Interview with Dennis Shiao , Director of DNN Software

Dennis Shiao is Director Content Marketing at DNN Software (LinkedIn). We asked him some questions about his view on DNN Experts and the role of an DNN Expert now and in the future.

From the view of a business owner, what do you think are the most requested skills a DNN expert should have and why is that important?

First and foremost, I think business owners look for experts with in-depth knowledge and experience building sites and applications on DNN. They want to take comfort in knowing that whatever requirement they have, that you can implement a DNN site to meet or exceed those requirements. 

Beyond DNN expertise, I think business owners look for people who can understand business objectives, and properly translate them into digital experiences that accomplish those objectives. This is an essential skill no matter which technology you happen to use.

In your opinion: what do you expect in the upcoming two years as a change with big impact for business owners and how can we, as DNN Expert, be prepared for that change?

There’s a lot of change happening in technology. Consider our personal use: we’re spending less time on laptops and browsers and more time in apps. We’re engaging with technology via voice (e.g. Siri, Alexa, Cortana, etc.) and asking intelligent agents to answer questions or do things for us. We’re benefiting from artificial intelligence in devices and applications without necessarily knowing it.

For DNN experts, I think the nature of project work will be influenced by these changes. I’d expect to see some projects shift from the building of traditional websites, to mobile apps, chatbots, intelligent devices and more.

Do you think that there is a difference between being an DNN Expert in the US or in Europe? Are the clients expecting different skills or a different way of customer care?

Not so much in the underlying technology used. After all, DNN is DNN ;) The difference, I think, comes in cultural norms and customs. An expert in Europe may be better suited to work with customers in Europe. That’s not to say that an American expert can’t do the job just as well, but I think there are times when a common understanding of culture helps over the course of a project.

If you could change or add one function to DNN, what would that be?

I work for DNN Corp., so I’ll give an unofficial answer. As a marketer who’s passionate about content, I’d love to see more capabilities to gain more leverage from my content, along with deeper insights on how my content is performing.