Highlighting hidden gems

Years like 2007 make you glad to have a ringside seat on the technology industry. The top stories of 2007 were full of drama. Vista flopped like an overindulged celebutante. Consolidation in the software industry reached new heights of excess. Google, already the undisputed gatekeeper of the Web, set its sites on mobile devices. And last time I looked, geeks everywhere were still going gaga over the iPhone.

But here at InfoWorld, we specialize in spotting trends and analyzing events that other tech journalism outfits overlook. That’s why, for this week’s big feature article, we decided to peel back the surface of the news and uncover the Top 10 underreported stories of 2007. As you’ll see, we’ve picked our sleepers carefully, with an eye toward stories we think will have lasting impact.

Contributing Editor Bill Snyder wrote the story, but not before just about every member of the InfoWorld family chimed in. Deciding what we should highlight was a contentious process that lasted over a month. We hope the final article will provide unique insight on what occurred this past year and help you prepare for the twists and turns to come.

Of course, we’ve made a number of judgment calls (was this the year enterprise software became a buyer’s market, or was it last year?), yet I sense the beginning of an InfoWorld tradition. Next year, I promise we’ll open up the process in advance, so you’ll have a chance to nominate you own underreported stories long before we post our picks. This year, you’ll have to content yourself with publicly evaluating the intelligence of our selections – and pointing out the ones you think we’ve missed.

I’m looking forward to reading and sharing that feedback. After all, you’re a vital part of the InfoWorld community. I’m delighted to have you on board as we embark on the wild ride of 2008.