Brendan’s Blog

I wanted an email address I could keep for life, and I wanted the flexibility to change what email service I used.  The best solution for me was to register my own Internet domain name (bmhome.com) which I use for personal email and web pages.

My Internet registrar (currently GoDaddy) provides domain name services (DNS) as a part of the annual domain registration fee.  I can determine which email and web hosting services are used by adjusting the DNS configuration at GoDaddy.  Today I host my personal email with GoogleApps and my personal web site at GoDaddy.

GoogleApps combines the features of Google Mail and Google Calendar with your personal (or business) domain name.  All of the data is stored on Google’s servers.  My email address doesn’t have Google’s name in it, and I can move it one day if I choose to.  In addition to my mailbox, my wife also has one, and eventually I’m sure my daughters will too.    GoogleApps comes in two flavors, free and premium.  My email mailbox exceeds 10GB so I pay Google’s annual fee for premium service.

My favorite feature of Google Apps is the large mailbox.  Every email I have sent and received for over ten years is at my fingertips.  I use Google’s web-based Gmail interface to read and send my personal mail every day.  I even have rules configured at Google to forward some email to my Blackberry, which helps with potentially time sensitive notes.  Like Gmail, GoogleApps supports POP and IMAP in addition to their native web email interface, so you can use MS Outlook or other traditional email client software.

Google does a really good job removing unwanted spam, though I can go see what it filters anytime I want.  In the past two years, I’ve never had a false positive, and very little spam gets to my inbox.  Google also has a Blackberry application that allows me to read/compose/and search personal mail from my Blackberry without utilizing my employer’s Exchange mailbox.

LinkedIn is a powerful tool for enhancing and maintaining your professional people network. An article about the service was recently published in USA Today.

I was first introduced to LinkedIn several years ago when I received an “invite” from someone I worked with on a project. My initial reaction was to ignore the invitation. I am suspicious of unexpected e-mail, and giving out any personal information unless I have a good understanding of how it will be used. LinkedIn’s web site identifies the following three primary benefits of the service:

1. Find past and present colleagues and classmates quickly. LinkedIn makes staying in touch simple.
2. Discover inside connections when you’re looking for a job or new business opportunity.
3. Your network is full of industry experts willing to share advice. Have a question? Just ask.

After some cursory steps to verify what LinkedIn was, I created an account and simply ignored it for over almost two years. During that time I never received any spam or unexpected communications as a result of having a LinkedIn account. Some time later, in 2006, I was reintroduced to LinkedIn during a meeting with colleagues. I saw how my coworker had developed an extensive LinkedIn network of peers and colleagues, and I decided I should do the same.

Since that time I have used LinkedIn frequently. As a rule-of-thumb, I only send invites to people who are already a member of LinkedIn. I do seek out trusted colleagues, and new professional acquaintances who are already LinkedIn members to establish connections. There are over 14 million members, and it is growing every day.I avoid establishing connections to people I have not met or worked with.

I set my public profile to read similar to a resume. It identifies all of my employers and a quick summary of my jobs. Since I have done lots of project work, I also list some specific customers — but not details of those engagements. This sometimes results in unwanted contacts from recruiters, but I have found those to be rare. This detailed public profile serves two important purposes for me.

1. People who have heard of me, but do not know me, can quickly discover a little about my experiences and expertise.
2. Those who have business opportunities that fit my background can find me.

In practice I have found LinkedIn to be helpful in learning more about my colleagues and keeping track of those who move around. It is also worth noting that my current job the result of a contact made through LinkedIn. LinkedIn has worked for me, and it can work for you with a little effort. There are over 14 million members, you must know some of them!

Frequently asked questions about LinkedIn are answered here.

I like to stay informed, and Bloglines is a great way to monitor blogs and websites for updates. Bloglines is a web-based RSS reader. Web sites without RSS feeds can usually be monitored using a custom feed creater such as FeedYes. Mobile versions are available for BlackBerries, iPhones, and generic mobile browsers too.

I really like the fact that if I view an article on my Blackberry I don’t have to view it again on my Desktop PC. Bloglines keeps track what you have read, so you don’t have to read it again (unless you want to.)

You can see a list of what I subscribe to here.

Key Features of Bloglines:

• All-in-one Blog and news feed search, online subscriptions, news reader, blog publishing and social sharing tools
• Available in 10 languages
• Mobile version optimized for handheld computers and cell phones
• Email subscriptions help manage your e-newsletter traffic
• Package Tracking (UPS, USPS & FedEx)
• Custom weather forecasts
• Quick Pick Subscriptions get new users started quickly and easily
• Personalized recommendations to find new subscriptions
• Bookmarklet for single-click subscriptions to any source
• Notifiers for all browser types to remind you when new articles have arrived
• Bloglines Saved Searches deliver future articles matching your key words and phrases
• Most Popular lists show the days hot topics and which blogs are getting the most noticed
• Handy add-on tools for bloggers such as automated blogrolls, subscription buttons

This blog is intended to “give back” lessons I have learned so that others can benefit from my experiences. Posts may include product/tool reviews, and perhaps more mundane life experiences. I welcome constructive comments, as I do not claim to be an expert on any topics posted here.