Letter from the President - March 2015
MUSINGS REGARDING AUTODESK
I recently had a meeting with several folks from Autodesk. The meeting was productive in that everyone came away with a better understanding of what we could provide for each other. AUGI has areas of strength that Autodesk appreciates.
The largest strength that AUGI has is its membership. Hundreds of thousands of Autodesk product users are members of AUGI. This is unique in several aspects.
First, the vast majority of AUGI’s members are folks that use the products day in and day out. You aren’t just the manager of a group of users or the administrator of the Autodesk contracts. You use the products. Each and every day. You have an amount of experience and feedback that is huge. You should be proud to be a member of such a group of people.
Second, AUGI is a single resource to reach a huge group of users. This is of obvious appeal to companies that want to reach out to such a large group. Rest assured that one of the primary concerns of the AUGI Board of Directors is that you never feel like you are being inundated with offers and promotions. The leadership of AUGI knows that you want to feel a part of a community and not just an entry in a marketing database. It is the sheer size of the membership that helps AUGI be recognized as a voice of importance to Autodesk. The more you utilize your influence as a member of AUGI to provide feedback via the Wish List, the easier it is to be heard.
Third, when you have an issue with a product, you are probably not alone. Reach out to the vast experience available to you in the AUGI forums. Did you know that many of the most active forum posters are also members of Autodesk’s Expert Elite program? AUGI is working with Autodesk so that this talent is visible to users of either AUGI’s forums or Autodesk’s communities.
Having said all that, some believe that AUGI is part of Autodesk, the company. That can be understandable since the word “Autodesk” is in our organization’s name. Let’s put that idea to rest. The largest strength that AUGI has is that it is an independent voice. Yes, AUGI does inform you of Autodesk’s products and programs. But that is why you became a member of AUGI to begin with: you were interested in Autodesk products. If you are passionate about another company’s products you are probably a member of whatever user groups they support.
Be proud that you are part of an organization that has such a great membership!