As I  have done each and every year in the summer, I will be taking my annual break from technology. Through the month of August, I'll be decreasing my postings and management of this site in hopes of using the time to broaden my perspective. I need to spend some time recharging my batteries and my enthusiasm for content management systems as well as information technology in general.

I won't be abandoning CMS Report, but I'm really hoping you will be seeing me a little less here during the next few weeks. As always, I appreciate help in any articles submitted to CMSReport.com.  If you want to really help out, create an account today and start contributing your own CMS stories. I'll be checking email, moderation queue, and social networks now and then for submitted posts to make sure you're not waiting too long to see your story published.

It is now time for me to unplug and officially begin Technology Break 2011. Have a good rest of the summer and see you on the other side!

Last month I began my annual break from technology. Using previous technology breaks as my guide, I had expected to spend a lot less time at the computer and cell phone. My plan was simple, straight forward, and summarized in a simple slogan, Blog Less, Relax more. A month later, I write this blog post with the realization that my Technology Break of 2009 was a complete utter failure.

It's not that I didn't try to take a break from technology. In fact, my family even spent a week long trip camping in northern Minnesota. However, even there I couldn't let that week go by without checking the weather conditions on the Internet or sending a few tweets to my Twitter account. As I tried to reduce my pace of blog postings, I found myself consuming my "free time" by staying tuned to Twitter. In my defense, I felt somewhat obligated to be on Twitter since at the start of my tech break I was being considered one of the top CMS gurus on Twitter. How could I remain silent about content management after landing on such a list? It would have been miserably impossible if I tried.

I'd like to say that at least I kept my blog postings to a minimum during the break. Perhaps I did. But the fact that I posted at least 20 articles during the past month is hardly what I call proof that I spent my time away from the computer. Even without the PC, I found myself on the Nintendo Wii too much. How could I resist not playing Mario Cart when my wife and child were having so much fun playing the game? Real geeks don't step away from such challenges.

This Labor Day marks the end of my Summer Technology Break, a self-imposed exile from spending too much time at the computer when instead I could be enjoying family, the great outdoors, and the real world.  How did I do?  Well, the family spent some time in Michigan visiting family, friends, and the fish.  My 4 1/2 year-old son caught his first trout on his first fishing trip (thanks to the patience of Jason and Jean Stephens from Head Hunter Guides).  We also spent a week camping and hiking in the Black Hills of South Dakota which included a family hike up Harney Peak.  For the most part, I would say my break from technology during my hours away from my "day job" was a success.

While I did manage to maintain CMS Report during the summer with a number of posts, I would say my Google PageRank and decrease in advertisement revenue shows that I was indeed on a technology break.  With the break over, I will now be tending to the posts in numbers and consistency with more tender loving care.  I also have some ideas for helping to take CMSReport.com up to the next level.  For better or for worse, you can expect some changes at this site in the months to follow.

I'm sure by now, new visitors to CMSReport.com have wondered...why so few posts?  Last May, I explained that I was taking a break from technology during the off hours of my "day job".

So, as I have done in past years, I'm taking a break from technology. By posting less during the summer months, I hope to recharge my blogging batteries for the cold weather that is sure to follow.  I will make an effort for the quality high for those articles I do post this summer, but the quantity of posts will be somewhat lower.  My slogan for this summer's tech break is Blog less, breathe more.  I hope some of the other blog junkies out there join me and take a similar technology breaks.  Life is too short to live and die by the computer.

So, now you know.  I haven't lost interest in content management systems and information technology but I do have a greater interest.  I have an interest of staying sane in this busy profession of IT which many of us have chosen.  If you don't take such a break yourself, how do you keep your sanity?

The IT pro's vacation planner: Must you unplug to unwind?

My answer to ComputerWorld is yes!  Everyone have a good weekend...

During the past week, you may have noticed that I'm posting less here at CMS Report. I love the opportunity I've been given to blog about content management systems and pointing readers to the great articles I've read at other sites on the Internet.  Discussing information systems and information technology is not only part of my career, but it is also my hobby.  However, when the weather warms, the trees grow their leaves, and children playing outside can be heard...I yearn for a break from technology.  The other me beckons to spend time camping, hiking, going to baseball games, and simply being outdoors.

So, as I have done in past years, I'm taking a break from technology. By posting less during the summer months, I hope to recharge my blogging batteries for the cold weather that is sure to follow.  I will make an effort for the quality high for those articles I do post this summer, but the quantity of posts will be somewhat lower.  My slogan for this summer's tech break is Blog less, breathe more.  I hope some of the other blog junkies out there join me and take a similar technology breaks.  Life is too short to live and die by the computer.

As always, I appreciate help in any articles or links posted here at CMSReport.com.  If you want to help, create an account today and start contributing your own CMS stories here at this site. Thanks for your support!

I just spent the day with my son hiking along the trails of a nearby state park.  My son is only 3 1/2 so some of the the sights, sounds, and smells are still new to him.  Those trails I've walked a hundred times also becomes new to me when I allow myself to see it all through his eyes.  I left the cell phone in the car and the only modern tools we carried were our walking sticks which were found and left in the woods we traveled.  It was a good day for both of us and the experience served as a reminder to me the value of taking a break from IT now and then.

For the rest of this summer I will be turning it down a notch on the number of posts that are placed on the "front page" here at CMSReport.com.  You shouldn't notice a difference in quality, but I suspect some of you may miss the quantity of new posts.  While we do schedule the time for when a post or excerpt is placed on the front page, by choice we do no automation when it comes to the placement of excerpts on the front pages.  In other words, for an article to make the front page...I need to be sitting at the computer and that's not going to happen as often during the summer months.

If you really want to help, create an account today and start contributing your own CMS stories here at this site.  Even suggestions for links to other articles is appreciated.

I wish everyone a Merry Christmas! I've been very fortunate to see CMS Report's numbers of visitors grow as much as it has this past year. While I don't always have all the CMS answers out there, I hopefully have shown that I do have the enthusiasm to keep plugging away. Better yet, I've been able to connect with some people who are just as obsessed as I am with content management systems and other information systems. This year has been a good one!

While my enthusiasm for CMS remains, once again it is time to turn this computer off and rest my weary eyes. I put in some long hours last week at my real job and I need the break. The week started with a software load on our operational systems with a post-install that never seemed to quit. It was one of those weeks that leave you with just one thought: "I hate computers". Those of you in the IT business know the kind of week I'm talking about so I don't think I need to explain further.

To regain my love for computers, I plan to use the holidays to also take another week-long break from IT. I may do a few minor post here or there, but don't expect too much. Perhaps, it is also time for you to turn your computer off and rest your eyes too?  Go ahead, make yourself a cup of hot chocolate and take the break you deserve.  Three out of five IT professionals recommend it. 

Once again, Happy Holidays and I'll see you again as we approach 2007!

As some of you may have noticed, I returned a few days ago from my low-tech week. It's taking me awhile to adjust being stuck at the computer so you'll have to bear with me. It's been tough enough to spend the PC time at work, so spending my "free time" on the PC is challenging. It's kind of like not eating fast food for a week and then suddently having to ingest it for every meal. Drupal addict and Yoga for Geeks guru, Sarah Pullman, mentioned a similar experience in one of her posts. To add insult to injury, I blew up three sites on my VPS and had to put the pieces back together.

So how did I spend my time last week? The family drove north to visit our Canadian neigbors and spend some time camping. We camped near Grand Beach at Lake Winnipeg. Lake Winnipeg is in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It wasn't completely without some technology as we had electricity available for the pop-up camper. Translation...lights, water pump, and even a furnace were available. Considering, I usually spend my time camping in the US national forests without electricity this was a camping luxury for the family.

Surprisingly, we were about the only US citizens in the campground which surprised me. If Texans and Californians can spend there time in Colorado...you would think some folks from the Dakotas and Minnesota could visit Manitoba more often. When I get a chance, I'll have to maybe add a picture or two of our time camping, swimming, or hiking. Translation...I still need to find where we put the digital camera.

During the weekend, we spent our time in the city of Winnipeg. This was my third visit to Winnipeg, but the first time for my family. Most of our time was spent in the city's river front area, the Forks. For me the most exciting time was visiting the children museum with my 3 year old son! They have the coolest real train in that building. My son and I literally fought over the conductors chair. In the Forks shopping area, I felt like we were traveling with the Beatles. Japanese tourists have a strong interest in my son and even begged us to be photographed with him. Something in the Japanese culture inclined them to tell us just how cute they thought he was. As strange as it was, I'm proud to say some of my genes were involved in those good looks!