2. I started with virtualization in 2005
I started participating in VMTN forums in 2006
I started vmware-land.com in 2007
I started writing for Tech Target in 2008
I wrote my VI3 book in 2009
I wrote Maximum vSphere in 2010
I spoke at VMworld in 2008 & 2010
I’ve judged Best of VMworld in 2008, 2009 & 2010
I’ve been a vExpert in 2009, 2010 & 2011
I joined HP as a WW Solutions Manager in 2011
3. Why did I start?
What are your goals when you start?
Where do you begin?
It all begins with the VMTN forums
The best place to learn & grow
The forums will get you recognition
Those points & icons are status symbols
Once you have that monkey brain you’re a
rock star in the forums
Become a moderator for bonus points
4. Why did I start collecting links?
I’m a firm believer in working smarter
VMware info is scattered all over the internet
Having a master index helps me and others
Google gets you unpredictable results
Collecting links is a LOT of work
I heavily customize my websites
5. I started doing Top 10 lists on a variety of
topics back in 2007
My top 10 blogs started in 2008
Eric Sloof
Duncan Epping
Scott Lowe
Rich Brambley
Christofer Hoff
Mike Laverick
Rick Vanover
Edward Haletky
Back then there were very few blogs
available
6. Start with a personal blog
Don’t blog just to blog
Blogs are great diaries and information stores
Be creative and innovative with your blog
Know your stuff, don’t be afraid to ask if you
don’t
Don’t expect to make money of your blog
You get out of blogging what you put into it
Once you’re established, get sponsors
Blog because you are passionate, getting
paid for it is a nice bonus
7. Easier to blog today then it was in the past
I prefer having my own hosted web sites
Make sure your theme is easily readable
Avoid cutesy & gimmicky themes
Spend some time getting it just right
I use a lot of plug-ins to get mine just the
way I want it
Don’t go overboard with ads
Make sure you have a good RSS feed
Have a useful About page!
8. Ad revenue only goes so far
Dedicated sponsors are the way to go
Big name websites will pay well for good work
Don’t expect to get rich quick
Watch out for name your price
Don’t be a sell out for cheap
The bigger you become, more you can charge
Don’t be afraid to ask around to judge your
value
You can make good money blogging
9. Podcasts are a great way to have an
interactive casual show
Have structure & a theme
Lots of good tools to record them
Editing can be very time-consuming
Webinars are a lot more demanding
You need to be sharp & not afraid to speak to
a big audience
Know your material and you will be OK
It’s OK to be nervous, will be comfy over time
10. Writing books is a lot of work
Anybody can write, writing well is a skill
You must be dedicated!
You won’t get rich writing tech books
Being an author is awesome for your resume
The skills you learn writing books are
invaluable
Have a good support team
Timing is everything!
No bigger thrill then seeing your hard work
end up on a bookshelf
11. Industry expert will get you fame & fortune
vExpert is not widely recognized
vExpert has a lot of great perks
Once you get on the radar you will start
being noticed
Vendors will be constantly trying to brief you
Tech Field days is a great event
Vendors are always looking for industry
experts for webinars & white papers
Will get lots of invites to events
12. Once you get noticed, opportunities will
come knocking
Don’t expect it right away
Don’t jump at the first offer you get
You have a position of strength, leverage it
The better you get the more doors will open
Think about everything you do as it will
affect your image and your hire-ability
Make sure the is absolutely right for you and
that you will have no regrets
13. What To Be What Not To Be
Be innovative Don’t be afraid
Be dedicated Don’t be a quitter
Be creative Don’t be a copy-cat
Be honorable Don’t be a jerk
Be correct Don’t be wrong
Be yourself Don’t be fake
Be patient Don’t be frustrated
Be social Don’t be a hermit
Be motivated Don’t be discouraged
Be nice Don’t be a FUD-master
14. Writing is very time consuming
You will have less social & family time
Carve out time periods to write
Too much writing can burn you out
Don’t use memory over-commitment
Be realistic about your dates & workloads
Dealing with the Clark Kent effect
Watch out for conflict of interests
15. 1. You get hired by a big name storage vendor
2. Stephen Herrod is one of your followers
3. When you call VMware support they refer you to your
own blog
4. Eric Sloof is stalking you
5. You get at least 100 emails from vendors before VMworld
6. You have a 50TB Fiber Channel SAN in your basement
7. Stephen Foskett keeps bugging you to attend TFD
8. You get your chin wagged by Mike Laverick
9. An Iomega ix4-200d shows up on your doorstep
10. Beth Pariseau calls you at least 3 times a month
16. Remember your journey is never over
Keep up the hard work and you’ll go far
Questions?
Notes de l'éditeur
Why did you start with all this? What keeps you going? Did you ever envision you'd be doing all these different things at the beginning?Did you purposely pursue a niche or a specialty, or did it just happen? Do you have a niche or specialty for that matter?You have been innovative -- any stories of how some of those ideas came up?How did your work react as your external activities grew? Any stories?How does what you do at work influence what you write about (how do you pick what to write about)?You aren't shy about asking for help or to talk to somebody. Any approaches or mindsets you could share?Who would you recommend to NOT start blogging/writing?You said that writing books gave you skills - what were they?Do you think you're a better IT professional now than you would have been if you hadn't started writing?Are you concerned about balancing hands-on technical skills vs writing and the new job?