By: Eric Siebert
 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
 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
 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
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
 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
 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!
 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
 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
 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
 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
 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
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
 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
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
 Remember  your journey is never over
 Keep up the hard work and you’ll go far




           Questions?

How to succeed_at_blogging

  • 1.
  • 2.
     I startedwith 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 doingTop 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 witha 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 toblog 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 revenueonly 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 booksis 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 isvery 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?

Editor's Notes

  • #2 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?