What's all the komosion?

Deliberation on our merger ...

On January 1, 2008, Melbourne web content management vendor – Komodo CMS – merged with Glass Onion, a successful online agency based in Sydney, Australia.

Although at the time we didn't know that the new business would be named Komosion (pron. commotion), we certainly began to create a commotion on a number of levels. Commotion, probably a good point for a definition, can mean a number of things including: a condition of turbulent motion (I think that could apply to the online world in general); or an agitated disturbance or hubbub (as in, I heard a commotion); and more broadly disturbance of the status quo and resulting change.

We live in a time of incredible change. For change to occur their needs to be a disturbance of the status quo. This usually begins with one person (or a small group) doing something different to what had been done before - often with the consequence of being dismissed, laughed at, ostracized or throughout history even more severe reactions. Nevertheless many of these changes take hold, a disturbance is caused and change spreads. The 'turbulent motion' can become an irresistible force and things are never quite the same again.

Some of these changes come from nowhere, at least to those experiencing the resultant commotion. In reality most change comes slowly, with modest beginnings and follows a path that builds gradually from environmental forces and gathers momentum. The online revolution started in this fashion. Change begets change and it is not surprising that we view the modern world as changing faster than ever before - some good, some not, but always change and always commotion.

We have elected as a group of some thirty individuals to adopt Komosion as a representation of 'our dynamic heritage', a beacon for 'our shared commitment', and a symbol of our mission to deliver positive change and forward momentum to our customers, partners, staff and our little but growing corner of the amazing online landscape, just half a generation old.

Our Dynamic Heritage
The two halves of our new business have more than a decade's heritage and have been in the online space almost since the beginning. During this period, Komodo CMS was developing web enabled software, specifically aimed at producing dynamic results – rapidly modifiable pages, direct data feeds from live sources and encouraging the spread and distribution of online content to meet business requirements. Later the provision of evolving tools shifted to subscription in order to develop a shared path (relationship) with customers needing to constantly deliver positive change to their online environment, regularly improve their online message and deliver innovation in the conduct of their online business. In the same period, Glass Onion built a reputation for break through online design, using innovative approaches to help customer's 'cut through' the noise of an emerging communication space and obtain great results in the fast changing online market. As an online agency, Glass Onion helped clients constantly change and improve their digital communication. Together, we have been part of the commotion since the beginning.

Future Commitment
With change comes pain – because as humans we permanently and inevitably battle with the need for change and our desire for stability and certainty. Habits are comfortable and stable, new experiences are dynamic and potentially stress inducing. We live inside this dynamic all the time and it does not mean that we have to encounter change and new experience alone.

For us, part of our value and promise is sharing change with our customers. In turn, we find like minded innovative partners to do the same, so that we tread a road of forward motion and beneficial change together. Infrastructure innovators, new media geniuses, open source communities, thought leaders, and our insightful and gifted customers all conjoin with us in Komosion - a state of change, forward motion, innovation, experience, experimentation and ultimately reward that comes from changing the status quo and ending up somewhere different from today.

Komosion – Dynamic Online Heritage

Taking a step forward to somewhere different with the certainty of a well worn and successful path of similar changes behind us.

Our merger has been about change. We have made adjustments, we have shaken the status quo in order to ensure our habits and stability did not become impediments to innovation, growth and beneficial change. The change has had its share of pain and we are the better for it.

Somewhere in this post, I hope that you draw encouragement to embark on change yourself and where possible, engage with us in pushing the online space forward. Including giving it a good shove where needed. We are all about to see a decade with at least as much change in front of us as the decade behind us. We embrace the challenge!

Best wishes,

David Warwick
Chief Executive Officer
Komosion Pty Ltd

Future posts will discuss directions and outcomes from the merger and our new brand.