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Permalink Reply by Alex Rudloff on May 19, 2008 at 12:26pm

We have a number of communities of people that are all disconnected for whatever reason. Unfortunately, I think a lot of the reasons are that we have cliques and egos and everything else that leads to efforts being cannibalized by the unnecessary duplication of efforts, or the lack of support for things because so-and-so is involved, or whatever other reason people want to construct.

We have three of the top 10 largest universities in the country within striking distance and a low cost of living. We have a ton of available angel money and an eager local government. We have affordable bandwidth and office space. We have a strong creative community in part from our proximity to Universal and Disney.

What I'd love to see out of Doterati is something that answers what I think our biggest need is -- An organization that can bring together all the various "sub-communities" in our area. We need something thats bigger than any particular person/name/group that can survive on its own over the long run. No motives or agendas other than supporting/expanding the local technology community at large (whether its the barcamp/opensource crowd, the florida creatives group, or any of the fantastic user groups we have in the area)

Doterati has the possibility of being an association that works with groups like the EDC where appropriate to help market the community, something that helps integrate new comers into the scene and act as a resource for people looking to relocate here, something to help encourage the startup mentality locally and let all the student talent in our 100 mile radius know that its okay not to want to grow up and work for Lockheed if thats not what they want to do (or if they do, here are some talented folks that can maybe help get you there!). The organization should be something that exists across Central Florida and integrates the ever expanding Orlando/Orlampa metro area.

My own personal reasoning for encouraging the growth of our community -- I'm a startup guy. I was born and raised here, and after a brief stint elsewhere, I'd like to stay here for good.The easier it is for other startups to work and live in Central Florida, the easier it is for all of us to succeed. I'm sick of people telling us we should relocate to SF. SF is overpriced, overcrowded and cold. ;)

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Permalink Reply by Cory Collier on May 22, 2008 at 11:07am

Dude, You are the man.

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Permalink Reply by Ryan Price on June 19, 2008 at 12:37am

I'd say the Space Coast and lots of the engineering stuff in the area adds to the caché as well, and lots of folks have been quoting EA Games as a big deal... which it is. I think Bonnier (my employer) could be more active in the community as far as corporate presence and making Orlando look cool - what are we really doing on that end? I didn't even know they were here until I found out about the job opening, and most people working next to me would say the same thing.

What do I want to get out of Doterati? Let's have the ability for folks in other parts of the world search for something simple on Google like "Orlando tech" and find all of the great stuff happening here - which I think this group will accomplish.

Funny, I know that some folks (myself included) have tried to keep the "agendas" and "special interests" out of this - but the agenda is to make us look cool, plain and simple. The means to that end have been supplied in the posts all over the site.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Marden on June 19, 2008 at 12:59am

"We have a number of communities of people that are all disconnected for whatever reason. Unfortunately, I think a lot of the reasons are that we have cliques and egos and everything else that leads to efforts being cannibalized by the unnecessary duplication of efforts"

It happens to many of the scenes in Orlando. The music scene was always very fractured, and many folks who study here (Full Sail, etc), leave soon after they graduate. This was a major cause of many of the weekly events I use to promote a few years ago. A soon as we'd get an audience built, they'd all graduate and move on. Granted we were mostly promoting experimental electronic artists but there are only a core set of folks left.

But even on a broader sense, it seems to affect almost all the creative circles I've been involved in.

Is it the economy? The image of the city? The congestion and urban sprawl? Our backwards local government? Probably all of those things are contributing factors. Yet, as soon as you're in the inner circle of hipsters, geeks and artists - then it all opens up. Until you realize there is another circle more inner than the one you're in.

I'm well traveled, and consider myself pretty cultured in the ways of the global culture, but having lived most of my adult life in Orlando I can't speak for how it is in other cities. Though I have sneaking suspicion its not much different that it is here.

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Permalink Reply by Mark "Jensen" Titterington on May 20, 2008 at 9:05am

Hi Ted,
I hope to leverage doterati.com to:

Network - I hope to meet advertising, audio and video professionals for collaboration and projects.

Professional Socialization - Similar to Networking. More and more of us work at our home/office, isolated from society. It would be great to leave the house once in a while and talk, in person, with a group of professionals that have similar interests.

Increase Profitability - Again, similar to Networking. As a small business owner, I am always searching for opportunities and ways to grow from small to big.


Best Regards,
Mark
Studio1A Productions, LLC
Winter Park/Orlando
New Media Gear
Podcast Archive Site

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Permalink Reply by Tara Lamberson on May 20, 2008 at 12:56pm

Thanks Mark,
All of your points align well with what we've been discussing as goals. I would love your thoughts on value add tools that could support your increased profitability goal.

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Permalink Reply by Mark "Jensen" Titterington on May 20, 2008 at 3:42pm

Hi Tara,
I would like to say I have a clear answer on increasing profit or ROI.

We could likely all agree that there is business potential all around us ...in our back yards and down the road as well as around the world. We often expend our resources to reach around the world, when a bounty of potential clients await us in our own city. It's not surprising, because that is our comfort zone.

As I browse the user profiles on doterati, I am blown away by the amount of creative and technical talent right in our own back yard. If my web site CSS needs tweaking, I contact someone in Arizona, while someone a few miles away has the exact talent I need and also needs the work.

I scour the world for companies interested in my voiceovers, but I know there is a need and market right here in Central Florida.

Back to your question though:
How can we increase profitability? How can we increase revenue?

Most of our skill sets appear to be passive. In other words, we have all this collective talent gathered, but we mostly brainstorm amongst ourselves and wait for clients to approach us. Some are fortunate enough to have more work than they can handle, while the rest would welcome more business and revenue.

The very latest, cutting edge technology mediums that we are skilled in should be marketed using decades old techniques...

* What are we selling? Whether we like the word 'sales' or not, we need to understand that we are all [except the privileged few] sales people.

* Most of us are selling intangibles. We are selling our knowledge, skills and creativity. Experience is great, but prospective clients need results.

* Networking is our greatest strength and our greatest downfall. I have watched incredibly talented video meetings, here on doterati. These people are talented beyond my expectations, but most of the audience has similar skill sets. In order to sell and become profitable, we need to network with our potential customers in vertical markets that require our skills.

* Networking can only succeed if we band together and sell our strengths to the potential client. Unfortunately, as techies (myself included), we make the mistake of marketing and selling to ourselves.


My Proposal:
Sell

* How many of us can successfully leave the comfort of our flat panels and get contact names on the phone or in person. Can we get out on the road and make those presentations face-to-face?

* Keep the internal networking strong and tight, but don't forget about potential customers. We need to network to them directly, not via the web. That is, in fact, what they [the customer] want to pay US to do.

* Even in this age of global video conferencing, clients pay big money to fly people around the country (and the world) just to meet with them, view a presentation or attend a trade show. The presence of a real person cannot compete with a 320x200 pixel window.

I hope some of that makes sense, because it has been my experience as a business owner. My field may be completely different than yours, but I do think we all have a common goal:

We want to reach, inspire, motivate and captivate. Our clients await us.


Best Regards,
Mark
Studio1A Productions, LLC
New Media Gear
Podcast Archive Site

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Permalink Reply by Eric Marden on June 19, 2008 at 1:01am

Speaking english (as opposed to marketingspeak) is a good start. There is no need for "value add" when building authentic relationships with others in the community.

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Permalink Reply by Anthony Richardson on May 29, 2008 at 5:26pm

I just moved here from St. Louis on Monday, so for me I hope this will be a good medium to meet some new people - from entrepreneurs, marketers, and professionals to drinkers and hooligans alike. Feel free to drop me a line if your in need of anything, and hello Central Florida.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Marden on June 19, 2008 at 1:03am

Check out: http://www.likemind.us/

There is one this Friday in Downtown Orlando.

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Permalink Reply by Gerard Massey on May 29, 2008 at 6:31pm

I hope to get to know people through Doterati and build a list of contacts for the CF area. I mysel am a Computer Science major and hope to meet people who can help me in my academic and vocational endeavors.

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Permalink Reply by R. Alexander Spoerer on June 21, 2008 at 12:09pm

Like others had previously mentioned, networking is the one of the big draws from me. But also its being able to interact with creative people who understand how incorporating technology into existing infrastructures in a good thing and not something to be afraid of.

It's nice to be with people who understand the ramifications of what all of these new technologies bring to the table and find ways of implementing them intelligently.

And also, it's time we show that Central Florida has the wherewithal to do all this and do it well.

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