Vika Osipenko and Rafael Diaz-Tushman, aka "Mr. and Mrs. Dioscouri"
Presenting Tienda at the Joomla Users Group Toronto
March 2010
I confess that I did not realize that Vika & Rafael are married. Until last weekend when they visited Toronto.
They worked very well together during the presentation; and, well, Rafael was good enough to be a guest on my show -- but, I really should have had both on at the same time as they are a team.
Both are recent MBA graduates from the same school, and both are entrepreneurial.
Knowing that Rafael would present Tienda yesterday, I had reserved this Thursday's show for myself. Serendipity strikes again, and Vika graciously accepted my guest invitation.
It is my pleasure to introduce to you, "Mrs. Dioscouri".
Welcome:
Welcome back to my Joomla ecommerce internet radio show, after the Canadian Spring Break.
My name is Bob Bloom, coming to you live from Toronto, Canada.
It is my pleasure to welcome Viktoria Osipenko today -- better known as Vika. Vika, how are you!
Vika is the Director of Marketing at Dioscouri.com, the home of the new Tienda ecommerce extension for Joomla.
(Welcome to my Blog Talk Radio show, dedicated to Joomla ecommerce, broadcast live every Thursday at 1:00pm.
As I will specialize in Tienda, the new ecommerce extension by Dioscouri.com, my shows will have a decidedly Tienda bias.)
As always, all links mentioned will be on my Show Notes at my SouthLaSalle.com site.
(My show is available to everyone to listen live.
You can hear my show on-demand on the iTunes podcast directory; and, on BlogTalkRadio.)
E-Mail Bag:
(sound effect)
Vika, I'm emailing one and all about Tienda. And do you know what someone told me? They said that there is "no way" that they are learning another cart.
At the Tienda presentation last Sunday, someone asked for a comparison between Virtue-Stuck-in-Time-Mart and Tienda. To which I blurted, Tienda will work in Joomla 1.6, that's the first main difference.
So my answer is: we may not be seeking change; but, change is being thrust upon us.
In The News:
(sound clip)
In the news is the expected release of the Tienda Production Beta this Monday, March 29th.
Vika, will next week be Beta week for Tienda?
Main Stuff:
As I mentioned, Rafael and Vika trekked north of the border to present Tienda to the Joomla Users Group Toronto on Sunday.
Thank you for coming up here!
Previous to this weekend, I communicated exclusively with Rafael. No more!
Rafael and Vika are a husband and wife team, building their business together.
Vika, you and Rafael worked very well together during your presentation. But are some days better than others?
You and Rafael have MBA's from the same school. Which school; and, did you and Rafael meet there?
Both you and Rafael are entrepreneurial. You are co-founder of Pattern Rebellion. What is Pattern Rebellion?
Your Tienda project is actually run like a project. Is this something attributable to your studies?
I think Dioscouri, and Tienda, are here to stay. I agree with my email correspondent that I don't want to be changing ecommerce specialty in the near future.
Learning that you and Rafael are a husband-wife team, that you both have a game plan for what you are doing, that you are using real agile managment tools, that you have a portfolio of ecommerce related extensions at Dioscouri. Tienda looks like an ecommerce extension with lasting power, which is important to myself; and, to my clients.
We do not want to be confronted again with the proposition that our ecommerce extension dies at the next Joomla upgrade. Which is exactly what we face with Virtue-Stuck-in-Time-Mart: it will not work at all in Joomla 1.6.
Vika, you mentioned that you are increasingly doing more programming. Does this mean that your role is changing?
What marketing initiatives are coming up for Tienda?
Tell us about the upcoming Chicago CMS Expo. With your luck flying this winter, maybe you should take the train to the Windy City.
Post Show Notes:
I have no announcements from the Toronto Joomla Users Group; nor, from
The Southwestern Ontario Joomla Group holds its monthly meeting this evening at the Personal Computer Museum in Brantford. Tonight's topics are style sheets and mailing list extensions. Visit jugswo.com for more details.
Vika, the New York City Joomla Group also meets monthly? How many people usually attend?
My April show scheduled is booked! Topics are social-ecommerce, combining Tienda with SaaS sites, Joomla The Project, Anahita Social Engine & the Nooku Framework.
Vika, a pleasure talking to you today. Thank you for taking the time to be here.
We'll be back next Thursday at 1:00pm with Alice Grevet to talk about "s-commerce". See you then!
