Hello from SAP’s unplanned, but cool, community conference

September 11, 2006 By

I thought this guy looked familiar, I met him at Foocamp a few years ago. His name is Mark Finnern and he works for SAP.

But check out those boards behind him. Yeah, SAP is using the unplanned model that Foocamp introduced. Put a grid on the wall and let people suggest their own sessions. It’s going over big time here in Las Vegas. Mark adopted the Foocamp model to SAP’s community event, meeting in Las Vegas today.

I was just there and they have 312 community members here today for SDN Day, which is SAP’s new developer network (more than 5,000 more come tomorrow for the full-blown SAP conference).

I learned from Mark Yolton, vice president of SAP’s developer network, that SAP is turning from a siloed app model into a platform model where developers can build all sorts of stuff on top of, and around, SAP.

Has this converstion been successful? They just celebrated having  more than half a million developers in its developer network. In just three years. This is stunning growth for a developer network, especially for a product that doesn’t have the consumer appeal of, say, something Google or Apple builds.

This team is getting quite adept at building huge communities. Another proof point? Tomorrow SAP will announce the Business Process Expert Community. It just opened and already it has 30,000 members.

Anyway, meeting lots of SAP’ers. Anything you want to know about SAP?

One other thing, SAP has a strong blogger relations program. When I got up to the registration booth they even had a separate area for bloggers to register. They even have blogger badges.

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  • http://comicstripblog.com/ Comic Strip Blogger

    Robert, ask SAP folks this: is support for ASP .NET now equally big in SAP NetWeaver as it is for Java J2EE?

  • http://comicstripblog.com Comic Strip Blogger

    Robert, ask SAP folks this: is support for ASP .NET now equally big in SAP NetWeaver as it is for Java J2EE?

  • http://dotnetjunkies.com/WebLog/paul/default.aspx paul

    Cool Blogger badge, BRP – blogger relations program.

  • http://dotnetjunkies.com/WebLog/paul/default.aspx paul

    Cool Blogger badge, BRP – blogger relations program.

  • http://www.mollyzine.com/ Phillip Molly Malone

    What are you doing at a SAP Conference? Oh, they are Podtech client! Don’t forget disclosure Bob!
    Molly

  • http://www.mollyzine.com Phillip Molly Malone

    What are you doing at a SAP Conference? Oh, they are Podtech client! Don’t forget disclosure Bob!
    Molly

  • http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/ Robert Scoble

    Phillip: HP is also a Podtech client. So?

    Anyway, SAP didn’t pay me to be there. If I ever take money to produce editorial (or to blog) I’ll let you know.

  • http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/ Robert Scoble

    Phillip: HP is also a Podtech client. So?

    Anyway, SAP didn’t pay me to be there. If I ever take money to produce editorial (or to blog) I’ll let you know.

  • LayZ

    Did you ever blog from the computer MS bought you? While sitting in a Microsoft office, or using the Microsoft intratnet? If so, then I submit you took money for blogging. Did you ever blog to promote Channel 9 while in the employ of Microsoft? If so, then I submit you took money for blogging.

  • LayZ

    Did you ever blog from the computer MS bought you? While sitting in a Microsoft office, or using the Microsoft intratnet? If so, then I submit you took money for blogging. Did you ever blog to promote Channel 9 while in the employ of Microsoft? If so, then I submit you took money for blogging.

  • http://www.dahowlett.com dahowlett

    Hey Robert – great to see your’e getting the Enterprise vibe…at last. If you’ve got representation in Europe, there will be a bunch of us enterprisey types at the Amsterdam event.

  • http://www.accmanpro.com Dennis Howlett

    Hey Robert – great to see your’e getting the Enterprise vibe…at last. If you’ve got representation in Europe, there will be a bunch of us enterprisey types at the Amsterdam event.

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  • http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/ Robert Scoble

    LayZ: and I let everyone know when I was getting paid by Microsoft, and, even, how much. Thanks for noticing!

  • http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/ Robert Scoble

    LayZ: and I let everyone know when I was getting paid by Microsoft, and, even, how much. Thanks for noticing!

  • Garth

    Well SAP is hardly what I would call Web 2.0 ™Robert , they are more of the old school IBM mainframe green screen sort of mindset.

    I thought that SalesForce.com was more your kind of scene :) .

  • Garth

    Well SAP is hardly what I would call Web 2.0 ™Robert , they are more of the old school IBM mainframe green screen sort of mindset.

    I thought that SalesForce.com was more your kind of scene :) .

  • http://er0cking.blogspot.com/ eROCK

    I used to work in SAP’s datacenter in the US … SAP is a huge HP customer; I’m curious what SAP’s thoughts are on the HP fiasco?

    -Erich

  • http://er0cking.blogspot.com/ eROCK

    I used to work in SAP’s datacenter in the US … SAP is a huge HP customer; I’m curious what SAP’s thoughts are on the HP fiasco?

    -Erich

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  • http://www.mollyzine.com/ Phillip Molly Malone

    Hi Robert,
    Personally, myself, I like it in this situation that the author would just have a note saying by the way, these guys are a client of mine. On HP, to be honest I haven’t really read those entries. To be honest, like Garth, I found it strange that you (with your history) would be at a SAP conference. My first thought is that some how it had to do with the fact the Podtech has a relationship with SAP and you work for Podtech.
    I am not say your swayed in your comments, but why I personally believe that its better to disclose and they there is never a question about it.

    JMTC
    Molly

  • http://www.mollyzine.com Phillip Molly Malone

    Hi Robert,
    Personally, myself, I like it in this situation that the author would just have a note saying by the way, these guys are a client of mine. On HP, to be honest I haven’t really read those entries. To be honest, like Garth, I found it strange that you (with your history) would be at a SAP conference. My first thought is that some how it had to do with the fact the Podtech has a relationship with SAP and you work for Podtech.
    I am not say your swayed in your comments, but why I personally believe that its better to disclose and they there is never a question about it.

    JMTC
    Molly

  • Hugh MacLeod

    Have any of your SAP peps mentioned Thingamy.com yet? ;-)

    Hamish Newlands, a top SAP consultant in Europe, had a few words to say about it:

    http://hnewlands.typepad.com/cardboard_spaceship/2006/05/more_mulling_on.html

    And then send ‘em to Sigurd’s blog:

    http://thingamy.typepad.com

    Hope ya having fun!

    Hugh

  • Hugh MacLeod

    Have any of your SAP peps mentioned Thingamy.com yet? ;-)

    Hamish Newlands, a top SAP consultant in Europe, had a few words to say about it:

    http://hnewlands.typepad.com/cardboard_spaceship/2006/05/more_mulling_on.html

    And then send ‘em to Sigurd’s blog:

    http://thingamy.typepad.com

    Hope ya having fun!

    Hugh

  • http://www.zoliblog.com Zoli Erdos

    “old school IBM mainframe green screen sort of mindset.”

    Yeah, right.. about 15 years ago. Has someone just woken up from hybernation? :-)

  • http://www.zoliblog.com Zoli Erdos

    “old school IBM mainframe green screen sort of mindset.”

    Yeah, right.. about 15 years ago. Has someone just woken up from hybernation? :-)