Tom Raferty Accepts offer to Join Redmonk on Twitter

I find it amazing, interesting and a sign-o-the-times that Tom Raftery just agreed on Twitter (he was recruited on Twitter, the offer was made on Twitter, and he accepted on Twitter) to join RedMonk as an industry analyst covering Greentech, cleantech, Energy Demand Management and sustainability. If you haven't already heard a ton about Tom, he definitely has his own Eire brand and has always been one to address the world's bigger issues.

From the Redmonk blog:

"Greenmonk has been an interesting journey and a real world example of burstiness. I started the blog as a personal project because I feel strongly about sustainability issues, but about six months after launching it, ComputerWorld UK contacted me to discuss partnering opportunities. IDG also sees the importance of the Green agenda, and I am grateful they took a punt on me. The partnership made me realise that Green wasn’t just a personal interest, it could be a business too. Its still early days for the green agenda, but we’re reaching a few tipping points which should drive more media traffic than ever to solid green content, research and analysis. The next big eye opener was working with Interop on Energy Camp, at David Berlind’s behest.

When I started GreenMonk I wanted to focus more on people than technology, to focus more on social media tooling, for example, and how it could encourage us to change our behaviours. Over time however I have come to a different conclusion, as stated by changed strapline, which now runs GREEN FROM THE ROOTS UP, SUSTAINABLE FROM THE TOP DOWN."

What I find more interesting is that in the few years I have know James and crew at RedMonk, they have changed my mind about the importance, function, interactivity, sophistication, knowledge and accessibility we should expect from an industry analyst or firm. The move to open source analyst firm, the constant dialogue, the usefulness of having a relationship with them, and the pure utility of analysis has taken on new meaning for me and I think we should all celebrate this shift in the industry.

Sure I can pay $20K for a whitepaper, and $100K for research and perhaps might still do that, but the direct impact of that behavior will be never be as insightful, purposeful or eventful as riding the wave with a team of experts literally at your side, and at the side of all that matters and is important.

Congratulations to Tom Raferty for following the tweets to what I am sure will be a successful venture for everyone that chooses to listen. On personal note, I found this relevant because I found out that our CEO, Rob Lane, thought I was a great candidate for the role after he tweeted on meeting me...social media is directly impacting our lives, careers, and planet more and more each day.