New social media strategy

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Most people who are constant producers of information in social media will now understand that the space is getting crowded with popular services. Where once we had the one blog to update, we now have to dedicate time to facebook, twitter, tumblr and google plus.

This has made me think about my social media strategy. The truth is, I don’t really have one. When this blog started in 2009, the strategy was to produce via this medium and draw interest and attention back to this page. Since then, I’ve joined twitter, created a tumble log, joined linked in and various other services.

I’m now forced to think about how I spend my time on these networks and which ones I chose to contribute to the most. The problem is that they all seem worthwhile and enjoyable. So I will have to prioritise. This is how I think I will do it.

My blog – this blog

This blog will be the space most serious to me. As I pay money to keep this domain every year and have the url printed on my business card, I may as well keep this in good order. I haven’t written here consistently. There are two reasons for this. One is that I’ve been distracted with less meaningful social media services. The other reason is that I’d rather have well thought out posts on this blog, which means that I don’t often have interesting material to share here or it takes some time to write and edit everything in a decent manner. This blog will however become my most important internet presence. Continue reading →

Business Analysis – my introduction

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For the past few years I’ve been working towards my career aspiration of becoming a business analysis.

The purpose of this blog was to document the concepts I was learning towards the end of my University degree.

Obviously this hasn’t happened but it’s never too late to get things started. As I have other internet profiles of a more social nature, I’d like to turn this blog into a repository of the topics that are of a more professional nature.

Without further ado, I’d like to kick off a series of BA related posts by starting with my enthusiasm for the job title.

So at University, I was first introduced to the position of Business Analyst. “You’ll tell the IT programmers what to do”. This is what some of the lecturers would tell us. There was a gap between the business and IT areas of an organisation. This barrier was perhaps a communication issue or even a cultural issue.

We were told we’d be the problem solvers in the organisation. Understanding the business needs while also being familiar with the technology and its limitations. It was a good fit for me at the time. I was very interested in IT yet I struggled with programming and preferred learning about business. That’s when it all made sense. I didn’t need to be a programmer to work in the ICT field. I could also study business related units whilst having a specific target industry.

So here I am. Graduated from the Bachelor of Business Informatics. Along the way I’ve acquired an interest for Disaster Recovery Planning, information systems, IT project management and Information Security. I’ve also realised there are areas that I didn’t develop so well such as accounting and cost benefit analysis. I have a few skills, a few interests, the desire to learn more still.

Despite my education, I feel that there is a lot for me to figure out. The career path of Business Analyst isn’t clearly defined. While we have thousands of BAs in Australia, the position hasn’t been around long enough to really understand what the specific streams are and what qualifies you to enter this field.

As I attempt to become a business analyst, I look forward to sharing what I learn along the way.

A reflection

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I haven´t written any posts in 3 months. All I can say is that I´ve been very busy. At times when I could´ve written an article or two, I was too busy savouring favourable moments to share them publicly. I still have a degree of reluctance to share intimate achievements or experiences. The best of times are sometimes best kept close to the heart.

What I´m keen to express is that I´m happy to be alive. Great times and opportunities have presented themselves to me. Believe it or not, I´m glad for all the let downs, disappointments and betrayals I´ve encountered too. They´ve taught me the importance of putting things into perspective. Those times have given me the opportunity to forgive. There is nothing more liberating than to be given a hard hand, to have been cheated or lied to and then to continue through life, unscathed and without a taste of bitterness. Foes teach us how to become man. To become man one must know not only what to do but what not to do and how not to behave. Most importantly, a successful man cannot carry on through life holding grudges as they get heavier as time passes on.

It´s the hard times that make the good times so much more enjoyable. If all I was ever given had been nice apples then I would have never recognised nor appreciated the best ones.

Enough about unfavourable circumstances. I have had far too many blessings in my life that would make any misfortunes seem irrelevant. I´m so thankful for my loved ones around me. If it weren´t for my family and my beautiful fiancee, I wouldn´t be at the place I am now.

I look forward to a great year. I´m very optimistic about what it shall bring. I look forward to reflecting with content each and every day before I go to sleep. I was fortunate last year to meet so many great and honest people. My only hope is that I remain close to them this year and if I can be so lucky, to meetmore people with great minds and souls.

Good bye old year, hello new.

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It´s been a while since I´ve added content, so with all the energy that a new year brings, I hope to add commentary more regularly.

This last year has been good for my family and I. Many things were accomplished and certain chapters of my life closed. I look confidently towards a new year with much more to gain.

I´m at a great place and time in my life. I can go forth and begin a succuessful career. To find success however, I must find it today and cherish the things I have around me.

This year I will focus on my health and mind. I hope you all achieve your aspirations for this year. If you need help with tracking your resolutions, try 43things. Good luck for 2011, things can only get better.

If I were Maradona

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Growing up, we find our heroes in sports stars.

There was only one sport that was dear to me as I was  growing up. The sport was soccer or as we call it these days, football. I’m the first to admit that my efforts on the field were mediocre at best. I was nowhere near as good as my name would allow people to believe.

That’s not the point of this though. The point is that for a child who lives and breathes soccer, the next best thing to the ball itself are the stars who we admire and aspire to play like. When I was a child there were two players that I idolised. Argentina’s Diego Maradona and Brazil’s Romario.

Back in 1994, the USA hosted the World Cup. Snickers and McDonalds were major sponsors (the marketing lasted the test of time). Maradona played for Argentina and after a convincing win against Greece, he was tested for drugs and the results came up positive. I didn’t know what the implications of drugs were at the time, the only sense I made of it was that it’s cheating.

Years later, with more access to information (the internet) I was able to learn about this Maradona. I even read his auto biography in 2003. Despite all his errors and bad decisions, I don’t think I’ve ever been as impressed by a footballer as I am by Maradona. He is much more than a football player, he is a legend – for various reasons.

Continue reading →