FG SQUARED is looking for a developer dedicated to customer service. What?!
 
Here is your chance to join a growing team of very experienced solution providers focusing on “the world’s #1 social business platform.”
 
Responsibilities:
 
Supports FG SQUARED customers’ Jive Software implementations by:

• Knowing front-end and back-end feature sets of Jive Software’s social business platform
• Responding promptly and professionally to support requests and customer needs
• Providing technical support in the configuration, installation, and maintenance of Jive software
• Designing software solutions by studying information needs; conferring with users; studying data usage, and work processes; investigating problem areas
• Providing information by collecting, analyzing, and summarizing development and service issues
• Solving customer issues based on knowledge of the platform, technical possibilities, and our customers’ use cases
• Guiding and interacting with a team of developers writing plugins and apps that integrate with the platform
• Testing and providing feedback for a team of developers writing plugins and apps that integrate with the platform
• Staying current with system information, changes and updates

 
Requirements:

• Loves to write code
• Ability to juggle, prioritize and manage time effectively
• Expert knowledge of JavaScript and expert knowledge of web technologies (HTML/CSS) including HTML5/CSS3
• Experienced with Restful http APIs
• Aware of JavaScript Frameworks (jQuery, Backbone, Node.js etc.)
• Familiar with J2EE development using Spring and Struts frameworks, with Maven for build management
• Experienced with Freemarker and Google Closure (SOY) templates
• Experience developing rich applications with HTML5/CSS/JS
• 3+ years of experience building web applications
• Enterprise web application architecture experience (LAMP, J2EE, or equivalent)
• Experience in API design
• Has contributed to product deliveries, ideally in a variety of languages (Ruby, Java, JavaScript, etc.)
• BS or MS degree in Computer Science or a related technical field
• Excellent written and verbal skills a plus

 
Apply by emailing your resume to jobs@fg2.com.
 
*We will consider applicants looking for either full-time, part-time, or contract positions.
 
**FG SQUARED is located in Austin, TX but we will consider applicants working remotely from other areas of Texas or the United States.
 

A third meeting of the Jive Texas User Group took place on March 21 at the SolarWinds Headquarters in South Austin. Many thanks to Danielle Higgins, Michael Torok, and all of the folks at SolarWinds for hosting!

Members from Houston and Dallas joined the Austin locals — in all, 30 people from 16 different companies were able to join in the fun. The agenda again centered around the “Help a Member Out” feature, during which we shine the spotlight on one or two of our members (and the current challenges they are facing with their communities) and brainstorm how we can help the member succeed in their endeavors. This quarter’s meeting featured Patrick O’Brien with Dachis Group Collaboratory talking about his experience with upgrading to Jive 6.

Other features of the meeting included another installment of our “Spotlight on Technology” series featuring Solarwinds’ Thwack Jive installation and their new Alert Central software. This was followed by Jive’s Ryan Rutan presenting The Jive Roadmap: What’s coming in Jive 7 and Beyond, and FG SQUARED presenting a comparison of the benefits of Jive Apps vs. Plugins.

Following are the details of the agenda and you can also read more detailed meeting notes on the Texas User Group site.

1:30 – 2:00 Gathering; pre-event networking

2:00 – 2:10 Member Introductions

2:10 – 2:25 Help a Member Out – Patrick O’brien at Dachis Group Collaboratory talking about his experience with upgrading to Jive 6

2:25 – 2:55 Spotlight on Technology – Solarwinds thwack and their new Alert Central software

2:55 – 3:25 Jive Roadmap (presented by Ryan)

3:25 – 3:45 Plugins vs Apps Comparison (FG SQUARED)

3:45 – 4:00 Meeting evaluation and planning for Q2 event

After 4pm – Continue the conversation at Abuelo’s around the corner at Barton Springs Mall for Jalapeno Margaritas. (They have an excellent happy hour for other items as well!).

We hope you’ll join us this summer for the next meeting and become a member of the Jive Texas User Group today.

• One-way, read-only synchronization of Brightcove videos into Jive
• Brightcove Video Cloud playlists mapped to Jive Spaces
• Video player embedded directly in the Jive Document for easy viewing
• Brightcove Video Cloud title, description and tags are preserved in Jive
• Jive social features for individual video documents – users may share, like, rate, and comment on videos
• Administration is handled through simple Jive system properties

 
Let us show you how this plugin can make your Jive installation more robust. Read all about the Brightcove Video Cloud Plugin for Jive Community Managers.
 
Find out how else you might benefit from FG SQUARED’s Jive expertise.
 

The meeting was attended by 27 people from 12 different companies and 6 different cities. The agenda was centered around a feature entitled “Help a Member Out,” during which we put a spotlight on a few of our members (and the current challenges they are facing with their communities) and brainstormed how we can help the member succeed in their current endeavors.  The plan is to continue with this feature moving forward – at each meeting we’ll put the spotlight on a few different members and we’ll rotate through our ranks until each one of us is a roaring success!

Following are the details of the agenda:

1:30 – 2:00 Gathering / networking prior to the meeting.

2:00 – 2:10 Welcome and meeting overview. Identify a notekeeper.

2:10 – 2:20 Member introductions

2:20 – 2:45 Help a Member Out: Cleaning up a Community featuring Heather Foeh from Eloqua

2:45 – 3:10 Help a Member Out: Upgrading to Jive 6 featuring Vu Doan from National Instruments

3:10 – 3:35 Spotlight on technology – PGi iMeet demo

3:35 – 3:50 Meeting evaluation

3:50 – 4:00 Next Steps:

• Share copies of Engagement Study presented by Susan Scrupski at the least meeting
• Discuss Timing and Location for Q1 2013 Meeting
• Solicit volunteers for Q1 2013 Help a Member Out sessions
• Gauge interest in Ryan Rutan’s informal gatherings on semi-monthly or monthly basis
• Gauge interest in Spotlight on Technology for the next meeting: examples – Brightcove, Bunchball, Salesforce, Goshido, Jive Analytics, Virtual Conference

4:00 – 5:30 Informal happy hour and networking at Annie’s at 319 Congress Avenue

Results of the Meeting Evaluation Next Steps Discussions included:

• Next location – SolarWinds during the 3^rd or 4^th week of March
• Help a Member Out Volunteers – Dachis Group
• Ryan to post informal gatherings inside the User Group
• Cora to create poll inside the user group community for spotlight on technology
• Member Input – What were the best ideas to come out of SXSW?

We hope you’ll consider joining us for the next meeting in March, 2013!

A few months ago I felt a true adrenaline rush (the kind that gamblers thrive on!) when my team decided to bring our entire crew to this year’s Jive World at Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas. After five grueling years of building our expertise and partnership with Jive, the fruits of our labor were getting ripe. The timing of this year’s conference lined up perfectly with the completion of several important Jive projects for our clients, so this year’s show promised to be rich with fresh opportunities and face-to-face networking with Jive’s ecosystem.

Now that the show is behind us, I am extremely happy to report that this year’s event was a very important step on our journey together. It was exciting to learn about the new and upcoming features in Jive 6 and to hear all of the cutting-edge ways that people are using the Jive platform. Here are my observations from this year’s conference:

• When CEO Tony Zingale questioned, “What would you do if you could take back a day of your work week, every week?” in his keynote, I was dreaming of all the different ways that increased productivity can improve the world we live in. The list is literally endless.
• Key industry players like Salesforce and Microsoft have further validated the enterprise social space and deeper integration between all of these platforms is possible thanks to the battle-hardened Open Social standards that continue to evolve.
• Today’s Jive platform is intrinsic to the success of many of its early adopters. Since the release of the Jive Clearspace platform in 2007, Jive has solidified its role as THE visionary leader in the social business category. This can be demonstrated through its recent release of strategic technology such as Jive Anywhere, Jive Cloud, Jive Apps Framework as well as through new strategic partnerships like the one with Box.
• The first wave of enterprise social has already passed. Many of Jive’s clients have a stronger understanding of how the platform can be leveraged to unlock the business value of teams working together across business, geographical, and technological boundaries. At the same time, the platform has become an effective place for building a company’s culture so that it is better equipped for increased levels of collaboration over the next decade.
• Existing enterprise social networks continue to mature. Senior members of major industries across the world are working more closely together to develop applications that were nearly impossible to fathom in 2007. McKinsey Global Institute estimates the potential value that can be unlocked will top out around $1.3 Trillion annually. WOW!!!

Jive’s Ecosystem is Paramount to Shareholder Value

Wall Street’s demand for immediate returns places a tremendous pressure on the entire Jive ecosystem. Jive is going through growing pains, which is to be expected for a company moving at such a rapid pace. It will take a significant investment in the platform and building long-term relationships over the next decade to stay positioned as the leader in the enterprise social space.

The out-of-the-box Jive Software Platform is the best there is but platforms are more than software. Successful platforms nurture the many players who comprise the ecosystem, i.e. stewardship. Every Jive community should reflect the steward’s individual business and culture. But customization takes strategy and experience.

Some community managers have chosen to build an in-house team from the ground up but this takes a large investment of time and resources. Others have turned to Jive’s expert Professional Services team for large scale projects such as a massive data migration or highly specialized systems integration projects.

For companies whose needs don’t quite fit into the categories above, there’s FG SQUARED. As a Jive Alliance Agency, we have years of experience helping clients strategize, customize and implement their Jive community. We’ve been there since the beginning – when Jive was called Clearspace! We’re adept at creating custom themes and plug-ins and developing tailor-made functionality to make your Jive community your own.

Fortunately, the Jive platform is the backbone of their service delivery model and that gives Jive an edge against competition especially over the long run. As they have done in the past, I expect Jive is going to learn as they go, navigate the course and ultimately raise the bar to a whole new level of magnitude.

What’s next?

Social can be fun, but, let’s face it, platform stewardship is hard work. Together, we can leverage enterprise social technologies to unlock $1.3 Trillion of business value annually and transform the world that we live in. My team greatly enjoyed the time that we spent.

Next year is going to be even better.

See our huge photo gallery from Jive World 2012.

Great video footage from the Dance Off at the Jive World 2012 Wrap Party – you gotta see this!
 

As a Jive Alliance Agency, FG SQUARED helps Jive customers form and implement strategies to increase the adoption of Jive inside and outside of their organizations. We customize their communities by creating engaging user experiences and developing plugins to extend Jive’s functionality to meet the needs of their organization and their community members.

Unlike super agencies like Accenture or CSC who are uber expensive, FG SQUARED brings a flexible approach to Jive’s entire customer base including major industry leaders and smaller organizations too.

Unlike most boutique digital agencies who are learning Jive for the first time, FG SQUARED brings over five years of direct Jive experience across every phase of community development.

Unlike freelancers who cannot scale quickly as your community strategy takes shape, FG SQUARED brings a responsive team with end-to-end capabilities.

Are you ready to Jive with us?

For the love of Jive, please contact us, bring us up to speed, and give us a shot at earning your business. We are ready to pitch in and can quickly address highly specialized issues. In many cases, we will train and support your in-house team while your team develops its own Jive experience.

LONG TERM RELATIONSHIPS

During both economic downturns and prosperous times, dependable relationships are critical for success in business and in life. By nurturing these relationships with an ongoing communications and networking plan that provides mutual respect, you can weather both economic storms and prosperity with your friends in business.

COOPERATION

The ability to maintain authentic and transparent lines of communications allows for the clarification of expectations and ongoing accountability. When everyone involved on a project is clear on common goals and what each party is undertaking and accomplishing toward their achievement, a team creates and maintains a spirit of cooperation throughout the life of a project.

NETWORKS

With the greater need for geographic diversity in search of talent, ideas, and partners coupled with increased travel costs and rising fuel prices, online social networks provide a means for connecting that is key to business survival. No longer can executives be the only contacts for a company; more and more team members should be involved with spreading the message and bringing back information from outside the organization.

RECIPROCITY

As old as the principles contained in the golden rule―do for others what you would want them to do for you―is the common sense notion that by helping someone else they will be more likely, in return, to help you.

When your knowledge and experience is available online and off for people and companies in your network, often their knowledge and experience is available for you in return. This growing resource is worldwide in its capacity, and being connected to that world greatly enhances your capacity to utilize it.

OPEN PLATFORMS

The only barriers to entry to the many social networking platforms proliferating across the world are the ability to access the web and the effort needed to learn your way around. The increased availability of broadband cable, satellites, and mobile devices connected to the web, combined with the expectations of digital natives and digital immigrants to have that access, is leading to an explosion of options for connection through social networks. Facebook, with over 1 billion users, is only one leading example of many options for connecting online. Every day new networks aimed at specific groups and niches emerge. Interconnectedness between platforms is being demanded and given by their developers. People demand interconnectedness between platforms, which developers by and large provide.

This is particularly true among the newer members of the workforce and will be almost universally true of the workforce of the future.

DIGITAL NATIVES, people who have grown up using online tools to connect with their peers, are already becoming a major force in the process of purchasing decision making.

DIGITAL IMMIGRANTS, those who are adopting online means of communication and conducting business, are a rapidly growing group.

In and around these populations, communities are developing spontaneously and with varying degrees of organization, allowing individuals to find others who share their interests, concerns, and preferences on a variety of topics.

These communities are as strong as the relationships within them. Any of these groups may or may not include employees of any particular corporation or organization.

The interaction between an employee and the rest of the group creates the potential for communications that reflect positively or negatively on the company. How the employees for Company X represent themselves online and while off the job can potentially impact the reputation of the company.

A positive interaction between senior management and the company’s workforce, through a progressively organized intranet, can provide for an authentic, largely transparent, and organic means of evolving the internal relationships that will then be carried outside of the firewall of the company.

So the question isn’t whether senior executives of a company or organization should accept the new connectedness of its employees with the outside, it is about how they will do it. Even if the company computer won’t allow access to popular websites such as Facebook and Twitter, the employees’ iPhones will.

Choosing not to participate is certainly a choice, but it is a potentially costly choice from a competitive standpoint. It’s also a choice that will be more costly to the company the longer it waits, given the clear evidence of participation in the younger population.

By choosing to participate, corporations and organizations open up a whole world of potential. That potential can be easily identified as the social capital of their enterprise.