Software Association of Oregon and Internet Professionals Northwest Merge

by Richard Appleyard, IPN president

Over the past several years, the SAO has established goals and programs to make the organization the strongest possible asset to virtually any business in the software cluster –any business that relies on software for direct revenue or to produce its products or services. So there’s a great deal of excitement in the announcement of the merger of SAO with Internet Professionals Northwest (IPN).

Internet expertise adds value to all SAO members
“Programs come and go in any organization such as ours; it’s a normal ebb and flow process,” says John Tortorici, SAO president. “The SAO had an Internet SIG in the '90s, but clearly the Internet is here to stay. This merger brings a wealth of Internet expertise back to the SAO that the membership is going to be able to capitalize on in ways that we can’t imagine yet, for years to come.”

Tortorici is alluding to the stature of IPN. It’s an organization of 70 or more technical professionals well versed in building and designing everything from web sites to highly effective marketing strategies and tools for businesses. Further, the skills that IPN brings will enable SAO to extend the value of web usage to almost any part of a company; to marketing, naturally, but also to departments such as human resources, that use web tools for its health plan enrollment, and finance departments using the web as part of their retirement planning programs. Many companies, for example, are moving their customer relationship management online in the form of self-service Web applications.

IPN continues to mature as a professional organization
IPN grew out of a group of Internet users who started meeting in the pub to share their ideas and passion for the ‘Net. It became a place where members could remain connected and nurture and grow their interests and skills. Today, the organization is known not just for its web development, programming and graphics expertise. “Our members have a strong sense of business as well, so they know how to link web-based marketing to bottom-line business objectives such as selling products and services to different audience demographics and in concert with other promotional strategies,” says Warren Bachand, IPN board member and initiator of the merger.

The Internet continues to evolve at a rate most find too fast to track, Bachand continues. “IPN has provided a way for our professionals to stay current. The merger with SAO creates a larger resource and possible venues through which we can share our knowledge.” There are also many other benefits to SAO membership that IPN members can now take advantage of. The merger of IPN with SAO is a natural fit for the two organizations, along with the simple benefit of strength in numbers.

Steering committee to launch six programs in 2007
IPN members will join with SAO’s resources to create an Internet Professionals Special Interest Group (IPSIG), and based on its success, to completely merge IPN into SAO within the next six months. Initial goals for IPSIG include launching six programs in 2007. An IPSIG planning committee is set to meet by the end of October to define the charter for the IPSIG, and then on a regular basis to plan and schedule these programs. Both Tortorici and Bachand stress that the focus will be on creating programs that help SAO member firms make better use of the Internet in all of their disciplines. It will also be important for IPN and SAO members with concerns and ideas about future IPSIG events to get involved.

Tortorici adds that the SAO membership can expect some exciting and innovative output from the IPSIG. “When we get these great minds working together, expect some pretty impressive things to come out of it. Communication, programs and events that are knowledge-based, well planned and executed, which are sustained and grow in value over time.”

About the author
Richard Appleyard is a health informatics/IT manager and consults on usable and accessible Web development for the consumer market. He is a clinical assistant professor in medical informatics at OHSU and a Web development instructor in the multimedia professional program at PSU. He writes a blog on technology usability at enablingit.blogspot.com and can be reached at richard@enablingit.com.