit us in Somers if you drive passing-by. Mark Guan.
Ouch -- sorry to see you leaving IBM, but glad you're still in the "community" and at least not headed to the "dark side" ;-)
All the best and look forward to staying in touch.
Congratulations, Alan. Socialtext is lucky to have you.
Congrats Alan,
We'll miss you !
Congratulations, given our last conversation about ex-IBMer - does that mean that I will have to remove you from my twitter following list? :-)
Kamie
PS: Are you planning to have a party to drown our sorrow at your departure from the land of yellow (with a twinge of blue)?
WOW man, talk about career 2.0.. some move.
You're the perfect candidate for the job, SocialText are lucky to get you as their chief marketing dude. Does that mean you're moving to the west?
But, the most important question is - when are you coming back to Israel? :-)
Congratulation Alan !
Congratulations !
:-)
Congratulations, Alan. I will miss all those tips.
Congratulations Alan. I am very proud to have met you and I wish you all the best but .... sniff. Somebody pass me a hanky please...
Christian
Oh, btw, you'd better update that "proudly employed by.." button at the left bottom of the page :)
Augh! What is it with my role models leaving IBM?!
Pfft.
Congrats. =) I'm sure your new position will be tons of fun and you'll make a real difference! I look forward to reading even more blog posts from you.
Congratulations, Alan! I'm excited for you!
Alan, in all honesty, you were one of the best speakers I have ever heard, and have been instrumental giving IBM/Lotus a far "newer" image. Other people in big blue would want a handshake and formalities, you always gave people a hug! Not to mention presenting in jeans!
Alan, Im sorry to see you leave this space, and for sure if you are in the neighbourhood, look me up.
P
Congratulations, Alan! Hopefully we'll still see you at Lotusphere next year. It won't be the same without you! On behalf of Text 100, it's been a pleasure working with you. Best of luck in your new endeavors.
Alan!!!
We won't get to meet on my next Executive Briefing?? WTF ?? :)
So sad I missed you in the last one. But I'm extremely happy that you'll go to work for one of our partners. I also look forward to sending you more opportunities when it comes time to integrate IBM Lotus Connections with SocialText Wikis!
Loved your interactions with lliu on Twitter, hope to see more of them ;)
A quick thank you to everyone, I'm overwhelmed. I have to run out for most of the day today, but I will respond here, on Gtalk, Twitter, BleedYellow IM, etc... asap.
Congratulations, I'm sure you're have tons of fun. So are you going to have a party to drown our sorrows?
Kamie
Alan, this is fantastic news for you and SocialText! You are going to find it such a breath of fresh air!
Congratulations!
Alan,
Congratulations! Am sure you gonna have a great road ahead. All the very best ! Cheers.
WOW Alan, huge congrats! And very happy to hear you are sticking around. ;-)
Wow! Alan, congratulations! Best wishes and best wishes to Social Text too. If they landed you then they must be doing something right!
Hey, Congratulations! It all sounds very exciting -- all the best!
Awesome! Super duper mazel tov! Don't forget the little people...
Congratulations Alan ! As Ed said, is a loss for IBM, especially for those like me who had the pleasure of knowing you; at the same time I am happy for you, this looks like a good move for you.
All the best for your future!
Ciao
RoB
Best of luck to you Alan! I look forward to hearing about your endeavors at Socialtext!
Yo allen - good luck - and I'll keep watching your flickr page for all the things happening to you. Been a pleasure working with you and SocialText is lucky to be getting you. cheers, paul
opps - spelled your name wrong (i'm such a klutz sometimes: )
opps - spelled your name wrong (i'm such a klutz sometimes: )
Alan - best of luck. You'll be sorely missed.
Alan,
We finally got proof you and Ed are not the same person!
Hang on while I check his blog if he is leaving.
Does this mean Crummey will start typing his enthusiasm?
Lotusphere won't be the same without you, but I am sure wou will find a way back.
Life's short, play hard, go get em.
Congratulations Alan! Thanks for all your past help, keen insights, and everything you have done to champion our products. We'll miss you!
CONGRATULATION Alan! As with you, there are mixed emotions on my end as well. I am so very excited for your and your new adventures, yet the selfish part of me hates to see you go.
I am sure that we will still see your shining face (hopefully in Portland sometime) around.
Please do keep in touch with us and let us know how your new life moves forward. Bruce and I want to wish you the best in everything! If there is any one that deserves it, it is you.
Good luck my friend! We couldn't be happier for you!
Congrats, Alan ! We use Socialtext (and Domino/Sametime/Quickplace) so I'm hoping that your new mission will continue to spread integration with these platforms. Of course, you will be missed for the amazing presence you've created in our community.
Hi Alan, will you still bleed yellow in a few months? I sure do miss Bob and Rocky and will definitely miss your input on the various forums. Sorry to see you go.
Congratulations, Alan! Sounds like a great move for you and OpenText. We'll miss you but wish you all the best!
Hey Alan,
I am very excited for you. You will be sorely missed at IBM though.
I wish you all of the best in this next adventure. :)
In bocca al lupo! (This is an Italian expression for good luck.)
Congratulations Alan ... Thanks for all your support and vision over the years as the extended team and the Lotus BP community moved Linux and "Open" forward.
Greg
O_o
What, so you think I'm also gonna jump on the gushy congrats bandwagon and tell you kudos, bravo or other sappy well-wishing babble?!? I don't mean to be dissing anyone else's wonderful sentiments to you, when I say this...but you know Alan that's not my style.
<_<
Instead I'll be blunt. Make this succeed. You can, but it's going to be hard, hard, hard, hard. I know you have it in you. When you've pulled it off, send me a note describing the success. Then I will gratz you to the moon, because it'll be about what you really did with this opportunity, because that's when gratz really mean something. It better also be impressive enough for me to also want to do business with you as a result.
;)
Thanks for being bonkers, occasionally making me lmao, and being mega valuable while you were at Lotus. We expected no less and you delivered no less. So be well, stay bonkers, lyao occasionally, and bring forth a revolution. We expect no less...
:D
<3 ya buddy
-theGrumpExecFormerlyKnownAsPooter
Sorry to see you go, but best wishes in your new challenge! Stay in touch!
OMG! I'm not familiar with Socialtext. I suspect there are many more like me. So it does appear that there is a marketing opportunity. And you do have a little experience with collaboration tools, so it should be a great adventure.
Best wishes for success and joy.
Alan - Congratulations!! All the best of luck at Socialtext...
Hmmmmm. Guess that answers a question I'd been meaning to follow up with you on ;-). Good luck in the new gig...sounds like a tremendous opportunity.
I guess you'll be archiving this blog then?
Congratulations and all the best in your new career. Sure hope to keep seeing your name pop-up every now and then...
What - that's TWO posts in a row about Trans-world teleportation, albeit this one blows the Second Life to OpenSim one clean out of the sky!
A shocker, Alan. Mindblowing.
Congratulations. It sounds very much like a job very well suited for you, and I'm sure we're all going to be hearing a lot more of Socialtext in the future.
Congratulations and best wishes in the new gig ... maybe this will clear up the "Ed is my twin" thing once and for all!
Congratulations Alan. Our loss is Socialtext's gain. What a great opportunity and incredible team to be joining. It's been wonderful working with you over the years, especially with the Best Practices Conference. I look forward to our paths crossing in the future. Make sure you look me up whenever you're in the Las Vegas area.
Depressing that I was congratulatory post #75 - so much for things moving at the speed of sound around my place!
Lots of people have already said congratulations, so I'll say Mazel Tov, Alan. I'm happy for you, even though the Domino community will certainly miss you. Does SocialText have a Frisbee team?
Sad to see you leave IBM, but wish you well. You are such a great source of knowledge and so willing to share, I regret losing such a great resource.
You will see big differences in working for a small company - here's hoping you will someday make you way back to the arms of IBM.
You have to get a kick out of the fact that I heard about your move by seeing Ed's post on his blog and then extended initial congratulations on your Facebook - likely before anyone else did...smile. We've only met in cyber-space and I recall extended sympathies to you on the loss of a loved one.
I met Ross Mayfield and some of his team at an Institute for the Future ({ Link } in 1997, I believe. It was a cool company then. I can only imagine how cool it will be now that you're there. Looking forward to remaining in touch with going forward.
Good luck and God speed, Alan. I wish you the best of luck in your new position. I'm sure you will learn a lot and grow new talents as you take on your role at Socialtext.
Lotus will certainly miss your energy, enthusiasm, and technical acumen. I've never met a bigger fan or more savvy user of Lotus Notes; I'll miss your "technical support".
However, I'm delighted you will still be in our "outer circle", working for a Lotus partner. Remember - don't be a stranger. You've left a lot of friends behind!
Man, what a FANTASTIC piece of news! They say that people are "measured" by the greatness of the community they hang out with and while going through this blog post, and the huge amount of comments coming all over the place, it clearly shows we are all going to miss you quite a bit! Yet, somehow, we all know where we are going to find you back! I am sure that none of us are going to become strangers. On the contrary, the relationships will be stronger than ever before and this blog post is just a proof of that!
Thanks ever so much, Alan, for all the fish, and I do seriously hope we would be able to meet up at the next Lotusphere event so that we can catch up with things, just like in the good old times! Congratulations on the new job and really happy for Ross and SocialText, because they just don't know what they have in their hands with your acquisition and they are just about to find out! AWESOMENESS all around! :-)))
Best of luck on this new and incredibly exciting adventure! And don't change! We wouldn't have you in any other way, Mr! ;-) heh
Alan, so wonderful to see such great support in there comments. What better affirmation of a hiring decision could I ask for?
As I noted on my blog, I'm really looking forward to working with you and enhancing Socialtext's integration with Lotus Connections.
And for those who bleed yellow, don't worry, we'll both see you at Lotusphere. And Kimono's.
Alan, just read all the comments... Congrats and good luck with your new career. Lucky for me we have met in person, otherwise I would have overlooked you :-P and I am happy that I have seen you (talk) in action.
No wonder they want you at SocialText.
Cu around,
Reynout
Congratulations and best of luck.
From a purely selfish point of view, I hope you keep some (all?) of the excellent Lotus links on the blog, somewhere. :-)
Good luck at Socialtext, they are very fortunate to have you on board.
So this is the end of the "Alan is Ed" meme. Dang. :-)
You will gain new friends, and new enemies. You leave your old enemies behind, but not your friends. They will always be around to make fun of you.
I have no idea whether Socialtext is a great company, even if Ross says so. Being on a smaller ship means that each individual contribution counts a lot more than on a big ship. And it's about time somebody values your enthusiasm, and if it's in cold hard cash, I am not going to complain.
I am with Pooter. This is not going to be easy. But have you ever asked for easy?
Good luck, my friend.
Alan,
Congratulations on the jump! This is a great move for you personally; it is sad to see you departing from the Lotus team which has benefitted so greatly from your insights. I am very confident you will still be a part of the Lotus community from a different perspective.
Best wishes on continued success!
--Dan
Congratulations, Alan! Your enthusiasm and vision will be missed. So often we get caught in the weeds and you've always been able to provide a broader perspective. You've got my e-mail address, please use it if there is any way that I can give back.
I'm glad you are moving toward a more rewarding and fulfilling place. Sometimes you just need to get a different perspective on things. :-)
My two favorite memories are from Lotusphere 2007 and ILUG 2008. At Lotusphere 2007 I was walking between sessions and noticed you (glued to your Crackberry) walking in the same direction. We hadn't met yet so I said hello and introduced myself. You shook my hand and casually struck up a conversation while we walked. You were the first IBM'er from the community that I met, and the ease with which you accepted me meant a lot. I know it sounds silly, but there it is.
The second memory that sticks out was your search for men's wood at ILUG 2008. Even funnier was Sean Burgess' reaction when I brought it up at lunch. That still cracks me up. :-D
Congratulations Alan - you'll do great there. We've been working on some stuff with Ross, et. al. so keep in touch!
... memory lane ... where is that customer photo of you, Garry, and I doing the "three person juggling act" at the close of DevCon ?
Enjoy the next Adventure !
Congratulations Alan - sad for us, great for you! All the best!
Congratulations Alan, and all the very best. You've been a real help and encouragement through your blogging and as a user/tech/BP I've really appreciated the thought and thoroughness you've put into the information you've made available.
Alan - what a terrific idea, asking for memories as comments! =)
Here's my memory of you. When I started working for IBM last October, I decided that if I was going to have to use Lotus Notes, I might as well find things to love about it and learn enough about it to tweak it as much as I tweaked my Emacs environment. Everyone I talked to about this odd goal had the same reaction: they looked at me weirdly ("You want to do _what?"), then they told me to go check out your blog. Thanks to your blog, I got to watch you do this technology evangelism thing with a lot of passion and flair. Thanks for the inspiration.
Sheeeeesh!!!! :-D Have fun. Thanks for your help over the years... let me know when you're back in Oz?
WOW.........
The Best to you sir!!
Stay in touch
Mike
Gratz Alan. You are one of my favorite people at Lotus, so I'm sad to see you go. On the other hand, I'm very happy for you! Good luck.
Hi Alan,
Well, I called this one. I told Wendy last week that you were leaving, we were hoping it would be back to T.O. but I see that SocialText doesn't have a northern presence. Maybe that will change?
Best of luck, please don't forget to stop by and see us when you are in town and as many others have said, IBM's loss, is SocialTexts' gain.
Cheers,
--Pete
Kick ass man! Congratulations! I'm thrilled that you have moved on to such a cool position. Well deserved Alan.
We'll definitely miss you. Your voice will be hard to replace.
Most of all, I want to say Thanks. Thanks for everything you've done for Lotus, the community and beyond.
Take Care,
Grey
Congratulations. I hope you keep up your blog. It's one of my few subscribed sites that I check regularly.
Hey Alan,
Congratulations and good luck into your new job!!
JYR
Alan, I wanted to be in the first 100 to congratulate you - I didn't make it! Mostly I wanted to thank you for the passion and dedication you've brought to the Lotus strategy team -- it will make a difference in the many years to come too. Loved working with you over the past 10 years - and look forward to staying in touch, cheers Alan!
Man, I thought I was going to be in the first 100 posts!
Congrats Alan, keep us in mind!
Congratulations, Alan. You'd better stay on BleedYellow, though - how else will I still get my tech support?
Seriously - best of luck with the new role. Your passion and dedication to doing the right thing has always made a big difference for Lotus, and the business and the community wouldn't be the same without you.
Congratulations again!
Alan, good luck on your exciting new position! You have been a great
help to me and my team over at the IBM Tucson Executive Briefing Center!
{ Link }
Alan,
Thanks for righting the ship before jumping off. The work you have done on the strategy team has really paid off. Our message is clearer than ever, thanks to all of your efforts. Hopefully, you'll be back to IBM soon through acquisition. 8)
Mike
Why do these things always happen when I'm offline for 24 hours? ;-)
Many many congratulations Alan. Thanks for all the great work you've done for Lotus. Looking forward to hearing a lot more about SocialText, and hope you'll wangle a trip Lotusphere somehow.
Julian
Congrats and best of luck in the new job Alan
Coatsie
Congratulations Alan! I wish all the best.
Thank you for so many years of dedication.
Very good Alan. IBM is loosing the best speaker in the world, I met you at ILUG 2008 last month! The best session!
Good luck, Alan!
So this explains the rebranding of this blog over the past month!
Alan, thank you so much for all your hard work and commitment to the Lotus brand - it will be so sad to see you go.
However, very many congratulations on the new gig - it sounds tremendous and I am sure you will do an amazing job there. Good luck!
Alan
This sounds like the perfect job for you...a chance to put all those ideas and energy into action. We'll all be following your progress via the blog, twitter, and maybe even a wiki or a spreadsheet! Make the most of it - Career 3.0 is right around the corner.
Chris
Congrats! I'm sure this will prove to be a great growth opportunity. SocialText is lucky to get you.
The customer that I was with when I saw you two weeks ago in Waltham must be a jinx for IBM since one week after their first and last meeting with Gia L. she gave notice (Two of the all time Lotus greats). I'm starting to think about who I want them to meet with next.
Alan - Thanks for the invaluable content you've consistently provided for our customers and community here in the blog. Best of luck at the new job.
Good luck.
Alan, You're a terrific go-to-guy! We're re going to miss you. Congratulations on your new career!
All the best, Liza
Good luck Alan....I'm sure you'll crush'em!
I am so sad....... good luck in your new role!!!!
Enjoy life ..... it is far tooo short.
Congrats to you.
Alan - Congratulations to you.
Since there is a partnership with Lotus Connections, hopefully Lotusphere will be added to this page: { Link }
Congratulations Alan, Its pleasure to visit your blog early mornings in the office...as a notes developer i have learned a lot from you....Thanks for the content you have posted for the community....and all the best for your future.
G'Day Champ
All the very best with the career move - and welcome to the Outside (grin)!
It was a pleasure to finally meet with you earlier this year, and a delight to spend time with someone so passionate about what they do, if only a portion of that enthusiasm is transferred to Socialtext, then they are gaining an asset of immeasurable value.
Congratulations mate, and don't worry about springing for a licence, I've got a spot in my domain for you any time.
My very best regards,
Mat
Congratulations Alan. Your blog has always been inspiring, and I'm sure you will bring the same enthusiasm to your new role.
Best wishes,
Michelle
Alan - that's great news for you. I've enjoyed seeing you grow your own role and establish yourself based on your specific best skills and interests over the last several years. I think its fantastic that IBM was a place that you could grow with, and a place you could really find your own voice. I'm sure you'll use those skills and experience to help Simpletext in their mission. They're lucky to have you.
err...sorry, SOCIALTEXT --- guess as the marketing guy you'll be building that name recognition so its on the tip of our tongue all the time.
:-)
Hi everyone. Wow, sniffle, and wow once again. It means so much to me to read these comments from you. The feedback on here, via email (yes people still use that!), IM, Facebook, Twitter, etc has been simply amazing. This just proves how hard of a decision this has been. As I've said privately about 100 times, I'm not going to disappear from here, and we have proof from Ross above that I'll see you all in Orlando! Hmm, wonder if I should get that in my contract... ;-)
I've been working on a FAQ post to answer a lot of the questions, it is coming soon.
Congratulations on your new job with SocialText. While you're leaving IBM, you'll only be a blog or Twitter post away.
Alan,
Congretulations !
Must be a big step after all these years @ IBM, but SocialText is a cool company. Few months ago Ross Mayfield was in The Netherlands at an Enterprise 2.0 event and shared a lot about the recent project the company is involved in ...
WOW!! Congratulations, Alan!! It is a definite loss for IBM, as you have been a great "evangelist" and "aggressive champion" not only for Lotus' tools, but also for the community's interests inside IBM.
Welcome to the "real world", and I think you'll really enjoy being on the "outside" as an entrepreneur. You'll do fantastic, and SocialText has a great, great new associate in their fold.
--Rock
Hi Alan,
I wish you all the best in your new carreer! You have been inspiring us all during all these years, and set an example of passion and dedication to a great brand and software.
Cheers!
Laurent Boes
Manager Lotus software
IBM Belgium-Luxembourg
Congratulation Alan,
Just getting to know you in your evangelist role at IBM and now will stay in touch with you at SocialText.
hey alan, thought I'd reminisce about Lotus DevCon around 2000-2001. One of my favorite memories was completely not work related. Remember the Grand Canyon trip with Mary P, Gary D, Roy? Don B and me? Ah, we were so young and naive, happy with life in Domino application development... We went to the "Dripping Springs" or something like that and on the way back, I was taking so long that you were compelled to sprint the last couple hundred yards up the canyon side...Gary had his GPS and was announcing the altitude we were climbing as a coaching method...Now, if I could only find those pictures....
I'm thrilled that you're thrilled and will miss our lunches in Cambridge. Hey! Is your Caree 2.0 gonna have APIs??? :-) good luck!
Congratulation. Had been reading your blog since we pick up Lotus and it had been a handy & inspiring reference for our team. Wish you all the best and we will expect more of your experience sharing in Socialtext. Good luck and best wishes.
Martha, thanks a ton for the memory! I'll send you the pictures. No need to miss having lunch with me, I still live in Cambridge, so anytime you want!
Congratulations, Alan! Not gonna focus on the "ending." It sounds like a fabulous new beginning for you. Best of luck!
Alan,
Congratulations! I met you at Lotusphere 2008 during one of the blogging BOF's I attended (and you gave me one of the two Lotus shirts you had for attending.)
I wish you luck in your new position!
Alan, congratulations. It was a pleasure working with you... best of luck in your new role.
Today I returned of holidays, I have seen this post.
Certainly, it is not good news for the Lotus world.
The Lotus world is orphan. I have created a post in my blog with my opinion about this.
{ Link }
Congrats and best of luck in the new job.
Hi Alan,
Just back from holidays, and I saw that you have leaved IBM.
Best of luck in your new job ... hope I will be able to meet you again if you go throught Paris ... or when I'll be in Boston ...
Enjoy your playstation ... sorry your Mac ...
Ciao
d@b
Sincerely, the worst news of the year for the Lotus friends and customers.
But, congratulations Alan !!
Buena suerte !!
Congratulations Alan on your career move. If you know of anyone I might be able to talk to for a career, email me please!
Thanks
Christian
Congratulations! I've always getting really good information about lotus from your web site. I hope your everything work will be well. Thanks you so much.
Good luck.
Frank Jung.