Another Year, Another Blogoversary

Yes, folks, it's time for me to write that obligatory meta-blogging post, e.g. blogging about blogging.

You see, it's been two years since I fired up a TypePad account and starting sharing my thoughts with anyone who cared to read.  Go read my very first post, if you're interested.

And -- let me tell you -- it's been one of the most singularly interesting experiences of my career.

By The Numbers

I actually started this on the last week of September in 2006.  Due to my inexperience, I ended up accidentally blowing away my entire blog, and ended up recreating things on October 12th of that year.

Not including this post, TypePad tells me that I've made 338 posts over the last two years.  Many of them are really short essays on one topic or another -- I haven't yet figured out the art of the short post.

These posts have generated 1,080 comments, excluding spam.  Don't try to divide one number into another to come up with an average -- a small number of posts are responsible for a disproportionate number of comments.

And, of course, hit rates. 

According to TypePad, I've gotten over 300,000 hits since setting up shop here.  However, I've noticed that a fair amount of my material is cut and pasted into others' web pages (sometimes without attribution), so I think the actual number may be somewhat higher.

These days, on a good day, I'll get well over 1,000 hits.  Interestingly, I get 300 or so on the weekends. 

That's scary -- you should be doing something other than reading tech-geekery from me on your weekends :-)

What Do You Do For EMC?

There's no easy and short answer to this one. 

I have some direct responsibilities that involve certain aspects of marketing, and a whole pile of fun things I get to do that have absolutely nothing to do with the role that shows on the official org chart.

I've found out you can make a huge impact in a number of areas if it really isn't your job :-)

I seem to be good at talking to customers and partners.  I seem to be good at simplifying complex concepts to make them a bit more tractable.  I seem to be good at jumping into entirely new areas before anyone else figures out it could be fun.

And, oh yes, a lot of people think of me as "that blogging guy" even though it isn't really a part of my job.

And -- the best part -- they pay me for this.

Who Reads Me?

Well, of course, lots of EMC'ers, especially those with a technical bent.  And, based on the commentary, I would bet that I'm regular reading for most of EMC's competitors, especially the storage guys.

But I'd guess that at least 60% of my traffic are people not affiliated with any vendor: customers, users, analysts, journalists, etc.  When I travel and introduce myself, there's usually one or more people who've read my blog and at least remember my name.

Why Do You Do This?

Sometimes I'm painted as nothing more than an evil shill working for a large technology vendor.

Just to set the record straight, I personally chose to write this blog.  It's all my own material, and all exceptions are acknowledged.  No one reviews or approves my material in advance, although I have gotten a few panicky calls after one post or another.

No part of my compensation or measurement is tied to this blog.  I can pretty much say what I want, within reason, and that seems to be mostly OK with everyone.

Yes, I'm a huge EMC fan.  But, since blogging is all about transparency and authenticity, that's really who I am. I can't pretend to be disinterested and impartial.  If you've ever met me, you'll realize that I write exactly as I speak -- warts and all.

You've been warned.

So, What's The Impact Been?

Enormous, relatively speaking.  I've been picked up in the press more times than I can count.  I can see my viewpoints and perspectives being responded to in lots of different places and venues.

Interesting note: someone just told me that Tom Georgens, President and COO of NetApp, used his Very Expensive Keynote at Oracle Open World to "set the record straight" regarding my recent capacity efficiency posts.

One could argue about the wisdom of using that particular venue for that particular purpose, but I guess that's impact of a certain sort, isn't it?

Regarding those particular posts, a couple of thoughts. 

First, I thought I maligned HP a bit, and apologized for doing so.  No such apology for NetApp, though. To this day, I still think that NetApp is dancing around the issue of usable capacity with Exchange as an example.  So do more than a few commenters here on this blog.

I expect to hear more from them on this in the future.

The best part?  Everyone from outside the vendor community weighed in, some who agreed with my assertions, others who didn't.  And that was magical to see that sort of debate erupt spontaneously. 

I guess that particular one was a big issue with people.

I Get To Share Big Thoughts

Some of my material talks about the evolution of computing, the future of IT, the structure of the industry, future IT roles and the like. 

Heady stuff, to be sure.  But you'd be surprised as to how many people have read that material, and responded in kind.  I get more than a few invitations for speaking gigs as a result.

I probably write too much about VMware, and I probably write too much about storage. 

My excuse about VMware is that I believe that we're watching computing being completely remade before our eyes around virtualization, and VMware is leading the revolution.

My excuse about storage is that it's something I've spent well over a decade thinking about.  That -- and it's becoming more important to more people as data storage volumes swell. 

Heck, it's where all the information lives.

Sharing The Love

One of my goals when I started all of this was to encourage more EMC'ers to blog.  I'd like to think I had an indirect hand in many of these bloggers who are now actively adding to the industry discussion.

Lately, I've been encouraging some of the people I meet in customer environments to try out blogging.  There are a heckuva lot of smart people out there who have something to say.  I get to hear from them since I'm out and about a lot, but our industry would be a better place if they'd share via a blog.

Since I've started doing this, it appears that just about every storage vendor now has some sort of blogging presence, with varying degrees of success.  Surprisingly, some of them seem to spend most of their time reacting to EMC and bloggers like me, rather than setting their own agenda.

That's fine with me.

What Makes A Good Industry Blog?

1 -- Have something interesting to say, hopefully on a relevant topic. Yes, I cover a fair amount of EMC stuff among other things, but -- honestly -- I find much of it very interesting.  I see all sorts of clever writing out there, but I think there's no substitute for someone who has really good ideas, and knows how to put them into words.

2 -- Invite discussion.  There's a nice way to do this, (e.g. what do you think?), and a more practical way of doing this, (e.g. say something very controversial).  Too much of the controversial stuff is dangerous, I'd offer :-)

3 -- Mix it up.  I do my best to reach into adjacent areas that interest me, and share the thinking here.  As an example, last year I was doing a lot with social media, which is not a topic of extreme interest to IT infrastructure people.  But I was able to start a second blog on the topic with a distinctly different audience, and occasionally found a bridge between the two.

4 -- Share your experiences.  I get to meet with a lot of interesting people out there, and when an interaction impresses me (or discourages me!) I share it directly here on this blog.

5 -- Don't be afraid to share your opinion.  Now, I have never ever had a problem with this one (honest!), but I see other industry bloggers tiptoe around things trying to be excessively even-handed.  Don't be unfair to people, but go ahead and share your perspectives, and why you think the way you do.

6 -- Keep at it.  I think it took me a good six months or so of writing regularly before I got the hang of it.  I see so many bloggers start and then stop, or only post every six weeks or so.  This stuff takes time and commitment, I'd offer.

What Makes For Poor Behavior?

I dislike bloggers that make personal attacks on people, or dismiss entire companies such as EMC or others with a brutally unfair characterization. 

This sort of stuff used to really bother me, until I realized it said more about the author than the target :-)

Commentary is another bugaboo.  I, like most bloggers, like to hear from people.  I, like most people, dislike being called names, insulted, taunted, etc. 

Shocking, isn't it? 

Yet some people believe that the impersonal nature of the internet gives them the privilege to act poorly.  Or that the standards for civilized conduct are somehow different online.

Recently, I had to temporarily ban an individual who was really acting up.  I didn't like doing it, but I felt I had to send a message as to what was appropriate, and what was unacceptable.

I got a fair amount of criticism about that particular move.  Fine.  I told everyone what I was doing, and why I was doing it.  If you don't like my take on this, I'd invite you to go write your own blog, and let's see how *you* deal with these individuals.

And Finally ...

I think our industry is better off when we have more strong voices than fewer.  Since blogging has become a popular mode of discussion, I think I'm seeing more good things from vendors, and fewer -- well -- poorly advised things. 

Every claim from every vendor now has to withstand the scrutiny of the blogosphere.  And we can be pretty darn tough on people ...

As long as I'm doing something pretty close to what I'm doing now, I intend to keep blogging as long as people will read (and react) to what I write.

At the end of the day, all I want is for people to think.  And I think I've accomplished this to some degree over the last two years.

And for those of you who have been reading -- and commenting -- thanks!

Courteous comments welcome as always!

Comments

[Rich Hoeg]

Keep on truckin down the old blogging road. As one corporate blogger to another, you should visit DeFrag in Denver in early November. Continue to try and get out of your comfort zone! Cheers.

[David Spencer]

Congratulations on two prolific years! It's always good to read your latest news and insights. You're one of the core trailblazers for us at EMC and we really appreciate what you do! The 'net is a more interesting place for your presence, and that's an accomplishment.

[Chuck Hollis]

Thank you for the kind words, David!

[mgbrit]

Chuck - keep up the good work.
I enjoy your thoughts when I concur and I enjoy them even more when I don't ! :)

[Martin G]

Congratulations Chuck, us in userland appreciate all the vendors who blog. It enlightens us, amuses us and sometimes helps us remember that the vendors might actually also be human beings.

[David F]

Chuck - your blog made a top 10 list yesterday...
http://blogs.storagemonkeys.com/

[marc farley]

Chuck, I disagree!

[ginevra - TypePad Community Manager]

congrats on your blogiversary! :)

[Tony Pearson (IBM)]

Happy Blogoversary, again! I couldn't agree more on your thoughts on blogging, and the importance of strong industry voices.
-- Tony

[W. Curtis Preston]

Well...

Congratulations on your anniversary. Your blogging is generally well thought out and often offers some interesting insights.

I do think that your objectivity does disappear a bit when you start talking about NetApp. There's just something about that company that always always driving EMC folks wild.

In the middle of this post, you felt the need to once again state that you just know you're right about the NetApp utilization thing. Every NetApp customer and NetApp-savvy consultant that I have talked to about the issue knows that they're not hiding anything, and KNOWS FOR A FACT that the 100% snap-reserve thing is a bad documentation issue and nothing more.

But you just can't seem to let it go, mentioning that you are still right in no less than five separate blog posts, despite numerous posts from customers and experts to the contrary.

[Chuck Hollis]

Yes, Curtis, you're right. I have an issue with those guys that transcends mere competitiveness. I should do better.

And, isn't it funny, every time I bring it up, you feel obligated to point it out? You should do better as well.

Since my affiliations and biases are somewhat obvious, I feel obligated to ask -- and please don't be offended -- is there any business relationship between your company and NetApp of some sort?

-- Cheers!

[W. Curtis Preston]

I point it out only because I continue to think that you're not being fair on this issue. How could I "do better?" Ignore the fact that I believe that you're being unfair and NOT comment when you keep bringing it up? I'll stop commenting and saying you're being unfair on this issue when you stop posting that you're NOT being unfair on this issue.

As to business relationships, that's funny. No, I'm not offended. I'm used to having my allegiances questioned when I'm stating something good about a vendor. It's GOT to be because I'm being paid off, right?

My employer is an independent professional services firm specializing in IT infrastructure. We do not resell anyone's hardware or software. In addition to a significant amount of direct work, we also do subcontracted consulting work for just about every storage vendor on the planet, but we do FAR more work for EMC & VMware than we do for NetApp -- and I mean FAR more. (We also do a significant amount of subcontracted work for another vendor that you mentioned negatively in a blog post, but I didn't defend them because I thought your comments were even handed and correct.)

So, if my comments were motivated by any sort of company relationship, I wouldn't have posted at all, for fear that I would offend someone at EMC.

[Chuck Hollis]

So, Curtis, we have a legitimate difference of opinion on "fairness", don't we?

I have stated my beliefs, and the reasons for them. I consider it my right as the blog author to express my opinions, which I do.

You have stated your beliefs and the reasons for them. I consider it your right, as a reader, to express your opinions via comments, which you do.

We can agree to disagree, can't we?

Or is that not an acceptable outcome for you?

-- Chuck

[W. Curtis Preston]

I am perfectly fine with agreeing to disagree. Our vantage points are very different and therefore our opinions will be as well.

But... If you post on another blog entry saying "I'm still right about NetApp's disk utilization," don't be surprised if I reply "No you're not!" ;)

And, while I still disagree with your censoring that OTHER guy's comments, I do appreciate that you've allowed mine to go through.

[Chuck Hollis]

Oh, BTW Curtis ...

I have no problem with people disagreeing with me.

I have a real problem who go out of their way to be intentionally disagreeable.

Hence why all comments (other than Viagra spam) make it through, except a certain individual who's in a temporary time out ... but I'll let him through if he promises only a small modicum of civility.

-- Chuck