Since I consider myself an evangelist for collaborative technology, I found this post by Gregg Eldredd over at the LotusViralMarketing blog to be fascinating:
These links are basically “What Does a Technology Evangelist Do?” but could help you frame your discussions, find new ways to promote yourself, and to get the word out internally.
First up, from Technology Evangelist, comes this little gem. Ed Kohler writes:
Overall, the most common trait I saw among the people I talked to or observed throughout the day was enthusiasm. They were enthusiastic about what they do for a living. Enthusiastic about what other people are doing at other companies. And, enthusiastic about solving problems ranging from API issues, restaurant recommendations, project management challenges, or anything else they may be able to lend a hand with.
“Enthusiasm” is what we all share. You see it in User Group Meetings, Lotusphere, pretty much whenever you get more than one Domino person in a room. And usually that enthusiasm is brought back into the workplace. Keep it up.
Next, we have a paper published by Dr. Frederic Lucas-Conwell that investigates the leadership qualities of Technology Evangelists. In his paper, which could be used to help you justify your work for your organization as an evangelist, he says:
Technology evangelism is a relatively recent phenomenon, providing organizations with opportunities to focus on promoting technologies and services in a manner that goes far beyond traditional marketing and sales. Our study revealed insider information about this new career path from the perspective of those living it on a daily basis. Efficient and effective technology evangelism requires very specific integration, management, and structure-or a conscious lack of structure. …
It is well worth reading the links that Gregg suggests… Very interesting perspectives…
