When Kirk Munro and I set this site up, and started redirecting traffic from the old PowerShellCommunity.org, one of our main goals was to make this a truly community-owned resource. We wanted it hosted independently (my company, Concentrated Tech, is being paid to host the site, so we get pretty good service and total control). We didn't want to be beholden to anyone's commercial interests or whims (companies do get distracted by their real jobs from time to time, after all).
When we started talking to Microsoft about holding a PowerShell Summit, we wanted that to be community-owned too, and not tied to a commercial interest - in part so that we could keep the price low, but also so that Microsoft would be able to support us without getting into any possible conflicts of interest with any of its ISV partners.
Today, our intention becomes legally realized. PowerShell.org., Inc., a Nevada corporation, is born - and we're offering ownership shares to help raise capital. This capital will be used to pay for necessities like bookkeeping, and also to help bootstrap the Summit event. Shareholders are legal owners of the corporation, and will vote for its Board of Directors - who in turn appoint the Officers that make things happen. Our first Board will consist of myself, Kirk, Jeffery Hicks, Richard Siddaway, and Jason Helmick.
Want to become a community owner? You'll want to start with our "Shareholder Brochure," which is available in the new "PowerShell.org, Inc." forum on this site. That forum will also get you our Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation; the Brochure will outline the purpose of the corporation, and explain what it means to be a shareholder. The forum also contains the Share Purchase Order form, which you can use to purchase shares, and contains documents that outline our initial Board of Directors and Officer lineup and other important details.
Cool tip: Shareholders get access to a special forum on PowerShell.org to discuss company business, are eligible for an @powershell.org e-mail address, and may receive a discount to the PowerShell Summit North America 2013. In fact, if you're planning to attend, you can add $100 worth of stock to your event registration for just $75 (plus card fees), instantly giving you your $25 discount!
We hope you'll give serious consideration to supporting this community effort, and to finally - about six years after PowerShell's introduction - help us realize our dream of creating a truly community-owned online resource, educational event, and more. We have created a set of forums on PowerShell.org for discussion and Q&A about this corporation, so if you have any questions, we encourage you to turn there for your answers.
Although the corporation will not be publicly-traded in the sense of appearing on a stock market, we do intend to make as much of its business as possible completely open and transparent. To that end, we'll use this blog to periodically announce the availability of public documents (as we create them), along with shareholder meetings and other important events. Just look for items in the "Inc." category of the blog. We'll also use the Forums as a repository for various documents, so that you can always find them easily.
What do you get by being an owner? Well, a vote (one per share owned) for the Board of Directors makeup. The aforementioned $25 discount to the PowerShell Summit. An @powershell.org e-mail address or forwarding alias, if you want one. And a chance to help us create a truly independent, group-driven entity that's owned not by any one person, but by all of us together.
Thanks for joining.
