Practicing What I Preach

Posted on by December 18, 2016

I was quite flattered recently to be invited to write some “technology industry” articles for the Evan Carmichael entrepreneur motivation website. This week I submitted my first article for their site. If you take the time to read the article, you will see why I titled this blog entry the way I did 🙂

 

It was an interesting article to write, because it brought back a lot of memories of how I first got asked to join the WordPerfect Users Forum on Compuserve thirteen years ago, and how I was later asked by Novell to help out in the official Novell forums on Compuserve in 1995. From there, a lot has happened, but it still goes back to the gist of the above-mentioned article. I have no doubt that there are many GroupWise experts out there who are just as knowledgeable about GroupWise as I am. These people simply aren’t as “visible”. For some of them it’s a case of just not wanting to be more visible, and for others it’s a lack of confidence in showing the GroupWise community just how skillful they really are.

 

So for all of you GroupWise experts out there, whether you are already recognized by the community or just quietly doing your jobs in creative and consistent ways, keep up the good work. And for those of you who we don’t “know of yet”, start making yourself more VISIBLE so the entire community recognize who you are!

 

Danita

New/Updated Products from Advansys

Posted on by December 18, 2016

Just in time for the holidays! Advansys has released version 1.5 of Archive to Go, and version 1.0 of Filing Assistant.

 

Since we began selling Advansys products, we’ve found that Archive to Go seems to be one of our customers’ favorites. We love it too! Archive To Go is a very versatile way to retain email for former employees, archive out mail for departing employees, archiving specific folders as projects complete, and much more. If you don’t have it for your organization, now’s the time. From now til the end of the year we’ll be having an Archive To Go Promotion, offering 5% off of any Archive To Go purchase. Just go to our Advansys page, and on your final check outwill see your discount.

 

In addition, Advansys has released Filing Assistant version 1.0, a Formativ applet that allows you to quickly and easily file items into a folder easily and quickly, uncluttering your mailbox. If you purchase Filing Assistant with Archive to Go, we’ll throw in a 5% discount for that too!

 

Danita

The GroupWise “Family”

Posted on by December 18, 2016

As many of you know, I’ve been doing “GroupWise” since WordPerfect Office 2.0. I’ll admit it – that was 18 years ago (I was a child of course!). And over the years, I’ve come to think of the GroupWise community as part of my extended “family.” Many of the people I know in the GroupWise world have been around as long (some even longer) than I have, and we’ve weathered the ups and downs of this business and still gather for the “family reunions” a number of times a year at BrainShare, Advisor Summit, GWAVACon, etc. Indeed, I missed the “Burkett Family Reunion” this year, because I had made a prior commitment to my “GroupWise Family” to be at BrainShare (I think they will forgive me – just this once)!

So, imagine my surprise when yesterday an order notification from my shopping cart caught my eye. We’ve sold products to all 50 States, and 67 countries and territories throughout the world. One would hardly think that an order from Bakersfield, California would pique my interest! But interest me it did. The purchaser hardly knows me as a “goddess”, GroupWise or otherwise. He more than likely thinks of me as that bratty cousin whose presence he had to endure many summers when I spent time with him and his sister Dana! My cousin Jon purchased the GroupWise 7 Upgrade Guide yesterday for a colleague, not even realizing that he was on my website until he received the order confirmation.

The GroupWise “Family” has suddenly taken on a new meaning 🙂

Happy Friday to all of the Family!

Danita

Welcome!

Posted on by December 18, 2016

Welcome to my new blog! I’ve been asked many times to blog regarding GroupWise, and now I’ve finally taken the time to get going 🙂

Now that Spring is here (hopefully – we had snow yesterday!), it’s time to get a “fresh start” on some new projects, and this will be the first. While I have no idea what I’ll actually write about, my intention is to give you my thoughts on GroupWise tips and tricks, my thoughts about where GroupWise is going, what’s new and exciting that I see in GroupWise, and just about anything else I can think of that is GroupWise related. And of course, if there are topics you’d like to see me discuss, feel free to let me know!

Happy GroupWising!

Danita

Goodbye to Ken Muir

Posted on by December 18, 2016

In my last entry about the “Man in the Middle” patch issued by Novell, I told you about another “man in the middle”, Ken Muir, the Director of Engineering for GroupWise. I thought of Ken as the “man in the middle” during this time, because he showed a clear understanding of how much GroupWise customers need a straight-talking, honest representative when the going gets tough. The fact that this representative was the actual Director of Engineering for GroupWise was perhaps a bit unusual. Having someone who is really “in charge” of the product being so forthright was refreshing to say the least!

 

Ken is moving on. His announcement earlier today that he is taking a new position in Waltham at Novell Headquarters came as a surprise to most of the GroupWise community. Ken has been very “visible” to the community, and we will miss him very much. Good luck to you Ken – and keep in touch!

 

Replacing Ken is Dean Lythgoe, a long-time GroupWise Engineer, who to many of us seems the embodiment of GroupWise! I agree with Ken that Dean will continue to keep GroupWise moving forward. I’ve worked with Dean for many years, and look forward to seeing what new developments come out of his team.

 

We wish both Ken and Dean many congratulations in their new positions!

 

Danita

GroupWise Summit Just Around the Corner

Posted on by December 18, 2016

If you haven’t registered for the all hands-on GroupWise Summit in Belgium you still have time! There are only 13 seats remaining though, so you need to get moving! To find out more about the summit go to the GroupWiseR site and see what’s up. Last year’s summit was a HUGE hit. Where else can you spend a few days in front of a laptop learning from top industry experts? The reviews from last year were all very positive, and we expect this year to be even more successful (and about 30 more seats have been added to give more folks a chance to join in).

 

Don’t miss some great info on GMS on Linux, Teaming and Conferencing, sneak peaks at Bonsai, and many other exciting GroupWise topics. And if you are a developer interested in SOAP this is a don’t miss event. Tim Draper and Tommy Mikkelsen will give you some great insight into the many possibilities of developing with SOAP. Last year these were some of the most well received sessions in the event!

 

So hurry and get registered! Only a bit over two weeks until the big event!

 

Danita

Meet me in Miami

Posted on by December 18, 2016

The GroupWise Advisor Summit is just around the corner. It will be held September 30 – October 4, 2007 in Miami, Florida.

 

If you’ve never been to an Advisor Summit, you are really missing out. The Advisor group has been in the conference business for a long time, and they really know how to put on a good show.

 

This year there will be some exciting new products discussed and exhibited at the Summit. The next version of GroupWise, code named Bonsai, is what Novell calls “code complete”, which means it is ready to show off in its full glory. Additionally the new “Teaming and Conferencing” product will be very visible at the conference.

 

For information, just go to http://www.caledonia.net and click on the Meet Me In Miami graphic!

 

See you there.

 

Danita

Losing our religion

Posted on by December 18, 2016

One of the wonderful things about GroupWise is that there are so many “faces” that are associated with both GroupWise and Novell. There are names that immediately are paired with a face in many GroupWise customers’ minds. Indeed, those “faces” often evoke a sense of GroupWise community. I always hesitate to start naming names (or referencing faces!), because inevitably I will leave out someone’s “favorite”. However, think about it – Ken Muir’s grin, Morris Blackham’s beard, Richard Bliss’ funny antics, (and formerly Howard Tayler’s boots) all give the GroupWise family a sense of “being”.

Last week Novell lost a “face”. The “Reverend” Ted Haeger has moved on to other pastures (you can check out Ted’s blog here to find out more about his move). During his tenure at Novell, Ted was of course a huge GroupWise advocate, and served as Director of Marketing for GroupWise before taking on the role that he is now leaving. Ted gave Novell not only a face to remember, but a voice as well. Ted’s work in Novell’s “Community” and specifically in Novell Open Audio has brought a myriad of exciting new topics to the Novell community, introducing new voices to the forefront, and giving us an urge to make acquaintance with some more “faces” in the Novell world. And of course Ted has a face, no, a persona, that is synonymous with the fun and camaraderie of serious business!

All the best to Ted in his new venture. The Novell family will miss you! I’m sure we will keep on keeping on, but at least for the short term it won’t be quite the same!

Danita