Starting July 11th, I have a new role as the Community Development Program Manager! I get to take what I’ve learned over the last 10 years in the developer community and organize a new effort to target communities outside the Adobe Ecosystem.

We are aggressively going out into the world to say joining our ecosystem is going to earn them incredible access to tools that make them successful and a network that is welcoming and supportive. I will be using the support of our community leaders to help building bridges into these communities.

I’ll be talking about my many activities and people I find and connect with along the way, so follow me @lizign on Twitter to follow my adventures!

Thanks for the support!

-
Liz Arroyave Frederick
Community Development Program Manager

The Community Team would like to announce the launch of the Adobe Community Champion Program worldwide!

Adobe Community Champions are the “megaphone” of the Adobe community, whose objective is to evangelize Adobe products beyond the existing circle of our Adobe ecosystem and helping connect people to the Adobe community.

ACCs are influencers who share information about Adobe products by reaching out to new community members both online and in real-time, connecting them with information and resources, and empowering them to become more active and engaged with Adobe and its community.

ACCs have been community ambassadors for Adobe in several parts of the world, engaging with community members in a number of different ways. We expect to see ACCs serving in a range of ways, from talking about Adobe at events or schools, to being involved in social media, and many more!

The program is equally important to Adobe as the ACP program. There’s more than one way to engage with the community, and now with two programs we can better support both ACPs and ACCs.

FAQ:

Q. When will the ACCs be announced?

A. Once our ACPs are announced, we will announce the ACCs soon after. We noticed that about 1/4 of our ACP applications deserved to be an ACC for their dedication.

Q. What is the main difference between an ACP and ACC?

A. ACPs are content creators. You will see them writing books, blogs, demos, and contributing to the Adobe Developer Center. ACCs generally use their voice to reach out to community on a more personal level. Both groups overlap a lot but we did not want to turn away leaders in our community who enjoy evangelizing but don’t necessarily have the time to write.

Q. How do I apply? And is acceptance just once a year?

A. Currently we are going through the ACP applications and plan to invite over 75 applicants to join the program. We will have an ongoing application open for nominations year round. You must be nominated by an ACP, ACC, or Adobe staff.

Q. Are the benefits pretty much the same as an ACP?

A. Yes. We have one difference that enables ACCs to reach out to community in a different way. More to come once we announce the ACC members. They will be under NDA and be included in the Community Summit event.

Q: Can I be a member of both programs?

A. No. However, it doesn’t prevent you from participating in community in any certain way. The program is there to offer support in your strongest area of community building.

Q: Is the ACC going to be open to community leaders from all regions?

A. Yes. We are welcoming all those who want to be Champions in their own country. We are here to recognize your efforts in the community and provide you with resources to amplify your message. This program was already implemented in our emerging markets to help build stronger communities. For example, here is a quote from a Community Champion in India, Nouman Naveed -

“This program has given me new level of confidence to allow my existing knowledge to flourish.
I get a kind of satisfaction after making people to understand these technologies. Because when I was in search of guidance I was unable to get it and now other people have me. Sometimes it allows me to market myself and gain new business opportunities.”

When someone asks me that question, I immediately think of lobster. However, when given the choice, I don’t always order the lobster. After all, I love to try new things. It also makes sense to consider the cost, as well as what the chef is recommending.

When someone inquires about my choice of phone, I explain that I love my Droid X and will use it until it breaks or something I believe is better comes along.

When someone asks me about tablets, that’s a different story. What appears to be the “lobster of tablets” sometimes turns out to be the “imitation krab”, so I am not as quick to spend my hard earned cash. I want to make sure it satisfies both my technological and my personal appetite. Seems like I’m not the only one waiting for the chef’s recommendation.

When I asked the higher-ups at Adobe in November, “What would you like to see us do with community?” it inevitably became a conversation about devices. I heard about the Droid 2s and the Google TVs, and I couldn’t believe the love we were getting from our partners. Then… I was told that RIM was going to sponsor Adobe MAX and that my team should make sure the community knew what wonderful opportunities lay ahead.

It was like Surf ‘n Turf was on the menu! My thoughts were… Oh boy, here we go! The community is going to love this! … And, by the way, who is RIM? Oh… Blackberry… COOL! A tablet called the Playbook? You mean like in football?… Can I get one? … No? Not yet? Ok, I can be patient. My mind was racing. I knew the community would once again prove worthy of this opportunity, and I couldn’t wait to give it to them.  Flash has been given a bad rap in the public eye this year, but not anymore! Motorola was the first to embrace Flash, now RIM, a major device corporation, is banking on our Adobe Community. That’s major news. Yippy… so what happens next?

The RIM team made a special effort to attend the Adobe MAX Community Summit to talk about the Blackberry Playbook and start forming relationships with our community leaders.

They even threw a party that went beyond anything I had imagined in the weeks prior.

This got me thinking that developers were hungry!  Developers are hungry!  They don’t just want to try the lobster.  They want to get a taste of the lobster, the Filet Mignon, and the Crème Brule.

RIM then collaborated with Adobe to organize a post-Thanksgiving tour of the major cities, the purpose of which was to inform our developers and business partners about what to expect in the Playbook.  I was asked to join the “Meet the Playbook” tour, and I appreciated the opportunity. I wanted to see if developers were really going to commit themselves to creating applications for the App World. I knew the answer from day one of the event in NYC. Attendees didn’t just want information; they wanted to get started – now!!  Here was RIM showing them the possibilities, and I just felt an overwhelming sense of pride as I watched the developers in action.

Things are happening so fast. Smartphones, Tablets, TV boxes, etc. Adobe is working hard to keep up with demands, and developers are searching hard for resources and guidance. This is a huge effort from everyone to make this happen.

The challenge? Getting through the holidays. This is going to be the time to reflect on 2010 and find inspiration in 2011. Network beyond conferences and your social media friends. Find opportunities with creatives and entrepreneurs. Developers have the skills, the tools, and the resources to be successful in 2011. It isn’t just RIM and Motorola having confidence in our community. There is so much more to come, and we all need to be ready. Get those apps ready, because dinner is about to be served!

Big Kudos to Manu S Ananad, Chelsea Bialla (Incredibull), Renaun Erickson, Christian Cantrell, Rachel Luxemburg, and everyone else involved in the presentations, planning, and major community efforts. Thanks Vicky Ryder for helping with edits.

Applications are Due December 17^th, 2010

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FAQ:

Q: What helps me get into the program?

A: We will be looking at the application results and looking for the top quality and breadth of contributors from 2010. As well as looking at their passion for technology, community, and commitment to our cause. “The Adobe Community Professionals’ mission is to facilitate high caliber peer-to-peer communication educating and improving the product skills and knowledge of Adobe customers worldwide.”  There isn’t a check list for how to get in.

Q: What is the acceptance process?

A: We will rate the results by number of contributions before our judging begins. The Adobe Evangelists and Adobe Product Managers will be helping the Adobe Community Team filter through the applications. We will send everyone an email in January with follow up information. ACPs will be announced publicly Early February.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4876167/air_everywhere_background.jpg

See the full video.

http://css.dzone.com/videos/look-inside-adobe-ugs-building

Since I took on Manager of the Adobe Community Professionals, I wanted to find a way to show the world how awesome these individuals are.

I thought about hats, t-shirts, bags, etc. Then I thought about my Adobe Badge I wear every day and how proud I am of my accomplishments. So I ordered small magnetic metal pins with the ACP logo and shipped them along with some product stickers to each person. It was a small gift but I knew they would wear them proudly at their next conference, training session, or award event.

I received many emails full of Thank Yous, Twitter messages with Twitpics, and even a blog entry! I got the sweetest delivery today to my office in McLean, VA. The card said:

Thanks for All You Do For Our Team

- Have a Great Weekend With a Big Smile All Weekend.

I think I know who this is from but he didn’t enclose his name, so I’ll leave it out for now. But I’d like to say You’re Welcome and I will forever be proud of the ACPs. Please continue to help me build a great community and you will be seeing more from this program. Pins are just the beginning!