Opera Campus Crew Blog

Hi Risanto! First I'd like to ask, how were you first introduced to Opera?
I have long known about Opera as one of the browsers but only got a complete picture of Opera when I joined the seminar by Opera Software staff at the IPB Bogor campus (in 14 November 2008), as part of the company's university tour program. At the end of the event, I had the opportunity to talk with Opera Web evangelist Bruce Lawson and get his business card, and also with Web evangelist Zi Bin and Indonesian marketing coordinator Putri, which led me to Opera and the Opera Campus Crew.

So what inspired you to get involved with Campus Crew?
My field of interest is IT, and I didn't want to miss out on the opportunity to be a part of a famous company like Opera Software. I am proud to be a part of Opera Software and by being part of Campus Crew I get quite a few benefits: networking, knowledge, rewards - and I have learned a great deal.

What has motivated you to do so much work with Campus Crew this year?
Mainly it was because I had set a goal to achieve Gold level for myself. Second, I wanted to introduce my campus to my OCC friends all over the world. Also, I want to introduce my country, Indonesia, to Opera and to help more members achieve Gold level together.

What have been your favorite activities with the Campus Crew?
I think Opera presentations and internet cafe installations. I especially like presentations because it gives me the opportunity to hone my speaking skills. Internet cafe installations also give us a challenge to negotiate with the owner / admin cafe, because not all cafes will allow us to install software on their PCs. When planning cafe installations we always prepare a 2-day implementation. The first day is to survey the field with only a small team, looking for cafes, and then we go directly meeting the owner/admin to negotiate. We sometimes have to explain how the process works first and them we make sure we can install the latest Opera browser on their PCs. The next day we just ask more team members to join the event so that the installation can take place quickly and does not interfere with operation of the cafes.

What are your plans for the future? How do you feel that your experience with Campus Crew will be helpful with your long-term goals?
I want to have my own IT consulting firm and still work as a lecturer. Being part of the Crew will support my long-term goals. There are many things that I can learn from planning events. It's great to manage events that challenge me to be creative and to fulfill Opera's mission part of my own project.

What do you look forward to from Opera in the future?[/COLOR]
I want to remain a part of Opera Software and would like to do my part to help Opera Software grow to become a big company like Microsoft, Oracle, Google and Yahoo.

Thanks Risanto for all you have done for Opera. You are an inspiration to fellow members of Campus Crew. Best wishes in your future activities and plans!