I’ve touched on the subject of networking before but of late I’ve been really thinking about it and trying to find a solution as well. I’m no nearer but I will keep searching.

So let me ask:

Do you network?

Do you pay lip service to networking or do you actually involve yourself and get down and dirty with the process? I’ve got friends who run small businesses and they attend “network meets”. The process usually involves a gathering over food, typically breakfast and coffee with a talk followed by chat and exchange of cards, ideas, numbers or even a trade of services.

To me, this is networking.

• You are building contacts.
• You have an active involvement in the process.
• You give something up for the sake of the process (time / cards / skills).

(more…)

In my last post I talked about taking offense – this one follows on from that.

Whenever I read a blog, a daily habit, I am always looking to see if I can contribute in some way to the subject matter raised. Even if that something is essentially to disagree with the writer.

Recently I read a post to do with use of software firewalls and whilst I agreed with the author in perhaps 80% of his post there were one or two areas I wanted to pick up on. So instead of starting a huge response which may or may not have been read or even responded to I decided to write a post on my personal blog that at least allowed me to voice my thoughts in full. On the blog itself I then entered a short comment to the effect that I agreed with 80% but disagreed wth certain aspects and mostly to do with their approach to not providing any backup to their assertions or any links to further reading to perhaps explain their thoughts. I also linked back to my blog so that the author could come and discuss as they felt fit. (more…)

Recently I posted a comment to a blog. As always I left a way for the blog owner to be able to contact me. They did just that and took me to task over my comment. I replied and clarified and all is now happy and peaceful again twixt they and me.

The issue here, I guess, was my phrasing and the blog owners initial reading of my comment. My intended attempt at a bit of tongue in cheek humour failed miserably and this set me to thinking. I’ve read many a time about how we all get mis-understood in online communications and indeed I have been guilty of both sides of that story in the past. However, due to the nature of my job (I deal quite a bit with a myriad of end users from CEOs down to the stores person through to dealing with people whose first language is not English) I have adapted over the years and I guess have become a little blasé about my leisure writing style. (more…)

I’ve been taken to task for part copying a post from another site. The phase used was “only done in a less interesting way”. The reality is I re-worded it but copied some of the facts and figures!

OK, fair criticsm say I, so I rejoined by stating that not everyone that reads my blog reads the other one and that I had included links to it anyway. I also quite clearly stated at the start whom the facts were from and then again at the end I stated “that full facts and figures are here”. (more…)

I am constantly amazed at the number of respected magazines, technical authors, bloggers, etc that appear to be “in bed” with some of the better name security software vendors.

(more…)