John R Wolff wrote:
>A more interesting story would be how Interex and ITUG plan to slug it out
for user members if the merger does go through. How about a follow up story
on that?
I agree there is a major story here. The story is about what direction our,
the HP/CPQ users, advocacy/user group will take. What direction will HP
allow them to take.
The only advocacy there is in a free enterprise system is the advocacy the
company allows to exist. HP is not required to "listen" to Interex or ITUG.
If they do decide to listen to one or the other then that's the group that
wins. It will not come down to the two organizations "slugging it out" nor
will the users vote with there memberships. HP will decide with whom they
will liaise.
This assumes that there will be "advocacy" in the new HP. I'm not convinced
there will be. One candidate running for the Interex board a few years back
said that Interex should get out of the advocacy business and more heavily
into the lucrative convention/seminar business.
The merger may give Interex the opportunity to branch out into new
endeavors. I can't give any hard facts to back this position. It just seems
to be a likely scenario.
The opinions expressed herein are my own and not necessarily those of my
employer.
Yosef Rosenblatt

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