New products and technologies emerge every day and with them, new problems and political wars erupt. How is a VAR to keep up with these changes?
With new technologies comes the requisite need for qualified people. Every VAR should think about joining a professional organization. Some are traditional, while many of the newer organizations are cyber in origin. Among them:
- The Internet Society (http://www.isoc.org) is a hybrid organization, with local chapters worldwide.
- The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) (http://www.ietf.org) works closely with the Internet Society. It is responsible for the creation of the standards we use on the Internet.
- The Association for Interactive Media (http://www.interactivehq.org) is where leading companies in new media turn for access, information and marketing support for their interactive projects.
- New York New Media Association (NYNMA) (http://www.nynma.org/) aims to serve entrepreneurs as well as creative and business professionals.
- Webgrrls (http://www.webgrrls.com) provides women who are interested in the Internet with a forum to network. There are chapters worldwide.
Wayne Spivak is the president of the Greater NY Metropolitan Area Chapter of the Internet Society (http://www.isoc-ny.org).