Not just applications and data… so said Jon Udell to wrap up his announcement about his new gig. Jon couldn’t have phrased that better, and I couldn’t agree more. Jon was making a larger point about language and platform dogmatism versus solution-oriented pragmatism. Being well-known for his transparency and openness, he is turning heads for going somewhere that most people have associated with being opaque and closed. But he gets the fact that Ozzie is changing the direction of that ship, and perhaps he will do so too.
I myself have been down various roads of being a technology dogmatist. At various times I have ruthlessly and arrogantly defended technologies that I was comfortable with. But more and more I see them as just so many mineral deposits that all clog the same faucet. Sometimes there is a right tool for a job. More often there are various tools that could adequately do the job, but always there is contextualization of tools. I want my value to be as a conduit for delivering, and less of being a lofty wonk or a one-size-fits-all punisher.
Sidenote: I want a job with a title of Evangelist someday! I currently work for an extremely cool employer and believe in the work that I do, but who doesn’t think ahead to their next move. I have long thought that my next stop would be as an industry analyst, but maybe evangelist is a better fit. I’m an evangelist today here, but no one is paying me and the focus is nebulous. And too many evangelists come off as being gilded sales reps. Maybe Jon will change that persona, and recast the coolness surrounding tech evangelism… we’ll see and I’ll be watching.
Technorati tags: jonudell, evangelist, industry analysts, mashup
Scott Mark 
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