I am the Least Patient Person on the Planet!

Waiting for a house to sell is actually multitudes worse than waiting for water to boil. If we don’t sell our house then we’ll lose the house we’ve made an offer on. The Billerica house has a lot going for it and we’re anxious to get the deal done and move in.  My fear is we’re not going to get the townhouse sold in time and we’ll end up in a crappy split-level somewhere for WAY too much money.  The house in Billerica is actually quite unique and has an interesting history that spans over 100 years and yet only …

The token “I’ve not posted in a while” post.

I’ve neglected this page for far too long because I figured that I should focus on my professional page, the .org site. The past few months have been relatively uneventful, but let’s recap anyway shall we? Alex repeated as State Champion on the still rings. Jean and I have decided to put our house on the market. We’ve seen Pearl Jam TWICE recently…Philly and Boston. I’ve transitioned from managing one online community to several communities. I’ve been trying to get into shape and I’ve put on a few pounds of muscle. Several of my friends decided to leave the Tabblo …

Holy Crap that was Cheap!

My Flip UltraHD just died. I bought it two days ago…Sheesh! Time to go back to Best Buy and deal with that nightmare. UGH. I would give a negative video review if I could. Not only is it apparently cheap, the lousy zoom completely destroyed the resolution. /boo

So that last post got me thinking…

I’ve been struggling with this blog lately on several levels. This blog was originally a stream of consciousness type of experience for me. Unfortunately it’s burdened with a complete lack of nuance or character. What was originally edgy and sharp is now dull and inane. I needed a shake-up. So I created a “professional” blog to discuss my professional experiences. I feel like I’ve got something to say there…posts will hopefully have purpose and be meaningful. I’ll still post here, but I recommend that if you’re following me because you know me professionally you may want to watch that blog …

This is NOT “Field of Dreams” people…

I don’t usually publish work related content, but I’ve been asked to share my thoughts on the topic of online communities.  I develop support paths and provide support for online communities.  So if you’re on one of my websites and click the “help” or “contact us” link…that’s my stuff.  FAQ’s, forums, supporting people via social networking tools…all in my neighborhood of expertise.  I’ve been fortunate in that I’ve been able to work on some great projects, probably more than most people who do what I do. So here’s the first, of what I hope are many, work-related posts. 4 cornerstones of a successful online community …

I’m not dead, I swear.

It’s been an interesting few weeks since I’ve posted. Work has changed dramatically with more changes to come, for sure.  Antonio has resigned, which for him is probably for the better.  For those that don’t know Antonio is my boss and the former owner of Tabblo, which was acquired by HP.  With him gone HP is trying to figure out what to do with us…which should prove interesting.  I thoroughly love my job and will continue to do so until something better comes along…my peeps need me…but there are ALWAYS new peeps. I spent the holidays in Florida, which was different than …

Operation Clusterf@ck

I’m convinced that when you’ve got over 20 people who have input into a product that it’s a bad thing.  I’m involved with a project and it’s  just a cluster because so many people are “in the loop.” I much prefer the comforts of a smaller group.  Smaller groups allow for much simpler lines of communication and an easily defined chain of command.  Big companies suck for more reasons than smaller ones do.  I don’t really know how to navigate through this bullshit that I’m encountering.  So many personalities that will bowl me over if I don’t bowl them over …

I’m now ready for the Apocalypse.

I grew up on movies that made the post-apocalyptic landscape look very cool.  It’s easy, and completely justifiable, to kill mutant zombies while searching for water, gas, or whatever else we need to live.  While it’s possible to canvas the wasteland in a used car, or even a motorcycle it’s always nicer to be in a vehicle that was designed for rugged use. In comes the (Ford?) Amatoya by Yanko Design. Sure, it’s meant to fight forest fires, but replace those water cannons with miniguns and you’re got yourself some mutant/zombie killing wheels! Enjoy! F_M