As much as I learn from the keynotes and breakout sessions at SSPA conferences, I feel like I learn more from the conversations during breaks, evening networking activities, and sharing sessions. For me, it's talking with colleagues who have similar goals and challenges that makes the investment in time and travel worthwhile. SSPA post-conference surveys show that most of you feel the same way.

The two or three days of sessions and networking rush by, and then—in most cases—the conversations stop until the next conference. Sure, I keep in touch with clients and industry colleagues, but it's not the same. The conferences provide real critical mass and make it easy to share ideas and experiences freely and openly with a large and diverse group of people.

Now the conversations can continue. As one of the founding partners of the Service Research & Innovation Initiative (SRII), SSPA is enabling its members to participate in a new electronic industry forum, SRIINet. Any of you can register to discuss some of the topics we explore at SSPA meetings, connect with industry resources and participate in leading-edge discussions on the broader topic of innovative technology services.

Leading practitioners, enablers, and academic researchers have already signed up. If you have a question, it's likely someone reading SRIINet has the answer, or at least useful information.

The forums are just getting started, but here are some of the topics that have caught my interest:

• Discussion about business models for value-added service and support -- a key topic for SSPA members. I was very interested in Alex Todd's observations about the different roles of infrastructure and applications.
• Discussion about Geoffrey Moore's presentation on Service Innovation. In addition to his very thoughtful slide deck, this thread has some follow-on discussion about the application of "core vs. context" to developing an innovation portfolio. (If you couldn't make the SRII Symposium, the presentations are all available online.)
• Listings of books and conferences suggested by members in the Resources section.

So, visit SRIINet and see what interests you. Better still, ask a question or share your perspective: the forums are only as valuable as all of our contributions.

I'm looking forward to continuing the conversation with all of you!

About David Kay………………………………………………………………..

David Kay is principal of DB Kay & Associates, a provider of consulting and training in knowledge management, self-service, and collaborative support. DB Kay customers include support organizations in Cisco, Cognos, Adobe, Vocera, Maxwell Systems, Research in Motion, and Openwave. He holds two patents for his work in next-generation customer service, and is co-author of Collective Wisdom: Transforming Support with Knowledge, published in February of 2006.