Adrian J Cotterill, Editor-in-Chief
It was an incredibly well read post but we thought that ‘DSA vs DSF (We Only Need One)‘ up last Friday would have generated a lot more debate so let’s add our own on why we were so skeptical of the Digital Screenmedia Association’s independence (from Networld Alliance) from the outset.
The DSA congratulate themselves on another election result
- Sometime over the past several months Dick Good has literally vanished from both the Networld Alliance and Digital Screenmedia Association (DSA) websites and associated companies
- As a founder of Digital Signage Today and the DSA, you’d think there would be some explanation for his departure or some fond farewell for his contributions?
- As far as we can tell there has been nothing. One DSA member told us that there was a serious falling out between Mr Good and the majority owners of Networld Alliance.
- Perhaps as a result (we simply do not know), Dick Good was replaced as the ‘permanent’ (non-elected) executive committee member of the DSA board by the Chairman of Networld Alliance, Alan Fryrear (who seems to have also taken over Good’s former CEO title)
- To the best of our knowledge Alan Fryrear has NEVER personally been involved in our industry. So isn’t it incredibly weird then that when Dick Good vanishes, Alan automatically steps into the ‘permanent’ executive committee spot?
Let’s make that clear then; no election and no criteria or credentials for the leadership role other than unelected succession. That’s an interesting perspective, no?
March 20th, 2012 at 18:10 @798
Hey Adrian.
As someone without a horse in this race, I am confused as to your objectives via your influential platform. If your original post was suppose to illicit a discussion based on your “journalistic” observations of the DSA vs. DSF, – the result you achieved (no one bit) should not be surprising to you.
Your follow-up article appears to be sponsored by the DSF. Really? Perhaps you should just say what you really mean rather (JOIN DSF) rather then to vilify other business professionals who in the end are just doing there best to make sh@! happen like you are. Perhaps the DSF “is” the better organization but I believe your sponsored bias does a disservice to the legitimacy of your usually informative and insightful blog.
The market always picks the winners.
March 20th, 2012 at 18:39 @818
Stephen. Thx for your comment (and for not being anonymous). I am not sure we have vilified anyone in our industry – our point is that the person we are vilifying is not even in our industry!
We carry lots of sponsors and advertisers but we think we are grown up enough to still be able to have editorial independence. FYI all of our posts that mention DSF would be sponsored by the DSF (that’s our advertising contract T&C’s EVEN ones where we were rude / disagreed with them – you will find plenty of those on our site for sure!!!!!)
March 23rd, 2012 at 15:10 @673
Hello Adrian – since you wanted to get more debate going on your blog, allow me to oblige!
First, it is true that Mr. Good has left Networld, but that had nothing to do with DSA. Second, and more importantly, here are some facts that should shed light on your uninformed opinions about me:
1. I am a co-founder of Networld, and have been in the online news and information business since 1997
2. In 1997, I cofounded the non-profit ATM Industry Association, which now has nearly 1,000 corporate members worldwide, with conferences in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, England, Russia, South Africa, Australia and China
3. In 2001, our company acquired kiosks.org, which we turned into the industry’s first association
4. I became the executive director of kiosks.org, following Craig Keefner
5. In 2004, we purchased Voyagi, expanding its Kiosk Show and magazine; we sold it two years later
6. We created digitalsignagetoday.com in 2007, and quickly grew it to become the leading online media covering this industry
7. In November 2007, we helped form the Digital Signage Association in partnership with our Self-Service & Kiosk Association
8. In 2010, I worked with Mr. Good and a team to merge the two associations, creating the non-profit Digital Screenmedia Association; Networld became the manager, and DSA became independent
9. The by-laws of the new association created the position of Vice President – Founding Director, a non-elected position, granted to Networld, the company that supported the industry for many years; this position was not designated to any one person, instead it allows Networld to assign a senior executive to fill the position
Next time, I would request that you simply ask me your questions, before spouting rumor and conjecture about me and my company to the industry.
Alan Fryrear
Chairman & CEO
March 23rd, 2012 at 15:29 @687
Point 6 last time I looked daily dooh had become the “leading online media covering this industry” and point 3 who acquires companies and turns them into ‘associations’ – associations by definition should be run by the industry for the industry by people who love (and work) in the industry