I finally was able to connect with Matt Smith regarding the status at Presenceworks, a company that pioneered the notion of embedding presence from the public networks into applications. Presenceworks is the first company to have an AIM business partner relationship in place, but the company has changed its plans. In response to questions about the company's future, Smith said, "PresenceWorks has trimmed to down to skeleton staff, who are overseeing a possible IP sale, and we are not actively selling product on the street."

It seems like a strange twist of fate, since the IM market continues to explode, and interest in presence-enabling applications is growing. Perhaps the reality is that -- while Smith & Co made the right bet on presence technology -- the company was too early relative to enterprise adoption of instant messaging. All indications are that 2004 will be a banner year for enterprise uptake of IM, so Presenceworks could be an attractive acquisition for other software groups trying to make a play in this market.

Smith is now working at AOL, in a group working on licensing presence. His brother and business partner, Paul Smith (recently back from Thailand), is overseeing IP sale opportunities.

Bob Woods, the highly regarded former editor of Instant Messaging Planet, had been involved in Imvector, an instant messaging start-up, for a ten month period, but recently left to pursue new opportuinities. He contacted me today to let me know that he making a big transition into outside sales for Arch Wireless (www.arch.com), which sells one- and two-way paging/messaging services, along with many other wireless services (but not voice). He will be working out of their Tyson's Corner VA offices. Seems that Bob has been bitten by the sales bug after his experiences at Imvector.

(By the way, here's a link to an issue of Message that profiles Imvector.)

Kapi Attawar has left Endeavors Technology, whose Magi IM instant messaging technology I have reviewed in the past, where he was serving as VP Marketing. Joe Anzenberger has been promoted to VP Marketing, and he and I will be speaking later this week regarding the direction for Magi IM.