Fascinating to see the ways in which the idea of community is taking shape these days: business communities, where customers come together to interact with companies and brands; communities of giving, communities of technologists, and of everyday people who are passionately interested in anything from epic literature to even their credit scores.
Charlene Li, Forrester analyst and author of Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies, was our guest of honor, along with Lyle Fong, founder and CEO of Lithium Technologies; Gordon Ritter, General Partner, Emergence Capital; Brian Behlendorf, founder, Collabnet; and Jon Biel (yes, Jessica's dad), CEO, Make the Difference Network.
What these people have in common is a commitment to facilitating the development of communities for a variety of purposes. Lyle's business is about helping business deepen its engagement with customers. In Jon's case, it's about helping nonprofits extend their message and increase donations. For Brian, it's about simplifying software development and enabling global collaboration. In Gordon's case, it's about finding the companies that will be the next innovators.
We hosted a party last night celebrating the power of community. Fitting to see so many of our old and new friends, and, as Sab noted in her toast, "past, present and future clients." And especially fitting that it was Horn Group's 17th birthday: almost two decades of history, and ready for the next chapter.
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