More ways SOA mushroomed in 2007

SOA has matured as a metholodogy over the past year, and readers couldn't get enough of the emerging success stories that demonstrated how SOA can be made to deliver. Here are the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th most popular posts of 2007 of the top 10! (numbers 5-7 are here, and 8-10 here.)

#4 Ten examples of SOA at work, right now. Believe it or not, this was first posted in January 2006, but still generated lots of traffic through this year -- that's a nice long tail. From helping to process a galaxy of satellite data to moving medical supplies, SOA is being applied for a variety of purposes. Variety is the key here -- there seems to be a million create ways to engage in service-oriented architecture. And we're finding plenty more -- I just posted a new list of company projects here.

#3 Is SOA better kept in the dark, or in the spotlight? As you may see from the up-or-down "Worthwhile" ratings this post got, folks either loved or hated the "fungus" analogy being applied to SOA. In one of Dana Gardner's SOA BriefingsDirect podcasts, we played around with the notion that SOA grows like a mushroom, with many independent, self-sustaining branches and root systems stretching across the enterprise.

#2 Ten companies where SOA made a difference in 2006. Okay, had enough lists for a while? Just one more. The second-most popular SOA post of the year, actually posted last December, was a updated account of how, what, and where some leading companies were applying SOA methodologies, with great success.

Okay, we're just about at the #1 post for 2007, which will appear next -- stay tuned!