What’s The Dojo all about? Since we’re obviously talking about a corporate blog one could argue that the main function of The Dojo is to be helpful. This blog should provide users of our software with tips and tricks. At least that’s how the folks at 37signals define their blog.

However, those guys aren’t always right. Would you believe that? I got down to thinking about The Dojo and there’s a lot more to it than that!

For starters, there’s the whole thing about the meaning of the word, The Dojo.

As you probably already know, in martial arts the dojo is a training hall. When you’re in the dojo you try to perfect your skills in order to become the best that you can possibly be. In other words, The Dojo also has to do with ambitions, potential, obedience, respect, and discipline.

This blog is almost a holistic place. Everything comes together and makes some sort of sense when you’re in The Dojo. Am I making any sense?

By the way, we need a sempai, an apple pie, or whatever we want to call it.

A more down to earth way of looking at The Dojo is to stress that it’s a place where we can communicate in a more distinctive manner. As opposed to our usual day-to-day talk about things, when you’re in The Dojo you really get down to business. What’s the point? Or rather, what’s your point? What’s your opinion?

But as I see it, The Dojo is actually not only about expressing our thoughts. It’s also about discovering what we really think about all the stuff that’s going on. Without The Dojo it sometimes feels like there’s no opinion there at all. But The Dojo helps you. It gives birth to thoughts, opinions, ideas, and feelings. That’s it! The Dojo is a delivery room!

On a more personal note, the name Dojo reminds me of a Dodo. It’s probably because I had a pet bird named Dodo once. Dodo was given to me because its former owner, a friend of mine, didn’t really care about it. I already had a similar bird – endowed with the very cool name Gokke – so it wasn’t a big deal to accept the donation.

The only problem was that Dodo was a nervous wreck compared to my old bird. Gokke had already been under my wings for some time and it could do all sorts of tricks. I suppose you could talk about domestification. Anyway, Dodo seemed a bit stupid as it sat there anxiously on its perch while Gokke was flying around entertaining guests. As opposed to Dodo, Gokke really got a kick out of being a bird!

What’s all this got to do with The Dojo?

Well, one could argue that the difference between the two birds had to do with the fact that Gokke had been in my custody, or my dojo, for some time.

So Gokke most definitely was not a Dodo.

And neither is The Dojo.