Deirdré Straughan

Created a unique online presence for the company and its software products, with proven results in customer satisfaction and support.

Achievements:

* Created, developed, and managed the Web content and community team: part-time and full-time contractors and one full-time employee (some remote workers, some in other Roxio offices, some in their own homes). The extended team included technical/customer support specialists, an editor, journalists, graphic artists, and Web developers.

* Web: For the Adaptec site, was solely responsible for areas devoted to CD-recordable products and technology. Tasks included: development and management of both technical and marketing content, HTML, navigation design, information architecture, and management/integration of internal team and outside contractors. Designed and managed implementation of Web-based applications.
o My contributions generated 70% of all Adaptec's website traffic.

* All CD-R content and applications were moved to Roxio.com in November, 2000. For this new site, I was part of the management team which chose ATG Dynamo as the application server and personalization platform, and Interwoven's TeamSite for content management.
o Had overall responsibility for content and community on Roxio.com, and led the content and applications team which developed and launched the new Roxio site ahead of the company spin-off in May, 2001. This included management, implementation, and use of TeamSite, and community and content development.

* Email marketing: Administrator and editor-in-chief (often also writer/editor) for weekly newsletters to opt-in mailing lists. Launched in 1998, the largest list had 170,000 subscribers in July, 2001. Subscriber comment: "Your emails are the best example of the value of this medium. They are always informative, they cut right to the point, and they never seem like self promotional 'Marketing' efforts. I find them valuable, and I look forward to receiving them." More subscriber comments.
o These newsletters encouraged reader responses and input, to which I responded personally (up to 400 emails per newsletter sent!) - a pre-blogs example of online conversation between a company and its customers.

* Support and marketing online: Founded the Roxio Discussion email list (formerly known as the Adaptec CD-R list) in 1996 and moderated it until September, 1999; then managed contracted moderators. The list was widely acknowledged to be the most useful source online (or off) for help with CD-R, and was praised for allowing end users to discuss all aspects (positive and negative) of products and customer experience. Similarly responded to customer questions on the Usenet for years, then managed outside contractors to do this.

* Communication: As a global, cross-cultural manager, and a technical writer working in marketing, I was uniquely qualified to facilitate and promote communication between various teams and locations within the company, and between the company and its customers.

NB: During this period I telecommuted from my home in Milan, visiting the Silicon Valley offices four times a year for periods of 2 to 4 weeks.

see Roxio entry - Roxio was a spinoff from Adaptec