Day: May 21, 2006

Personal Branding for Technology Professionals

Published on by reinkefj2 Comments

http://tutorials.lockergnome.com/library/20060521_personal_branding_for_technology_professionals.phtml 

Click to access PBTP.pdf

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Author Rajesh Setty examines the idea of building a peronal brand through his latest ebook, Personal Branding for Technology Professionals, including strategies for making yourself an invaluable part of the workplace no matter what high tech field has your focus. 
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He has some interesting ideas.

Isn't "branding" for cerial, muscle cars, and soap?

How can I brand a human being? I like Heinlein's quote:

 “A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, pitch manure, solve equations, analyze a new problem, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.”

I think that branding works to imply value among alternatives. It's good when the choice has to be made without in-depth knowledge. I pick a Ford over a Chevy because I'm convinced that Fords are better than Chevys. I'm not sure that this is the case in "personal branding". There aren't the Big Turkeys, the Old Turkeys, and Svelete Turkeys for a hiring manager to choose from. 

I'd be interested in others' thinking. 

I can break anything. Just give me time! In this case, Google Notebook.

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

In this case, I was playing with GNBK doing some alumni research. (Sweet) And then I decided to do some networking (turkey) work. I decided that GNBK would be useful there as well. But, I want to keep the two well separate. SO I created a GMail account for the purpose. THEN when I tried to use it. GBNK reported that the "internet was unreachable". I don't think so. So I went and signed out from GMail and everything works fine. Guess there not prepared for the multiple gmail id situations. BUT, it should give a wrong error message.

Are you sick of filling out web registration forms and remembering a mountain of passwords?

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

http://videntity.org/

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Are you sick of filling out web registration forms and remembering a mountain of passwords?

Me too! I must have filled out hundreds of web forms in my lifetime, each asking for pretty much the same information. And usually these websites don't even really *need* any personal information, they just require a unique identification for a person, and a way to prove that the person controls that identity. At their core, that is what all those registration and login forms and verification emails boil down to. I started Videntity.org as a way to avoid all this hassle.
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Yup.

I'll try anything and everything.

So I took out an identity http://reinkefj.videntity.org/ and then went for a spin at Live Journal.

Appears to work.

Now if it was "accepted" everywhere, it's would be useful.

Make a rule. Go ahead I dare you. Now if these guys would apply it to the IRS!

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http://www.start.com.my/blog/maximizing-your-roi-at-pizza-hut/

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Interesting story on how a group of Taiwanese students got together and circumvented the "One salad" rule at pizza hut.
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The pizza at Pizza Hut ain't bad but the universally bad service means it is low on the list. I haven't been there in eons and never heard of the one trip rule. 

These fellows should show us how to do it to the IRS!

The casinos in Vegas and AC better hope that this doens't become popular with the Senior Citizen circuit. While not as good as this, they can do a fair imitation of it. It looks like their last meal or that the food was gonna run out.

Arghh another strange failure

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

This morning at 0830 21MAY06, I took up luggable to find it a mess. Nothing that a reboot wouldn't cure, but investigation and restart took 30 minutes of my life thatI'll never get back and have nothing to show for it. I wish I'd have jotted my findings as I found them. But here's what remember. 

(1) RSSBANDIT was offline. YIM75 was offline and nothing would bring it back. Outlook was apparently OK. IE6 was "not responding". Every keystroke or mouse click took a long time to respond.
(2) Dyndns, MsnMsg, and Syncura were rproting OK.

(3) Google web accelerator was disconnected. (It does that a lot?)

(4) Outlook has a inbound email message at 647

I began killing things and eventually got to where I could restart. 

Hmm?

(A) This was different that when the WAP stop working.

(B) Google Web Accelerator is suspect.

(C) ISP can't be rulled out.

(D) IE6 running OWA to work was in the mix.

Argh squared!