At 08:58 AM 4/9/2004, elliot noss wrote: <snip>
Third, we are trying to be more effective in our communication generally. We are ok relative to most other companies (IMHO) but we can get much better. Both in what we communicate (the whole roadmap/client code thing we were talking about last week) and in how we communicate. We have no magic bullets. We are trying things. I would be surprised if you would want to discourage that.
Certainly don't want to discourage that, quite the opposite. I think the frustration is that you (Tucows) have gone downhill in terms of how well you communicate.
I have no idea who said that, but the empirical data contradicts this. I read and post. Ross reads and posts. James, Bruce, Kim (the product managers relaevant to the various offerings) read and post. Most senior people do. Mike Cooperman, our CFO, does not. He is not expected to :-).
I think you have described the problem without realizing it.
All this "communication" is coming from Tucows managers... these people THINK like managers, because they ARE managers... they consider this "communication with the channel" and discuss-list isn't a great way to send out a prefab message that's only meant to be heard. Sure you get feedback this way, but lately it's more in the form of complaints.
Back when Chuck was manning the list (and I say this because it's the only milestone I can point to, the cause may be something else) there was a much greater sense of community... I felt there was someone (a single point of contact) on whom we could depend for answers, help, and comments on virtually any topic brought up here. He'd throw in his 2 cents on almost every subject even though he wasn't always handing down official policy and this kept the list vibrant. IMHO the busy list helps foster a sense of community and loyalty to Tucows. It also gave resellers and Tucows management a way to keep their finger on the pulse of what's up and what people think.
Now the list goes several days between posts, we only get activity when someone complains, and posts from managers aren't about innovative new ideas, they're generally defensive posturing and explanations for the complaints.
Don't get me wrong... I'm not saying anyone's doing a BAD job here, I think you still stand out above other registrars... it's just that you had something and lost it. I wish I could describe that "something" better and tell you how to get it back.
Maybe it's just that your products are maturing, becoming more complex, and the excitement around domain registration has waned in the past 2 years.
-Russ
