One Thousand Posts and still going strong
Archive - Originally posted on "The Horse's Mouth" - 2006-12-18 18:32:28 - Graham EllisCan you believe it? In the two and a half years I've been writing here I have posted no fewer than ONE THOUSAND items and articles - ranging from the frivolous to the serious, and from the long to the short, and from daily life to highly technical tips.
Why do I do it? Because it gives me a chance to think, to get my thoughts together. I can come up with new working to describe some technical issue that I keep being asked about (and a trainer, of all people, needs to do that). I can give thought to issues that are quite beyond the Open Source world ... be it to the local police's policy on its proactive anti-drink-drive campaign and consolidate opinion, or to finding a picture of a donkey suitable to illustrate a point I was making at the time. And - I admit it - because I enjoy writing. Now there's a rum'un for one who did his very best to avoid English prep at school and can be classified in the lower percentiles of traditional letter writers.
What do I NOT post about? I've refused an offer of a T-shirt that has "I'm blogging it" emblazoned across the chest. That's because, when I talk with you socially or on business, I'm not making notes of juicy incidents to tell the world about. Family will note little reference to them - and that's out of respect for their privacy in both cases. The ups and downs of family life, sicknesses, healths, arguments and financial ups and downs, curious domestic arrangements and custody battles are much more interesting when read about celebrities in "Hello" than they would be here. However, I will occasionally turn the corner over when there's a special, positive family occasion; and I hope that family - and now staff - and customers will accept my thanks for their support on this blog and on so much else - I couldn't do without them.
Memorable posts and subjects? My mind springs straight to my post on "technical loneliness" where I commented on how fortunate I am that Lisa understands what I do and how so many people in our business spend their whole days deeply involved in a project, to go home and be unable to share it with family. That one really struck a chord. There's many more - I picked a few random posts as I was reading back in writing today, and every post returned a memory. It seems articles such as my item on MySQL Left Joins and how they differ from normal MySQL joins has struck a chord with others too. Each week, nearly 1000 hits arrive at the page that has that article archived, and we get a flow of "thank you" reviews that helps make it worth while.
So who reads me? More people than I think. Google is an avid reader, but I don't count him or her - although I do count the ladies and gentlemen (s)he sends my way. I'm sure some of them wonder what on earth they have come to! A lot of Well House customers read too - perhaps they're more on the technical tips whereas family, and extended family read the more personal and thought-ish stuff. Every so often I'm taken a back by a comment that tells me that someone quite unexpected, who I would have felt had little time to visit here, has been and then remembered some of the least significant detail.
"The power of the net". Will it bring World Peace? Probably not, but it certainly brings the world closer. I was emailing, on a technical issue, with a lady Dr in Iraq - just before George and Tony invaded - and that sure brought the human aspects closer to home; it didn't seem like a distant country any more. Nearer to home, the power of the net and the power of the word in places like this has been brought home by our 'Save the train' campaign. I would scarcely have thought that we would be facilitators that lead to questions to the Transport minister, or that I would have railway staff approaching me to thank me for the visibility it has helped bring the case. The power of the net also brings us new customers, and helps keep us in touch with existing ones. [[Graham waves "hello"]]. Let's face it, people don't walk up Spa Road in Melksham and knock on a door in the hope of finding a PHP or Python course - they need to establish confidence in the supplier, plan ahead, and book, then (we hope) tell their friends and colleagues. On Friday evening, another trainer dropped by to see our new place. He's looking for work at a time we're rushed off our feet; Lisa and I found ourselves asking "what's the difference" when he left. We came up with our enthusiasm, our training structure, our flexibility and support of our customer base as some of the keys. And our support is offered through the power of the net.
Will I carry on? What a silly question I'm asking myself - of course I will ;-) ... But in all seriousness, yes, I will. In writing this article, I've asked myself the question and concluded 'steady as she goes'. Fine tuning. Perhaps a drop off in the article rate over Christmas (but then I always say that and just miss the odd day), but the formula is there and there's still more left out that goes in.
So, at 1000 articles, let me thank YOU my readers, for taking an interest, being here, making it worthwhile; here's to the next 1000 - who knows what subjects will come up tomorrow, let alone next year. I certainly don't!
-- Graham
Articles mentioned:
Looking for a donkey
MySQL, join and left join
Save the Train
Technical Loneliness
Drink Drive