Web Hosting Talk : Web Hosting Main Forums : Running a Web Hosting Business : Titles?

[Synergy]

I see people's names with

CEO
CTO
CFO
CIO etc,

what do they all mean?

[vizi]

CEO = Chief Executive Officer
CTO = Chief Technical Officer
CFO = Chief Financial Officer
CIO = Chief Internet Officer
COO = Chief Operational Officer

[Honu]

Aloha
it means people are having power struggles and want to be recognized

CEO = Chief Executive Officer
CTO = chief technology officer
CFO = chief financial officer
CIO= chief information officers

YAWN !!!!!
I am not a big title person

just always refer to me as lord of manor and head guru please
heheheheheheheh

[Walter]

Originally posted by Honu
it means people are having power struggles and want to be recognized
I am not a big title person

Hehe, of course you are:
> Honu
> Web Hosting Guru

[Kaith Sutai-Rustaz]

Personally, I'd like to be the Chief BOFH...but that ones taken.

[Honu]

Originally posted by Walter



Hehe, of course you are:
> Honu
> Web Hosting Guru

I wish I could change that to say
a human on earth

hehhehee
I worked with a guy who had to have titles all the time
he was like IT mngr CTO and a few others
all on his card he would die to hand it out and people would just look at it then him and think
yeah OK whatever and they would chuck it


now bow to me people bow to your leader
hehehheehehe
hehhehe

time to go play on the beach

[JayC]

These things came out of big corporations trying to throw a cheap bone at executives, or from the other perspective from executives trying to keep up with the neighbors in the business card wars.

So one day some years ago IBM (for example) gives their financial controller the "top-level" title of Chief Financial Officer... so every other person with the same job at a similar corporation wants the same. Then the head of the IT department cries, "wahh!, my job is every bit as important as his!" so he's made the Chief Technology Officer... and every other person with the same job has to be CTO. The Vice President of Operations thinks that's much more impressive-sounding than his title! Presto! Chief Operations Officer!

One left off the list that had a brief heyday a few years ago: Chief Knowledge Officer. Sheesh.

Of course, they're also often used by people at small companies trying to sound more impressive. There are many, many "Chief Executive Officers" at one-person companies. OK, whose chief are they?

[Keeg]

there are reasons for the titles as well
for example
your an Inc. and looking to go public at some point, you need a CEO
you have a Board of Directors you need a Prez and a Chairman of the Board

i personally dont think its a power thing besides ive tried the line "I'm the CEO of a multimillion dollar Corporation wanna come home with me?" and it doesnt work

Steve

[Synergy]

Anyone know of a whole list of titles or are
these the only ones?

CEO
CFO
CTO
CIO
COO

Interesting Concept tho

[Jason Ellis]

Originally posted by Synergy
Anyone know of a whole list of titles or are
these the only ones?

Heh - you can "Chief" just about anything. A company I used to work for had a CDO - Chief Development Officer (what at most companies would have been a Vice President of Research and Development). I've heard of companies with a CCO (Chief Communications Officer). Many companies (my own included) have a CLO - Chief Legal Officer.

As was implied by a couple of different answers above, the abbreviation CIO can have two different meanings - Chief Information Officer is the most common, but these days a lot of companies also have Chief Internet Officers, too.

And, of course, my absolute favorite - the CCBW - Chief Cook and Bottle Washer

Jason

[JayC]

Originally posted by Keeg
there are reasons for the titles as well
for example
your an Inc. and looking to go public at some point, you need a CEO
you have a Board of Directors you need a Prez and a Chairman of the Board

Sure, CEO is generally legitimate -- though, again, many people billing themselves as CEOs are actually sole proprietors -- but the new crop of titles like CIO, CTO, CLO are nothing more than titles. I know more than one exec I work with who has either succeeeded or is trying to get a "promotion" from, say, IT Director to CTO that will not change their job function at all. It's status, either within their own corporation or on the resumes they're sending to headhunters.

[Seer]

Here's a few i've seeing lately.

Vice President of Advanced Technology and Chief Officer
Chief Program Management Division
Chief Innovation Leader
Chief Product Development
Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer
VP Technology and Chief Information Officer
Chief Biker - ( Harley Davidson )
Chief Systems Architect
Chief of New Media Services
Co-Founder & Chief Tech Officer
Tribal Chairperson
Technical Webmaster/Administrator
New Capabilities Manager
Senior Global eBusiness Officer
Deputy Library Director
Director of Customer Database Development
Senior Vice President of Global Networks
Strategic Web Marketing Manager

Any my personal favorite. "The Head Honcho"

Thought you might get a laugh out of these.

[Planet Z]

The general pattern is that CEO's are more for public companies and the like. USUALLY a sole prop. or private corporation uses President, VP, etc.

Personally, I've been assigned the title CFASO (chief fork and spoon officer)

[Synergy]

So when i see people's resume
and they have

CTO of this CIO of that.... I can just simply ignore it right?

[Planet Z]

Originally posted by Synergy
So when i see people's resume and they have CTO of this CIO of that.... I can just simply ignore it right?

Depends. If they're the CIO of Microsoft, I'd give it a little weight. However, if Joe Bob is the CTO of Joe Bob ISP Inc., I wouldn't give it too much emphasis in the overall picture.