A theme traverses these issues of The Independent. It's not a conscious effort on our part to project this theme; it's just there. It's a natural phenomenon reserved primarily for the independent market.

It's always been there. It just hasn't always been necessary to exploit it. However, exploit it you must. And exploit it you have. It is the homeboy advantage.

It's the antithesis of the good-old-boy advantage. Good old boys use their power and influence and that of their good-old-boy chums to force market dynamics to their advantage. Homeboy advantage, not to be confused with the urban translation, is when small companies exploit their personal relationships with customers to serve them better than a good-old-boy conglomerate could.

The advantage is not a given. Customers are not bound to shop local if their local provider isn't giving them the service or capabilities they want. To be truly effective, the homeboy advantage must be coupled with innovation and quality service.

For an example of the positive exploitation of homeboy advantage, see Carol Wilson's story on page 22. Wilson's profile of Ringgold Telephone Co. shows what can happen when an independent combines risk-taking and innovation with community and employee spirit. Producing local television shows, such as Purchasing Manager Nora Faulkenberry's “Gardening Catoosa Style,” can go a long way toward building very sticky relationships.

Of course, there's more to running a communications company than making good with one's neighbors. There are technology decisions to be made. It's not easy cutting through the technology hype, so we also try to sharpen your scissors with critical anti-hype.

Kevin Fitchard's story on page 18 cuts through the WiMAX hype and raises a red flag about its potential. Similarly, Ed Gubbins throws cold water on the broadband-over-power line market while identifying where it might still make sense (page 28). We also try to highlight implementations that have gone well, such as how MetaSolv is helping SDN Communications automate its processes (page 4).

So while you're convincing your customer base to shop local by providing innovative and personalized services, consider the shopping tips provided by Bernardin Arnason on our back page. And remember that exploitation is not always a dirty word; in business, it's most often an imperative.