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Smalltalk Digest: November Edition

Posted on by Author Jeremy Jordan in Categories Cincom Smalltalk Digest Newsletter Archive

Smalltalk DigestWelcome to the November 2019 edition of the Cincom Smalltalk™ Digest.  In this valuable edition, we will talk about the following:

CUSTOMERS and PARTNERS

  • Ways to Be Fiscally Responsible when Spending “Use It or Lose It” Budget for 2019
  • Why Should You Use Social Media for Maximum Exposure to Your Company or Application?

NEWBIES, FREELANCERS and DEVELOPERS

  • What Was Accomplished at a Recent Tech Meetup in Toronto, Canada?
  • How Does Cincom Smalltalk Promote Events, Conferences and Meetups for the Smalltalk Community?
  • What Other Networking Opportunities Are Coming Up?
  • What Is the Easiest Way to Become a Cincom Smalltalk Customer?
  • FAQ of the Month: “How can I find tutorials and other guidance for using Cincom Smalltalk?”
  • Popular Product Resources

ACADEMIA

  • Who Should Use the Academic Personal Use License Version of Cincom Smalltalk?
  • What Academic Institutions Teach Smalltalk Using Cincom Smalltalk?

Snippets for these articles can be found below:

CUSTOMERS and PARTNERS

Ways to Be Fiscally Responsible when Spending “Use It or Lose It” Budget for 2019

Julie Windsor of Talentia Software UK recently discussed the budget reform that’s happening around the globe. Over the past several years, budget reform has impacted many companies as business leaders seek to minimize or eliminate the wasteful spending done at the end of the budget year.  This term has been coined in government circles as “March Madness:”

“Governmental departments are renowned for their ‘March madness’ fervour – where annual cash allocation is spent in full during the financial year, normally towards the end, in case future funding is reduced. … A report by Jeffrey B. Liebman and Neale Mahoney found that end-of-year spending is generally of a lower quality. The two researchers were able to demonstrate that the rush to get projects over the line before the end of the financial period will frequently result in a drop in standards.” 

– Julie Windsor, Managing Director at Talentia Software UK 

Whether or not you work for a government agency, spending your budget in a fiscally responsible way is something every company’s leadership wants to see. But, how do you balance your budget needs, be responsible in your spending, yet ensure that you have flexible spending for the following year?

As a Cincom Smalltalk partner or customer, there are several ways in which you can wisely spend that budget while improving the value and profitability of your company or application:

Interested? Check out our helpful list here.

Why Should You Use Social Media for Maximum Exposure to Your Company or Application?

In the 2019 SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING INDUSTRY REPORT, “How Marketers Are Using Social Media to Grow Their Businesses,” Michale Stelzner of Social Media Examiner said “… a significant 93% of all marketers indicated that their social media efforts have generated more exposure for their businesses.”  That word exposure can mean different things to different people, depending on their business outlook and position. In marketing for example, exposure is a just a number within a portfolio or a way to make a business stand out from its competitors. But in the consumer world, exposure is more of a campaign or brand that a company is trying to market specific products to. 

The fact is, all businesses need exposure, but even more than that, they need paying customers where the cost to acquire that customer is less than the lifetime value of that customer in order to profitably scale their businesses. Exposure is the start, but company’s should aim for new customer acquisition, repeat purchases and referrals. Customer acquisition and loyalty should be thought about in everything from marketing to the products and even the operations of the company.

  • Click here to read more about this valuable topic.

NEWBIES, FREELANCERS and DEVELOPERS

What Was Accomplished at a Recent Tech Meetup in Toronto, Canada?

On Sunday, October 20, Suzanne Fortman traveled to Toronto, Canada to have customer meetings and attend a quarterly Toronto Smalltalk User Group (TSUG) meetup that next day. After productive meetings with some customers, she had a great listening session and discussion with those in attendance at the TSUG meetup.

The attendees at the TSUG meetup are an enthusiastic and positive group who were open to many topics. They all know that Smalltalk is a blank canvas that allows for any style, platform and methodology and how well it plays with others. Some of the general topics that were discussed included mob programming, tdd, Women in Tech and #girlswhocode. As the attendees began to share their experiences, the discussions rounded out into several topics.

  • Click here to read more about this enthusiastic Smalltalk event.

How Does Cincom Smalltalk Promote Events, Conferences and Meetups for the Smalltalk Community?

Do you have a Camp Smalltalk, Smalltalk conference or other event that you would like promoted? We are always happy to promote Smalltalk events around the world. These events help strengthen the Smalltalk community and provide opportunity for Smalltalkers to work together and think of new ideas.

If this interests you, we have created a mini-survey with a few questions for you to answer. Simply complete this brief questionnaire, and we’ll begin creating your promotion right away.

  • Click here to begin your free event promotion.

What Other Networking Opportunities Are Coming Up?

The last official Smalltalk event of 2019 is taking place this week in Argentina, but we are starting to see new events pop up for 2020.  These networking and learning opportunities include:

What Is the Easiest Way to Become a Cincom Smalltalk Customer?

For individuals who are looking to start a business but need a jumpstart, one exciting program we have to help you is the Cincom Smalltalk REV Program.  The REV program is an opportunity for YOU to take your idea to the next level and create your own business.

We created this program for you to partner with Cincom and receive all the benefits of being a customer. As a Cincom Smalltalk customer, you receive:

  • Access to the full product and all releases for 1 year/12 months
  • Full support for the product during the 1 year/12 months
  • An opportunity to join the Developer Program to get early beta releases of our product to see where we are taking it and comment to help us build out the future of commercial Smalltalk
  • An opportunity to join the Partner Promotion Program to promote your application, help you develop the right markets or find the smartest space to promote what you have been working on

Still not sure if the REV Program is right for your needs? 

  • Listen to Suzanne Fortman talk about how one person used the REV program to jumpstart his business here.
  • Read this article for additional details and instructions on how to begin your customer journey.

FAQ of the Month: “How can I find tutorials and other guidance for using Cincom Smalltalk?”

  1. You can find a large selection of tutorials that cover Common Tools, Cincom® ObjectStudio® and Cincom® VisualWorks® by clicking here.
  2. You can also find the popular Hidden Gems Screencast produced by our Product Manager, Arden Thomas. The purpose of the Hidden Gems Screencast is to give newbies, as well as seasoned developers who use Cincom Smalltalk, some useful abilities of the products that may not be obvious. You can see the Hidden Gems by clicking here.

For other frequently asked questions, visit our “How do I?” section here.

Popular Product Resources

Maybe you are new to Cincom Smalltalk or just need help finding something specific on our website. Here’s a quick guide to the popular resources we have available on our website:

ACADEMIA

Who Should Use the Academic Personal Use License Version of Cincom Smalltalk?

Our software is free for students to use personally for their studies or class projects, but does require a form to be filled out to receive the link to download it. If you (or another classmate) would like to use our software for personal academic use, we have it available to you. 

To learn about the Cincom Smalltalk Academic Personal Use License (APUL):

What Academic Institutions Teach Smalltalk Using Cincom Smalltalk?

We often talk about our Academic program and the Academic Personal Use License version.  Have you ever wondered which institutions teach Smalltalk using Cincom Smalltalk?  We have a growing list of institutions, universities and colleges.  

Don’t see your school or university on the list? Reach out to the Cincom Smalltalk Product Team here to let us know so your school can be respresented.

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