We want to change the world!

We want to change the world!

A bold statement? It sure is! Is it achievable? No question.

Small companies are changing the way we live everyday. Take a look around. People are finding their life partners online. Families are staying connected online. Blackberries, Facebook, and MySpace are all examples of small companies making a difference to how people connect with people over the internet everyday. The internet is a vehicle for communication, file sharing, and has drastically impacted our way of life. It has been argued that the internet has changed the way we live as much as the automobile. This is what has drawn me to work in this environment.

So what does this have to do with OpenEdit? Simple. We want to change the world. Or more precisely, your world. The difference is we want to change your world at work.

Let me explain.

Perhaps you're an artist. You work within a design team and your life line at work is a huge database of artwork. It's critical to everything you do, everyday. Not only that, you need constant interaction with your peers who provide you with the inspiration you need to do your job. Finally, you need an environment that fuels this creative passion and keeps you connected with your clients. Oh yeah, and you work in a large company.

Now let's relate this to software. Find a comfortable chair in a room with good music and good lighting. Make sure you have access to a solid internet connection. Now set-up your work station. Begin by launching the tools you need to do your job. First you'll need a tool that connects you to an image repository filled with hundreds of thousands of organized and searchable pieces of artwork. Next you'll need to open your private social networking application your company recently purchased that enables you to connect with your designer peers. Think Facebook for the Enterprise. This is good. Now you'll need to forward calls to your computer with your hands free headset so you can talk with clients while you work. Finally, launch your desktop sharing application that allows you to invite the client to work with you on a shared virtual screen from wherever they are in the world.

Notice some important points here. You didn't have to drive any where. You are not limited to working from 9 to 5. You can work when you are inspired most, like 2am when everyone is asleep. Everyone except your co-worker across the ocean who just arrived online for her day of work. And imagine how your boss feels when she shows up and finds you've already done 4 hours of productive work with the team from India while she was in bed. Because you didn't drive to work today, that's an extra 1.5 hours of free time. Time you could spend with family. Time for you to exercise. Time not spent burning fuel. Time not spent fighting traffic.

I'm not making this up either. I'm describing a work environment similar to my own and work environments similar to those of many of our clients. OpenEdit helps to connect artists with the artwork they need everyday. An internal social networking application for multinational companies is probably next. Why? Because we want to make a difference in your life at work. We want to make it just a little more comfortable.

20 minutes ago I just got off a conference call with Julie in Cincinatti and Ian who lives 2kms away. This morning I worked using a shared desktop with George 'Pepsi' Valencia and Jorge 'Coke' Guerrero, both from Chile. But right now I'm listening to Nina Simone's Sinner Man while I write this blog post. When I'm done I think I'll take 10 minutes and go enjoy a cup of tea with my wife and two boys.

You know, I almost never sit in traffic. That alone has changed my world.