Roelof the wunderkind informed me that we passed 100 members late last week, and we stand at 107 today, so things are moving quickly. This was all pretty exciting for about ten minutes, until we asked ourselves the obvious follow-on question: Which members do we need next?
Members have pretty much been a self-selecting group so far. Now it’s time for us to start inviting companies we know will be valuable to the community and focusing on creating value for them.
So who needs to be a member? I’ve recently asked a narrow version of the question to our Technology Managers. These are the Symbian staff who manage the technology councils, which govern the evolution and stability of the platform. For them, the challenge is to identify companies we need in Symbian because their technology expertise would be valuable in growing the platform.
The wider question is for you, the community. In addition to companies that can help the platform evolve, we’re looking for companies that you would like to see in the value chain, contributing to the vibrancy of the community.
Do you know companies that develop a category of applications that would that would expand user experiences on Symbian phones? What kinds of applications would be valuable, for instance, to enterprise customers? Older customers? Sales organizations?
Do you know a company that would be valuable to the growth of the platform, but who would likely not themselves be interested in contributing to the software? Some of our financial services members fit this category. Do they have code they may wish to contribute to the platform? Probably not. Do they know way more than we do about the future of secure mobile payments? You bet.
Members play many roles in the community. Many of the people who respond to questions on our developer forums are members of the community, rather than Symbian staff. Do you know companies who could make valuable contributions there?
So that’s the question for all of you – who should we invite to the party?
Just curious, how do you become a member?
Ole @ mobileways.de
Hi, Jan
You can find information about becoming a member here: http://www.symbian.org/members/
If you have more questions, please feel free to ask!
Cheers,
Lauren
could you please elaborate more on your activities
My 2 cents worth. I tried to find a list of Current Members on the link you posted below, but it only seems to provide a way to become a member. One of the things I have been strongly advocating for is a strong Java presence in Symbian and therefore would suggest that Oracle (who now owns Sun) as a member. Creating applications that can run cross platform, where possible, will serve to make developer efforts that much easier. Also an effort to create a standard API for Java applications to call common functions (GPS, SMS, Email, etc… where possile) across platforms would also add value and a larger company like Oracle might have some clout to help with the objective. I also think having Oracle could provide other benefits, if they are interested.
Hey, EVVJSK
You can find the member directory here: http://developer.symbian.org/main/about/member_companies/index.php
We know it’s in the wrong place, on the developer site, but it will be moved to http://www.symbian.org shortly.
Thanks for the suggestion about Oracle. I will ping our Global Alliances team to make certain they’ve got Oracle on their list.
Cheers,
Lauren
Hello, Boniface Amimo
What kinds of activities are you interested in? Technical? Member programs? Let me know and I’ll point you in the right direction.
Cheers,
Lauren
i want to be symbian’s member
Hi, nguyenson_44
That’s great news. Information about becoming a member is here: http://www.symbian.org/members/
If you have any questions about membership after you read through the info, please let us know by sending email to info@symbian.org.
We look forward to welcoming you!