Considering the number of open source tools available to create the basics of an online community site, it is tempting to go this route to leverage the ubiquity of the web.  Indeed, a couple of companies within electronic design have done this.  However, there are some fundamental reasons why this is a very bad idea and ultimately won’t work.

It’s only when you get into the web and community building business that you understand that there are two key elements to the process:

• Building the platform (software)
• Building the community (people)

It is easy to think that installing the software and configuring it is the hardest part.  This is the “build it and they will come” mentality.  Dead wrong.  If it’s on your own website there’s a great deal of work and maintenance required.  If it’s on an unrelated platform, you’ve just made your job harder for yourself.

If you’re a budget constrained organization take a look at the amount of effort and length of time it took John Cooley to build his audience (it’s not really a “community”).  A heck of a lot of guerilla marketing to get on everybody’s radar (and I would not want to maintain that site).  Or take Janick Bergeron’s Verification Guild.  It’s a relatively more modern web platform that allows interaction, but it has taken him years to build that community.

The problem is, you’re on your own.  Without some heavy duty marketing, how are you going to cut through the noise of the web?  It’s not the tool you use, but the fundamental marketing principles and effort behind the way you use the tool.

You on your own

There is another way  - to build your community within a group of communities with a point of commonality.  This way, there is a resonance from those around you that amplifies your efforts to build your own specific community.

So, for electronic design, you want to be building your community within a larger online electronic design community…this is Xuropa.

Your community on Xuropa

Building an online community is an on-going effort.  It needs to be fed and watered over time - daily.  This is hard to do when you’re a resource limited company.  But if you’re in amongst a number of other communities with a similar background, their efforts will help yours.  Leverage.

Of course, in addition to community functionality, you can have your software product at the heart of your community in an Online Lab.  That’s something that no other solution out there can provide.

So, please don’t waste your time, effort and money because the software’s “easy” to install and free.  You’re just taking a technical short cut that will make the whole process harder and the likelihood that you’ll achieve your objectives little to none.

Posted under Features, Xuropa, industry, marketing

We’ve just completed a new video providing a summary of some of the features of the Xuropa Online Electronic Design Community.  The biggest challenge was keeping the video short and choosing which features to highlight. 

The only way to really understand exactly what the Xuropa Community is about and what it can do for you is to register and sign-in.  But for those that would like to “look before they leap” - enjoy:

Here’s the transcript:

“Unlike any other online community, the Xuropa community is dedicated to the entire electronic design industry.  It has been designed and built for electronic design professionals by electronic design professionals.

Among the many tools Within this select community you can:

1. Use actual electronic design software to learn new skills or consider new tool acquisitions

Online Lab Learning and Exploration Environment

2. View and navigate the industry and your network as a visual map

The Industry Mapped Around You

3. See what news is hot to read through a peer voting tool

Peer Voting Tool Filters Hot News to the Top

4. Gain recognition for your experience and expertise within the industry.

Within a Xuropa Online Lab you gain access to actual electronic design tools for you to use diretly via your web browser.  There are no downloads, no installations and no configuration necessary.  Within an Online Lab, in this case it is the Cadence MIPI Verification Lab, you have the tool and all of the related documentation at your fingertips.  Use this area to learn about a new protocol, a new tool and verification methodology.  You can also use this environment to evaluate the products in your consideration for licensing them from the vendor.  Again, without the need to install anythng on your local workstation.

We put you at the center of the electronic design industry.  Based upon your professional profile, we map all of the electronic design professionals within the community.  This way you can see those people with similar backgrounds who might be interesting to network with.  You can also begin to understand the portability of your skills and specializations into different fields and domains.

To do this we go further than any other online networking tool.  Within your Xuropa Professional Profile you add Specializations, such as RTL Design Verification or System Level Architect.  You can also add specific skills, such as protocols, software languages or verification methodologies.

News articles are brought in from all over the web and ranked by the number of views and the number of votes each has received.  We also categorize each article into different fields so you can focus on the important news of the day.  You can also browse industry news feeds that you select in your customized feed view.

In today’s economic environment it is crucial that you’re able to differentiate yourself and be recognized for your expertise.  Within Xuropa you can do this by writing reviews of products and technology you have used or developed.  These are linked to your Professional Profile.  If you don’t have time to write a review you can quickly share your experience by rating products and technology

These is just a short summary of the types of tools available to you within the Xuropa Online Community.

Click here to register for the Xuropa Online Electronic Design Community.

Posted under Features, Xuropa

Now that 2009 is well underway, I took a quick look at Xuropa membership registrations and the high-level makeup of the Xuropa community. 

Up until the end of last year, there was a pretty even split between the number of people that registered under the different electronic design fields (EDA, IP, Semiconductor, Software, and System).   The proportion of professionals that associated themselves with the Semiconductor and EDA fields were a little bit ahead, but not by much. 

Over the past few weeks this has changed.  Here’s the split as of today:

System: 17%
Software: 17%
Semiconductor:47%
IP: 13%
EDA: 41%

Considering the relative size of the Semiconductor segment in terms of employees I would expect this profile to become more pronounced.  You can see this breakdown for yourself within the Community area of the platform.

Posted under Community

We’re very excited to announce the latest release of the Xuropa Platform.

We’ve been working hard to bring new and improved features to help you be more effective in your work and career.

Release objectives:

1. Increase platform interactivity
2. Make it easier to find electronic design professionals
3. Make it easier to manage your Professional Profile
4. Make it easier to build professional networks

We’re most excited about our new Professional Network Map tool.

Xuropa Electronic Design Community Network Map

You will find dozens of enhancements throughout the Xuropa Platform.  However, here is a list of the major features we’ve added and enhanced in this release.

Summary of New and Enhanced Features

1. Visual Professional Network Mapping
   • Network distance mapped by career metrics: Specializations, Skills, Employers, Product Reviews, Ratings, and many more
   • Understand the proximity of connections within your Professional Network
   • Explore the entire community for proximate members you’re not yet connected to
   • Explore Professional Profiles, send messages and make connections to build your network
2. Enhanced Professional Profiles
   • Upload your photograph
   • Easier user interface
   • Enhanced LinkedIn profile import
   • Enhanced Skills and Specialization creation
   • Product Rating and Review linking
3. Community Search & Navigation
   • Find colleagues to make connections
   • Find professionals with the skills you need
   • Find professionals with the experience you’re looking for
   • Navigate the community via your Professional Network Map
   • Navigate the community by Field and Specialization
4. Contact Database Import and Upload
   • Import your contacts from LinkedIn to quickly invite professionals to connect
   • Upload your contacts database to quickly invite professionals to connect
   • Manage your connections and contacts easily
5. Profile Statistics
   • Increase statistics to increase network proximity and better promote your expertise
   • Your Specializations
   • Your Skills
   • Your Product Reviews
   • Your Product Ratings
   • Your Network Connections

Sign in or join the Xuropa Electronic Design Community today and start using the tools to build your career, try new technologies and find new team members.

- The Xuropa Team

Posted under Features, Xuropa

While doing some research recently I was amazed to find that there isn’t a single complete and accurate listing of all of the tools available in the EDA industry.  Did I miss something?

Gary Smith has a list of companies and where they fit within the design flow.  While a good starting point, there are no tools and unfortunately the list is “frozen in amber” as a pdf file.  There is a partial lists over at OCP-IP, but again it is semi-frozen as a static html page.

But of course, to build and maintain a list of the hundreds of development tools in the industry would be a monumental task!  Add in all of the new IP and embedded software tools and to accurately maintain this list would be a full-time job for quite a few people!

This is where the power of the community can leveraged!

There is an open, member-editable catalog of technology within the Xuropa Online Community.  Anyone can add a favorite tool, piece of IP or a chip or system.  A start has been made, but it needs your help!

Sign-in to the Xuropa Platform here and from the landing page go to Products>Add Product in the drop down menus.

The electronic design technology landscape is too dynamic for a static catalog, but together we can make a member managed catalog to bring greater visibility and understanding to the industry.

Register a product you’ve used or developed and be recognized as a contributor!

Posted under Features, industry, marketing