Types of Tridionauts

Portugal is known for great sausage. Unfortunately so was the SDL Tridion MVP Community retreat. Don't make me explain "sausage fest."

Despite such gender homogeneity, the 2012 group represented:

• Technical consultants from small to large partners and independent consultants
• Internals (Community Builders or MVPs that work for SDL) with roles in R&D, FC, TAM, Sales, and TC
• Various countries of origin including Netherlands, Spain, England, and the East/West US Coasts

Are techies with a Y chromosome more compelled to share? The retreat was missing:

• More non-technical consultants
• Non-consultants or customers
• A female perspective

More customer employees will share eventually. Generation 2020 may transform previously closed organizations by introducing millions of digital natives to the workforce. Some SDL Tridion customers already share, ask, and engage more than some internals.

Roles may diversify as hundreds more learn SDL Tridion and existing resources gain experience. All-in-one consultants will continue, but notice how the larger Web digital landscape has changed quickly; there are jobs in a variety of roles:

• Graphic design, client-side programming, and back-end development
• Database and system administration
• User experience, SEO, accessibility, and content strategy

So more types of Tridionauts will share, but will female Tridionauts get recognition?

I once dreamed of changing the world. My Global impact is nonexistent but I've had a wonderful and unique opportunity to contribute to, and possibly change, at least one software community. As my daughter goes from four-to-fourteen, I'm hoping to change the world again.

I'm probably a poor role model for her or young women interested in this type of knowledge work. Luckily Tridion-the-software attracts the brightest and creative problem-solvers and it's a matter of time before someone else, in a different role, possibly of a different gender, changes the community yet again.

So by all means, share or encourage others to share and then consider nominating less sausage (link opens email) for your community representatives.

Update (2016): since this post, we've had two women win the SDL Web/Tridion community award. It's better representation, maybe even high if looking at the gender ratio across the entire community, but we still need to promote and encourage Tridionauts of all types.