%0 Journal Article %J Open Source Business Resource %D 2010 %T The Business of Open: Common Pitfalls for Open Source Startups %A Mekki MacAulay %X Many entrepreneurs look at open source as a panacea of sorts, a golden ticket to success. They assume that the value of the open source approach is apparent to all, undeniable, and the only way. The mistake they often make is carrying this passion into the way they form their startup. They assume that open source startups are somehow different, and that as a result they will carry themselves. I was once such an entrepreneur, with such a vision. The reality is that an open source startup isn't really that different from other startups. It still needs to have figured out all of the essential components of a successful business. An open source strategy can certainly yield a competitive advantage, bringing faster time to market, lower development cost, collaboration opportunities, ecosystem positioning, and faster adoption. But, these advantages don't come along on their own. The open source strategy is just one piece of the larger business model. The other pieces have to be strong, too, or the whole might crumble. This article reviews the essentials for all startups and highlights special considerations and pitfalls for open source startups in particular. It also discusses how startups can use an open source strategy to gain competitive advantage by focusing the passion and energy surrounding participation in open source towards value creation and acquisition. %B Open Source Business Resource %I Talent First Network %C Ottawa %8 02/2010 %G eng %U http://timreview.ca/article/324 %N February 2010 %9 Articles %1 OSStrategy.org Mekki MacAulay is the Principal of OSStrategy.org, a consulting firm that helps companies improve their competitive advantage and strategic positioning in a world embracing open source. Mekki is also the president and founder of MekTek Solutions, an IT services company based in Ottawa, ON. Mekki holds undergraduate degrees from Carleton University in Computer Systems Engineering, and Psychology, and a Master's degree in Technology Innovation Management. His research interests focus on open source adoption; open source ecosystem value creation, extraction, and keystone company positioning; and quantifying the value of passive participation in open source projects. %0 Journal Article %J Open Source Business Resource %D 2010 %T Editorial: Growing Business (June 2010) %A Dru Lavigne %A Mekki MacAulay %X Growth is important for any business, especially technology companies that operate in an environment of constant innovation, advancement, and evolving consumer needs. It is essential to maintain long term profitability, develop a brand, and attract new investment. But the path to successful growth is not obvious, and is filled with hurdles. Growth requires capital, making consistent revenue a necessity. But figuring out the smartest way to invest capital to promote growth can be a daunting task. Growth can also require some experimentation with different stategies, weathering the occasional failure along the way, in order to find one that is the right fit for the company. But where do you start? Book stores have hundreds of books on business growth, with many promising a surefire strategy for success. But the reality is that there is no single growth formula that works for all businesses. Entrepreneurs must understand what drives their business--something that might be very different from other, similar businesses--and leverage this knowledge in order to grow. Growth requires focus, and energy must be directed on one particular aspect at a time, such as revenue growth, market growth, product line growth, or even shareholder growth. Trying to extend in all directions at once is a sure path to failure. Disciplined, incremental, consistent growth is the formula for success, no matter how that success is defined by the business. %B Open Source Business Resource %I Talent First Network %C Ottawa %8 06/2010 %G eng %U http://timreview.ca/article/354 %N June 2010 %9 Editorial %1 Talent First Network Dru Lavigne is a technical writer and IT consultant who has been active with open source communities since the mid-1990s. She writes regularly for BSD Magazine and is the author of the books BSD Hacks, The Best of FreeBSD Basics, and the Definitive Guide to PC-BSD. %2 OSStrategy.org Mekki MacAulay is the Principal of OSStrategy.org, a consulting firm that helps companies improve their competitive advantage and strategic positioning in a world embracing open source. Mekki is also the president and founder of MekTek Solutions, an IT services company based in Ottawa, ON. Mekki holds undergraduate degrees from Carleton University in Computer Systems Engineering, and Psychology, and a Master's degree in Technology Innovation Management. His research interests focus on open source adoption; open source ecosystem value creation, extraction, and keystone company positioning; and quantifying the value of passive participation in open source projects. %0 Journal Article %J Open Source Business Resource %D 2010 %T Editorial: Interdisciplinary Lessons (August 2010) %A Chris McPhee %A Mekki MacAulay %X Some believe that great advances, discoveries, and innovation result from concentrated efforts within distinct fields. However, progress using this traditional practice has been slowing for some time. The next great discoveries are unlikely to come from further refinements in highly-specialized fields working in isolation. Rather, they will come from creative collaboration between practitioners and researchers from two or more distinct fields, combining their knowledge, theoretical principles, and methodologies in ways never before considered. This issue analyzes lessons from other disciplines to provide a new perspective on the challenges faced by open source communities, practitioners, entrepreneurs, and other participants. The goal is to extract and apply the collective wisdom of a diverse group of authors to help solve relevant problems. The first two articles in this issue provide specific interdisciplinary lessons from diverse fields that are relevant to open source communities. The remaining articles describe projects in which platforms are being developed to promote, encourage, and analyze interdisciplinary work. %B Open Source Business Resource %I Talent First Network %C Ottawa %8 08/2010 %G eng %U http://timreview.ca/article/368 %N August 2010 %9 Editorial %1 Open Source Business Resource Chris McPhee is in the Technology Innovation Management program at Carleton University in Ottawa. Chris received his BScH and MSc degrees in Biology from Queen's University in Kingston, following which he worked in a variety of management, design, and content development roles on science education software projects in Canada and Scotland. %2 OSStrategy.org Mekki MacAulay is the Principal of OSStrategy.org, a consulting firm that helps companies improve their competitive advantage and strategic positioning in a world embracing open source. Mekki is also the president and founder of MekTek Solutions, an IT services company based in Ottawa. Mekki holds undergraduate degrees from Carleton University in Computer Systems Engineering and Psychology, and a Master's degree in Technology Innovation Management. His research interests focus on open source adoption; open source ecosystem value creation, extraction, and keystone company positioning; and quantifying the value of passive participation in open source projects. %0 Journal Article %J Open Source Business Resource %D 2010 %T Growing Revenue with Open Source %A Mekki MacAulay %X To survive, a company must grow revenue from the core of their business. This article describes how open source can be used to help support revenue growth. We suggest seven strategies and provide examples of successful implementations for each. %B Open Source Business Resource %I Talent First Network %C Ottawa %8 06/2010 %G eng %U http://timreview.ca/article/356 %N June 2010 %9 Articles %1 OSStrategy.org Mekki MacAulay is the Principal of OSStrategy.org, a consulting firm that helps companies improve their competitive advantage and strategic positioning in a world embracing open source. Mekki is also the president and founder of MekTek Solutions, an IT services company based in Ottawa, ON. Mekki holds undergraduate degrees from Carleton University in Computer Systems Engineering, and Psychology, and a Master's degree in Technology Innovation Management. His research interests focus on open source adoption; open source ecosystem value creation, extraction, and keystone company positioning; and quantifying the value of passive participation in open source projects. %0 Journal Article %J Open Source Business Resource %D 2010 %T Integrating Lessons from Other Disciplines into Open Source Practice %A Mekki MacAulay %X Open source theory and practice is inherently interdisciplinary. Viewing the challenges faced by open source communities, businesses, and contributors through the lenses of different disciplines can yield novel solutions. This article reviews select lessons from the diverse fields of fashion, gaming, and scientometrics. It examines the way these other industries have addressed issues that are of relevance to the open source community and suggests ways to put these lessons to good use. %B Open Source Business Resource %I Talent First Network %C Ottawa %8 08/2010 %G eng %U http://timreview.ca/article/370 %N August 2010 %9 Articles %1 OSStrategy.org Mekki MacAulay is the Principal of OSStrategy.org, a consulting firm that helps companies improve their competitive advantage and strategic positioning in a world embracing open source. Mekki is also the president and founder of MekTek Solutions, an IT services company based in Ottawa. Mekki holds undergraduate degrees from Carleton University in Computer Systems Engineering and Psychology, and a Master's degree in Technology Innovation Management. His research interests focus on open source adoption; open source ecosystem value creation, extraction, and keystone company positioning; and quantifying the value of passive participation in open source projects. %0 Journal Article %J Open Source Business Resource %D 2010 %T What's the Value of an Eyeball? Passive Participation in Open Source Ecosystems %A Mekki MacAulay %X Passive participants in open source ecosystems should not be viewed as leeches as they contribute value to the ecosystem. Every eyeball has value. By better understanding the roles of passive participants in the ecosystem, keystone companies can assign resources, such as community managers, more effectively and better leverage the value these participants create. The next challenge is to better quantify the value of passive contribution. This article discusses how passive participants in open source ecosystems play an important role in value creation in the ecosystem. It examines why the value they add is not well captured by current measures and suggests areas of future research, the outcomes of which would enable keystone companies to better position themselves. %B Open Source Business Resource %I Talent First Network %C Ottawa %8 01/2010 %G eng %U http://timreview.ca/article/318 %N January 2010 %9 Articles %1 OSStrategy.org Mekki MacAulay is the Principal of OSStrategy.org, a consulting firm that helps companies improve their competitive advantage and strategic positioning in a world embracing open source. Mekki is also the president and founder of MekTek Solutions, an IT services company based in Ottawa, ON. Mekki holds undergraduate degrees from Carleton University in Computer Systems Engineering, and Psychology, and a Master's degree in Technology Innovation Management. His research interests focus on open source adoption; open source ecosystem value creation, extraction, and keystone company positioning; and quantifying the value of passive participation in open source projects.