Support Modblog
A Blog Report Interview
Another blog on Modblog that makes my day (or week depending on my mood). You can go to Supports's blog and find the most interesting news on tech life. I think someone like Linux... hmmmm... Recent articles/blogs include stories on the
EU Software Patents Law and
Oracles Take Over Of PeopleSoft. Another nice find is the RSS feeds on the site. I would have never guessed that there is a news feed for virus outbreaks. You guys should also check out the links area of the blog; a lot of neat things there.
So what makes Support do all of this? That is what blog interviews are for!!!
eSource Mag *
So why do you blog about detailed computer stuff?
Support 4 All - Due to the fact that I work in IT journalism and IT business for more than 10 years, my field of interest (and expertise, I hope) is what you call the "computer stuff" in its most general sense. Whenever I find things that grab my attention, whether they're related to operating systems, security, Internet technologies, new business tools and hardware (of course), I always try to take time and record interesting stuff somewhere. I used to do it the old way, writing down notes in the notepad. But as I needed to become mobile, I found that archiving texts as MHT documents or PDF on a removable medium is not always the best way. Then blogging tools became available, and I switched to it.
eSource Mag *
Ever had anyone offer you a job because of your blog?
Support 4 All - The shortest answer is YES. People who hired me have seen what I read and what I can really talk / write about in detail. They could have also seen how unbiased and critical I could be, and they liked it. But also, being a pioneer in some area is also a plus. "In between the lines" they also could have seen other projects I'm into, and what Internet technologies I am familiar with.
The CTO of an ISP / Internet development company seen it and did a background check, so I had no trouble in getting my job as a copywriter in the WebDev team of that company, and later become Instructor for internal education, and even a PR.
Also when I was after a new job (Staff writer at the ICT magazine called "Internet Mirror"), my blog was also considered, and even I was asked to continue doing it, during my free time at work.
eSM *
Why 'support' and not 'Help Desk I' or 'special smell'?
Support - Because I'd like to encourage people to ask about issues that they need support for. Actually, the name of the blog is "Support-4-All", so it's inviting by nature.
eSM *
With the design of your blog, what was your inspiration?
Support - Back then, I've found a free theme that I liked and that complied to my aesthetical criterions, at the skinning site. I needed to modify it for the Modblog CMS engine. That took me some 3 hours work to decide how I would use the elements available, and some time to fine tune it, to look exactly like it looks now. I think I made more than 25% of the original design that I adopted.
eSM *
Do you find that your blog makes it easier to find stories you like that you posted weeks or months ago? Like a knowledgebase (like MSDN)? Is that how you want people who view your site to think of it?
Support - Definitely. Blog's searching tools help me easily find a story that I read about even a year ago. Even though I have a pretty good "keyword" memory, I prefer using my blog search to a general search engine (like Google). There's one catch - I put only a fraction of stories I read to my blog, and while posting, I try to cut it short and keep the keywords and facts, with no much detail, so I end up with remembering more. It's like studying, when you don’t just underline the important parts of the book, but take time to write it down and make a digest.
I really wanted to share "the knowledge" with anyone willing, and also to provide interactive support to the ones that require expertise, whenever possible. That's why I collected some good links about free software that I use and recommend. If anyone would like to offer an argument (pro/contra) I am happy to take it.
eSM *
I have to say your blog has shown me a few places and stories I would have missed, has anyone gave you a thanks or have you found yourself getting emails asking you to add more to your blog?
Support - Actually people like to leave a comment at the chatterbox; because I don't leave my e-mail at the blog site (I don't want it to be freely available to Web Bots and malware). Though I have posted my ICQ number, and I am pretty much online during the day, so anyone can contact me in no effort at all. I get request now and then.
eSM *
Anything you would like to say to those who come to your site?
Support - With over 10.000 visits so far there haven't been as many requests as I would expect. People, feel free to request topics and interact!
Nikolas [Support-4-All]
support.modblog.com
There you have it!
For more, take a look around
Support 4 All web log.
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eSM:
http://esourcemagazine.modblog.com/?show=blogview&blog_id=361835