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COLLABORATE 10
 Today I got notice that I would be granted a blogger pass for COLLABORATE 10 in Las Vegas, NV. Vegas baby, Vegas! What's more, all three groups, IOUG, OAUG and Quest approved. If you weren't aware, I had the same deal last year through OAUG. I realized, very quickly, that living up to the obligation was very tough. I wrote 13 articles over that short span of time and it was completely exhausting. So of course I want to do it again...I'm a glutton for punishment I guess. Labels: 2010, blogging, collaborate ¶ 3/02/2010 10:25:00 PM 2 Comments Links to this post 
Make Money Blogging
Yeah, it's pretty much a futile effort, but hey, I've been paid by Google.
 Only 430 posts. I think that puts me at less than $0.40 a post. 28 months would come out to less than $4 a month. Labels: blogging, google, work ¶ 1/30/2010 07:14:00 PM 3 Comments Links to this post
Freedom of the Blog
According to Wikipedia, Thomas Jefferson thoughts on the press were as follows:
...An active press was essential as a way of educating the population. To work freely, the press must be free from control by the state. Jefferson was a person who himself suffered great calumnies of the press. Despite this, in his second inaugural address, he proclaimed that a government that could not stand up under criticism deserved to fall. (emphasis mine)Why is this important? Well, I've had a lot (too much?) time to think lately. ...a government that could not stand up under criticism deserved to fall. What if you replaced "government" with "business"? Yes, they are different. When working for a business you do not have the same rights as you do within the government (speaking of United States here). There are confidentiality rules (hopefully). Trade secrets. Etc. Those things apply when you are working at a company. What about post-employment though? Of course if you are under some sort of non-disclosure agreement (NDA), you can't publicly talk about your former company. There's also the small matter of burning bridges. I never quite understood this concept. Maybe I just haven't worked long enough. I understand that you don't want to piss off someone who, in the future, will be in a position to hire you. What if you don't care? What if you would never, ever work for that person or business again? Where's the bridge? Why not burn it? You certainly don't want to travel across it again. Oh wait, future employers. That's not technically burning a bridge though is it? Future employers would/might see it as a bad thing. You know, if you burned one bridge, you'll burn more. I understand that...generally speaking. ...a business that could not stand up under criticism deserved to fall. I don't necessarily believe a business should fail. Blogging about them though would let others know what it's like to work there. A warning of sorts. Also, how would you determine who is telling the truth and who isn't? I could be a lazy, disgruntled ex-employee with an axe to grind. How to separate the wheat from the chaff? Maybe that's where Jake's reputation stuff comes in...(it's not really his of course, which I'm sure he'll remind me of). ¶ 11/02/2009 05:15:00 PM 4 Comments Links to this post
Blog Update
Somewhat spurred on by the redesign of the AppsLab last week, I decided to (finally) do a little redesign myself.
Friday night I spent about 6 hours on it. Minus a few minor modifications, I had been using the original design I started with 2 years ago. I liked it as it was fairly simple and allowed for a lot of space for code (as opposed to the limited width blogger templates). In fact, anytime a technical friend starts one up, I suggest the use of a screen wide template because inevitably, their code examples will not look so good. First thing I did was remove almost all of the <div>/<span> tags. I've never liked them. I prefer the old <table> tag approach. Of course I am not a web guy or designer by trade, so I probably miss out on the advantages...actually, I don't use them like they do so who cares. Apparently the differences are great amongst some in the web community, religious I would dare to say. Table tags are like putting the commas where they should go, at the end of the line. The span/div tags are like putting them in front. That was tedious to say the least. Also inspired by Rich's redesign of their social media buttons:  I decided to do the same. A couple of times. What's up top is what I ended up with. A brief survey on Twitter has some people not liking them. What do you think? I like them because I made them (mostly). Of the 6 hours, probably 4 were spent in Gimp trying to create those silly things. The idea was simple, I wanted more real-estate on the side and there seemed to be a bit of unused space up top. Tell me what you think in the comments. Good? Bad? Indifferent? While I'm on the subject of the blog, I've been trying to reconcile the differences in numbers between the statistics that are gathered. There are three services I use: GoDaddy, their default web server statistics they provide, Google Analytics which I've been using since the beginning, and most recently, Quantcast. Here are the last 2 years from Google Analytics:  Here they are from the web server statistics (GoDaddy):  I have no idea what that large spike is...here are the numbers for the last 9 months:  Of course there is no explanation of what is a "request" and a "page request." I'm pretty sure I've never had 242K hits. I can only assume that "request" includes all the objects that are downloaded with each page (css/images/javascript/etc). Which leaves me with page requests. Neither Analytics or Quantcast has ever shown a number in the tens of thousands (though last month did show a total of about 10k page views). Not really sure what to make of it though. I'd love to say that I'm getting 60K hits per month, but I don't believe that to be the case. Anyway, if you know the difference let me know. Labels: blogging ¶ 9/28/2009 02:32:00 PM 11 Comments Links to this post
Join the ORACLENERD Family - II
Part I can be found here courtesy of Jake [ blog | twitter ].
I had been thinking about this for a few months now, but I can't seem to recall the initial inspiration. In May, I asked Tiffany Morgan to do a guest post here and she came up with the ever popular, Top Ten Grammatical Errors That Make People Look Stup—Silly..... I asked a former colleague a couple of months ago to write an article based on a short presentation he gave at work on XML Schemas (with constraints and everything!). Now I'm asking you. Why? Good question. In my correspondence with Jake he asked me what my goals were: What's your goal? Drive traffic? Increase content? Broaden what's covered? Post less? World domination?Definitely the last one, World Domination. Honestly though, I hadn't thought about it. In talking with a couple of people tonight, I think I have a better idea now.
To Jake's questions Drive Traffic? - Not so much. Admittedly, I check Google Analytics more than once a day. I'm fascinated by the traffic. Especially cool is the city overlay map, where I can see people from all over world have visited this site. Money (my question)I've made $73.27. August will be 2 years. I have 294 posts. 1* SELECT ROUND( ( 73.27 / 294 ), 3 ) money FROM dualIt's not about money. I still just want that $100 check from Google, then I'll decide about the ads. Sure, traffic may go up with guest posts, but I don't think it's reasonable to expect to make money at this. Increase content? Yes! That would be awesome. That can't be a bad thing. Broaden what's covered? Absolutely! My world lies in the database. Oracle owns about 16 million products now. I'd love to have more exposure, however small, to those technologies. Post less? No. I like writing. It's cathartic to me. Helps me communicate my ideas better when I have to spell them out...so no, I don't plan on going anywhere. World domination? Who wouldn't want this? Why? Part II In the 4 or so years I've been reading blogs, many have come and gone. The esteemed Mr. Kyte has posted 13 times this year. 13. Not that I blame him or anything, I never could understand how he could answer all those questions (repeatedly) and still have time to blog. I'm not calling him out...I get "life." In that regard, maybe it would be easier for some to just contribute here? First, it's not OTN so you don't have to come up the most amazing idea ever. B, it's casual. Third, maybe it will inspire you to start your own blog (on Oracle). I would love that. I would love to be a part of that. Summary In conclusion (I always hated having to say that), think about it. If you are in the least bit interested, drop me a line chet at oraclenerd, or tweet me @oraclenerd, or whatever. Even if I can help you get your own started, I'd be happy to do that. Perhaps you just started and you want (slightly more) exposure? Write it up here and we'll link back to you. Lastly, I don't have defined rules. I don't really want them either. I've suggested the WTFPL license, which is should be just fine. Problems, issues, flames, thoughts? Bring 'em on! ¶ 7/21/2009 11:29:00 PM 2 Comments Links to this post
Am I a New Media Douchebag?
I'll continue after you've viewed the video...
Someone called me a New Media Douchebag today...jokingly of course. (I hope...) I posted the video to Twitter and Kris Rice didn't think I complained enough to meet the 3rd requirement. I suggested that I'd be the Susy Sunshine of the New Media Douchebags...or something like that. I've definitely embraced the idea of the New Media or Social Media or whatever you want to call it. It seems kind of natural to me. I've always been the social butterfly at work, the "nice" IT guy and I love to talk. My old manager struggled with whether this was good or bad. He saw the good of building solid relationships with business types but also the amount of time. I'm sure he wasn't the first manager to be concerned about my talking. I've become an advocate of the New Media as well. I think everyone and their mother should blog. I think everyone should use Twitter. I created a group on LinkedIn for ORACLENERD(s). I scored a pass to COLLABORATE 09. I received detailed instructions on migrating my rpd (OBIEE) file to production from Christian Berg. I'm sure there are others, but I can't think of them right now. This write about this crap all the time now. I've even discussed doing some sort of presentation on the value of New/Social media. Am I a New Media Douchebag? Should I relinquish ORACLENERD to someone more deserving? Tell me what you think. Some guy at work said I come off as "Extreme" (I think he meant as a future Exadata team member) in my database ramblings...so I can take it. Labels: blogging, social media ¶ 6/03/2009 09:16:00 PM 11 Comments Links to this post
Why You Should Blog
At COLLABORATE 09, Dan Norris introduced me to Ian Abramson, the President of IOUG, author and Data Warehouse guy.
The topic of conversation was blogging (naturally, as I was there on a media/blogging pass). Ian had just recently taken up blogging and was struggling a bit to find a reason to continue blogging. I then (beer induced) launched into the "whys" and "what fors" for him to blog. I even sent him an email (what? he can't fire me...) which I reprint here. We talked about this briefly in the exhibit hall. You have a very unique perspective, you are President of the IOUG, 22,000 strong. You are also the Director of the Enterprise Data Group at Thoughcorp. Both positions, and your view of them, are unique. Think of all those people who are striving for success in their life. You are a success, whether you realize it or not. What you have accomplished is no small task. I believe there are many people out there who could benefit from your thoughts and views.Is it legal to quote yourself? I also added a section (I'm not usually known for begin succinct) about blogging in general. August will be the 2 year mark since I began blogging. My initial reasons were to share what I have learned from my unique perspective. Someone, somewhere could get something out of it. Since then, my reasons have evolved. 1. Knowledge Base - I now find myself searching my own site for problems I have solved in the past, the use of DBMS_CRYPTO being one of them. It has become my own knowledge base. 2. Communication - It has helped me refine my ability to communicate. I now have to articulate my views in a way that other people can understand. That helps me in every facet of life. 3. Peer review - If I post something that isn't correct or is misguided, there are plenty of people out there to tell me I am wrong. I view that as a good thing. 4. Community - I have a small following (barely double digits) whom I can communicate with through the blog. I like the fact that I am plugged in or in touch with other people who do what I do. Blogging got me fired about a year ago. It wasn't my proudest moment in life, but I definitely learned something from it. Blogging got me into COLLABORATE 09. Blogging will hopefully get me into OOW in October. Blogging hasn't helped me land a job yet, but again, it will eventually. The point of all this rambling is that everyone, I mean everyone, has a unique perspective on the world. Someone out there will find your stuff interesting. You probably won't make money off of it ($67.45 in 21 months so far!), but if you dedicate yourself to it, you'll certainly get something out of it. ¶ 5/19/2009 10:25:00 PM 3 Comments Links to this post
OBIEE: Christian Berg
The other day I told the story of how Christian Berg went out of his way to give me some invaluable pointers, OBIEE: How to Migrate Your rpd.
Apparently I haven't been the only one putting pressure on him to share his knowledge because he started his blog yesterday. So take a stroll over to his site and welcome him, then add him to your feed reader of choice. ¶ 3/28/2009 12:33:00 AM 2 Comments Links to this post
2008 Blog Metadata
Since I know of, or am too lazy to look for, any tool to give me metadata on my blogging last year, I did it all by hand. Lots of fun.
Posts - 113 JAN 7Comments - 376 According to Google Analytics, March was my lowest month in terms of volume, 676 visits. December was the best at 2,100. Total visits for the year, 18,247. My highest weeks in terms of visitors were those that I either got fired, laid off or furloughed which would lead me to believe people like those sorts of things. ;) Actually, I think it's a show of support. I'm grateful to be able to share the tougher times here and receive tons of encouragement. The application developers vs. database developer series (other than my losing my job series) was very popular. You can read part I here and part II here. The two highest days in volume were the day I got fired, 682 (because the post that got me fired came through Google Alerts about an hour after posting so everyone in the company got to read it), and the day I posted about the passing of Carl Backstrom. As we move on with our lives it's easy to put things aside like Carl's death. In his role as Mr. Javascript/CSS on the Application Express team, he had the opportunity to interact with a lot of people. I had nothing but positive experiences with him and so did many others. He is sorely missed by many. ¶ 1/03/2009 10:51:00 PM 0 Comments Links to this post
Editorial Control Over Comments
I recently commented on a blog that's fed through OraNA. Actually, I left one, received a comment back by the author, and then commented again. The author has editorial review before posting comments publicly.
I have no problem with that, I practice it. Fortunately, I haven't had the tough choice of whether to publish or not. It can't be easy. That said, my second comment, in response to his response to my initial comment (still with me? ;) was never published. This may have been a simple oversight (it was yesterday), but I have no idea (yet anyway). I blog because I crave the challenge. I want people to tell me I'm completely full of sh*t. Seriously. As long as it doesn't get personal, I'm all for discussion. Labels: blogging ¶ 7/02/2008 08:54:00 PM 2 Comments Links to this post
Blogging Safely Part II
Man, I just have too much time on my hands.
I've debated whether I should write about the specifics of my termination. Yes. No. Yes. No. Alright, no. After counsel from a few fellow bloggers (how cool is that? A built in support group!), I've decided against it. If I were independently wealthy (read: not dependent on a salary), I might. I am also trying to take the high-road, trying to have some class I guess. The more I sit around the worse I feel about it too. It is/was a humbling experience. Yes, I was ready (and looking) to leave. But to be walked out of the building is not fun (though many thought I was just playing another prank). I wish it had not happened that way. I do have my own opinions and I will voice them, but when a decision is made, I usually just shut my mouth and either live with it or look for a new job (if I totally disagree). Many people view this as arrogance I believe. That I am not open to new ideas. That is most definitely not the case. (can you say rambling?) So, if you blog and haven't read my previous post on Blogging Safely, do it now. Something good must come out of this. Discuss blogging with your employer. See if they have guidelines on blogging. If not, err on the side of caution. Thanks to everyone for your support. It reminds me of the support I received last year at this time when my daughter fell ill. Now I have a virtual family! Labels: blogging, humility, rant, work ¶ 5/29/2008 11:37:00 PM 3 Comments Links to this post
Blogging Safely
Jake from AppsLab left a link in the comments to my previous post, Lessons Learned. The link was to an article about Mark Jen, who was fired from Google after 11 days for blogging.
It got me curious as to what was out there, so below is a list of links that point to either "safe blogging" articles or those that were fired for blogging about their company. Lessons Learned From Google Blogger Who Got Fired - 5 lessons here. #5 is, "Don't make the same mistake twice." Of Blogging and Unemployment - a former Microsoft employee gets the sack. Delta employee fired over blog sues company Fired simply for having a blog Beware if your blog is related to work Have a blog, lose your job? Avoid getting fired for blogging Warning: Your clever little blog could get you fired How to Blog Safely (About Work or Anything Else) Or you can just google it. Back to lessons learned, I'll speak with management or HR at my next company to see if they have guidelines. If not, I'll err on the cautious side and not mention anything. Labels: blogging, humility, rant, work ¶ 5/28/2008 10:03:00 PM 5 Comments Links to this post
Lessons Learned
I was let go yesterday. Many thought that it was another one of my pranks...which was funny. Following are my lessons learned from my time there:
1. Get express written permission about what you can (if anything) and cannot blog about. 2. Not everyone is your friend. 3. Not everyone will like you...just because. 4. Some people will not hesitate to throw you under the bus. 5. Big companies might not be the place for me. 6. Big companies are full of many motivated and talented people. I learned a great deal in the year and a half. My family and I moved from Gainesville to Tampa and it was the best decision we've made so far. I was exposed to data warehousing which was a challenge to say the least. To spend a week trying to figure out the best way to move data was an interesting exercise. I was exposed to big company politics which was fun. Overall my experience there was positive. I learned a great deal both personally and professionally. I met and hope to retain many good friends and I will miss all of them dearly. Labels: blogging, discipline, humility, rant, work ¶ 5/28/2008 01:28:00 PM 11 Comments Links to this post
Why I Blog
I never really had a true mentor, well, a physical one anyway. I could ask questions to my first boss, but it was apparent rather quickly that they better be good ones.
So I took to reading AskTom everyday. Mostly the new posts at first but as time went on, there were fewer and fewer of those. Tom was mostly answering old questions. But they were fun to read and you could really get insight to his thinking. That's what I needed the most. The Why of doing things. I think this post illustrates more the Why, I still read that one from time to time. Then a couple of years ago he began blogging. That really gave me a view into his mindset. I learned about instrumentation there, how to ask questions, how to answer them and the rule of thumb, to name but a few. I think that was the first blog I read consistently. I found his advice and his technical expertise inspiring. More than anything though, I liked have a view into his world. I believe that alone helped me get over the technical hurdle, to begin to really understand what was going on and why I should do things a particular way. I hope I can do the same. I want to share my experiences, challenges and mistakes so that others may learn from them. I also want to provide more technical content, even though much of it is answered in one place or another, just because I have a different take. Someone might relate to my style and find me inspiring (that would be way cool). I now consume about 40 or 50 different blogs daily. Most of them are Oracle related, but I also read many business blogs, opinion blogs, security blogs and data warehousing blogs (though I haven't found one yet that really inspires). I believe it is a good thing to be well rounded and I try to be. So that's why I blog. I want to share. Hopefully you'll find something you can relate to here. ¶ 8/23/2007 08:25:00 PM 2 Comments Links to this post
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