No, I’m not referring to Sunday’s Oscars. But I am referring to the software industry’s equivalent: the CODiE Awards.
Yesterday we received word that Neighborhood America had been named a 2009 CODiE Award finalist for the software industry’s ‘best social networking solution’. The competition was exceptionally tough this year – the SIIA received 850 nominations from around the globe. To be recognized among the top six in our chosen category is quite an achievement, so the news was met with much excitement around here.
This is an honor we don’t take lightly. It’s one that we’ve prepared for carefully with months of communications, briefings and product reviews. But long before the marketing work began, our tech teams had been diligently working to build the platform that we’re so proud of today. And that’s part of the reason why we’re so excited. The CODiE represents the industry’s highest achievement, and the honor affirms our commitment to delivering nothing short of the best.
I find the award process itself to be refreshing. The expert judges each bring a unique level of expertise to the table and are keenly aware of the technology requirements necessary to meet market demands. Their job is to pull back the curtain, look beyond the marketing jargon (heavy sigh…try as I might, I cannot completely disassociate myself from interjecting the jargon every now and then), remain above the surface chatter by those proclaiming to be the best, and provide an honest, unadulterated review that ultimately separates the leaders from the pack.
This year we send our thanks to judges Maurene Grey and Samuella Becker for their vote of confidence, and to last year’s judges, Ann Michael and Casey Potenzone, whose nod allowed us to experience firsthand the power of winning the 2008 CODiE. These judges invest a great deal of time into the selection process to ensure that those honored with the CODiE truly represent the industry’s best.
So to my Neighborhood America colleagues and fellow honorees, congratulations. We will be eagerly anticipating the Awards Gala in San Francisco on May 5 when - together with finalists Lithium and Mzinga - we join SIIA to hear those words: And the award goes to…
Until then, we’ll continue evolving our world-class platform, preparing for the next round of judging and, like all prepared Oscar nominees, we’ll be getting our acceptance speech ready!
