Don't Just Create — Collaborate and Share, Now!

[MichaelDortch]

Once you've discovered or created something interesting, useful or cool, whether it's digital content or a delicious dessert based on a new recipe, what's the very next thing you're likely to do with that thing?

Why, share it, of course.

If you doubt the pervasiveness of this tendency, check any social media site or online content. Even those without a "like" button have a "share" button or link — and for those that don't, there are share features built into or easily added to most browsers.

And what's true for just about everything from cakes and cassoulet to digital content is equally true for custom applications, code snippets and even best practices related to application creation and deployment. I know this because ServiceNow customers have been sharing and collaborating on such resources since they discovered they could build custom applications on the ServiceNow Service Automation Platform.

Such collaboration and sharing previously required a fair amount of heavy lifting, or at the very least active participation in ServiceNow User Group (SNUG) meetings or Knowledge conference sessions. Some recent developments should lighten the load and expand and accelerate the urge to collaborate and share.

One such development is the addition of team development support features to the ServiceNow Service Automation Platform. With the Dublin release, the ServiceNow platform enables development teams to add resources rapidly, to manage multiple features and teams in parallel, and to schedule product releases predictably. Teams of developers working in parallel across features, releases, or geographies on the ServiceNow platform gain release management and code synchronization features that avoid the cost, hassle, and productivity drags that development conflicts can cause.

Another development that should spur more collaboration and sharing among those creating custom applications with ServiceNow is the newly enhanced and re-launched ServiceNow online community. Its location remains the same — http://community.servicenow.com. But just about everything else about it has changed for the better.

One such change is a new section devoted to creators using the App Creator and the ServiceNow CreateNow Development Suite. A related change is that I have the honor of being one of the moderators of that section of the ServiceNow Community. Rather than describing it in excruciating detail here, I'll just say that I look forward to collaborating and sharing with you and your colleagues there soon. So make sure to register and post a profile, especially if you never did so at the original ServiceNow Community site. You'll be glad you did, especially if you're interested in discovering and interacting with other like-minded ServiceNow customers.

(A suggestion: once you're on board, you might consider starting by following the "CreateNow," "Service Automation Platform," "Business Applications" and "Share" areas within the Community. You can easily browse all the available "places" and "spaces," and follow as many as you like.)

One of the leading strengths of the ServiceNow Service Automation Platform is its ability to deliver mobile device support and social interaction features to any application running on the platform. The new team development features of the platform and new interactions made possible by the new ServiceNow Community site are similarly powerful and transformative.

If the past is an accurate harbinger, 2014 will be a great year for the growth and acceleration of collaboration and sharing among the members and supporters of the ServiceNow creator community. So request your upgrade to Dublin, get your Community profile posted, and start creating, collaborating and sharing what you've created and learned with the ServiceNow Community!