If a software tool launches in the Silicon Forest, and no one is there to use it, is it really a tool?
We'd love to have you write about Kumquat. And we're happy to help you in any way that we can to make your post or article as interesting as possible.
We have some boilerplate, quotes, images, icons, and whatnot that you can feel free to use at your discretion. We'll even give you access to use Kumquat. (Well, okay, everyone has access.) If you need something a bit "meatier" or "provocative," that can be arranged, as well.
And finally, if you would consider tagging the post "kumquat," that would be incredibly helpful. Please feel free to trackback to the posts on More than a living or Silicon Florist (once they are published), as well.
Now, let's get to the goods:
- Sign up for Kumquat
- Download screenshots (*.png)
- Download a sample Kumquat report
- Download the Kumquat icon and lockup (*.png)
- Review the Frequently Asked Questions
- Kumquat development team
- Geek-tastic notes
- Kumquat was written in PHP and is built upon the Zend Framework
- Kumquat supports OpenID logins
- The application has been designed to validate to XHTML 1.0 Transitional
- Quotes
- "You manage your own bank account, your own investments, your own travel, your own news. You 'TiVo' shows to watch them when you want. Why are we still beholden to corporations for managing our careers?" said Rick Turoczy, one of the creators of Kumquat. "Kumquat was designed with the sole purpose of putting you in charge of your personal and professional reviews. Getting you the feedback you deserve, whenever you feel like you need it."
- "So much of the way we work has improved dramatically thanks to technology, and yet some things—like the formal corporate review process—still languish in relatively archaic constructs," said Toby Lucich, one of the creators of Kumquat. "Kumquat is designed to help people circumvent that archaic process, by allowing them to solicit feedback when and how they want. And to continue to manage that feedback even after they leave their current gig."
- "We built Kumquat because it's getting harder and harder to get feedback that actually helps you improve what you do," said Rick Turoczy, one of the creators of Kumquat. "The corporate review system is completely broken. And individual consultants need more than anecdotes. Kumquat is designed to help fix the feedback problem."
- "You're not going to retire from your current job. That's just a fact," said Toby Lucich, one of the creators of Kumquat. "And the last thing you're going to consider when you're leaving your current job is that valuable feedback—if it even exists—sitting in your employee file. With Kumquat, you manage that feedback, so it's always accessible to you."
- "I once went nearly five years without a performance review because the organization didn't have a review process. Five years!" said Rick Turoczy, one of Kumquat's creators. "That's like completing an undergraduate degree—from moving into the dorms to receiving your diploma—without getting a single grade.
"Now, if I'd had Kumquat, I could have taken responsibility for managing my own reviews. And I'd still have access to that feedback, today. "
- About Kumquat
Kumquat is a Web-based tool designed to help you take a more active role in your own personal and professional development, allowing you to quickly solicit feedback on your performance from anyone at any time. Just as important, Kumquat has been designed to help you manage that feedback over time, no matter how many times you change jobs, clients, or projects.
Kumquat was built by Return, a small consultancy in Portland, Oregon. The tool is currently in limited release and is free to use. For more information, visit http://hellokumquat.com.