It's a vacation week for me so it is easy to keep the topic light. And since Todd and Mike decided to focus on this themselves, I thought I would also throw my hat into the ring and discuss why I started blogging.
I started in late January of 2007 and, to be honest, my intentions were completely business-driven. My company had just partnered with ZapThink and I was uncovering a great deal of opportunity for Enterprise Architects with a strong understanding of SOA principles. In order to meet that opportunity, I had to get the word out about my firm and connect with as many Architects in the field as possible. This blog has proved to be essential for me in connecting with some great people who are passionate about their work and are, most importantly, gregarious individuals who openly share their thoughts and ideas.
As I repeat ad-naseum, I AM NOT AN ENTERPRISE ARCHITECT, but I have learned such a great deal in the past 6 months that has been invaluable to me in discussing architecture with my clients and with the candidates I place.
Many people are more familiar with my firm because of our focus on ERP staffing and placement. I must admit that 15 years of placing PeopleSoft and SAP professionals has had its own challenges and rewards. Traveling to Germany in 1994 to interview and hire SAP programmers to place here in the U.S. was a lot of fun for a 26 year old kid. Back then, almost all you had to do was be able to spell 'ABAP' and I could guarantee you a job. If blogging had even existed as a business medium back then, there's no telling how it could have affected my business.
While blogging is a great way to build some marketing cache, I also learned very quickly that you cannot treat your blog as an extension of your business. Being 'politically correct' will not fly and expressing your own thoughts and ideas is the only way to build a following and, most importantly, have fun while writing.
I continue to learn from the likes of Todd Biske, Mike Kavis, James McGovern, James Governor, Nick Malik, Brenda Michelson, David Linthicum and many others. I can only hope that my commentary on EA and SOA from a staffing and placement perspective is as insightful and useful as their posts have been for me.