# The Web Economy/25
## Positioning and Aligning

This is a lesson part of the module The Web Economy out of the Open Source ERP/Executive Masters course conducted by a private university.

## Topics

* Some people, projects or products position themselves ahead before the action just like in chess.
* Some align themselves to others and use others as leverage or catapult to higher ground.
* Some position themselves according to culture and context as users pay attention to style and form also as functions are easily copied.
* Some use timing and gradual buildup as a more certain approach than a big bang one.
* It all depends on what are your core competency or value that is not replicable by others.
* Sometimes positioning is all about been honest in the right way.

### Assignment Tasks

* Discuss the above with examples.
* What is the value or character of communities that are not replicable by others?

### Activities

* Publish your works in an attractive manner in your user page, stating your own views and findings providing links to your sources. Use the talk page here to score marks.
* Create or edit sub-pages of course materials within wikiversity.
* Discuss in the forum (link shall be provided) by offering your ideas and answering or comment on others' postings.

## Essay
### Introduction

       Just like you see in chess where a pawn piece is useless in a certain position but when placed in aother position can become so powerful it means the turning point of the battle for the opponent. Another term people call this is ‘value-adding’ through no further cost but just aligning strategically your resources. This university course is also part of a srategic plan to take on a blue ocean of a market.

### Chess At Web Speed

       As you can see how Amazon has taken over the global book market by storm, or how Wikiepedia beat Britannica, Google over alot of cyberspace and money, you can guess that today’s strategy in the web is undefinable and will bring about changes to the game like never before.

### Valufacture

    This is a term created by Dr. Edward de Bono about value been of, what else?, higher value than manufacture of mere physical products. He also preach simplicity and pure ideas as the cornerstone of creating immense wealth when doing the right things that have not been done before.

### Open Source As Position

       By going open source in the first place is already taking a strategic position. You are putting your contribution up on the mountain where everyone can see it and get to it at lightning speed. This is what has made Linux, Compiere and now ADempiere becoming household names almost overnight while its propagators sit at home and use normal effort. The returns are abnormal and enormous.

### Positioning Open Source

       However, after going open, what is next? Do we sell out? Many do. Since we do not and just wish to sell services around it, how do think of the next best thing.

### Aligning With Others

       Been famous and big can give us clout to position with other players or movers. That is why I am aligning with Asia e-University and other universities with the promise of ADempiere as an IP generating machine, as well as a highly potential professional course for postgrads to take on to enter the business market. I am even promoting to align with SAP where it need not die out but its users maintain SAP at the core but its branch systems talk to ADempiere. This cuts the costs of large organisations IT budgets that cannot afford multiple license fees in an economic downturn. As it is win-win then it can become immediate value adding to the market. If we talk to SAP, its market may shrink but is more protected against other threats as people who loves FOSS will not threaten to choose between SAP or else. SAP can also sell more services as they know ERP better. But this time they can let the lower market go to the lower cost ADempiere consultants.Even though we may be paid less as that, but its alot on a global scale. Asia e University probably run out of lecturers on this course! You may have to quite your present job and join us full time!

### Learn From Chess

       Just like gambit in chess, you can offer something valuable away to get something better back. Also in chess, often the better return is a position of a low pawn but that can attack the field devastatingly. You can think of many such tactics in your present situation and also with ADempiere for the present market.Today SMIs and SMEs need software to be efficient and predict availability and sales of their products.