I've been struggling as of late trying to find the time to write articles for my blog and websites. It's actually caused me some stress to not be writing because there is so much I want to say and share. I always feel that I'm so behind in my writing. This has been an ongoing theme for me but it's not because I don't have the time but instead because I have chosen higher priorities with my time than blogging.
Over the years, I've told people that CMS Report is a side business. While I would never become rich from this blog, I've been lucky enough to have been able to put a little extra cash in my wallet from this website's ad revenue. In truth, what has actually sustained CMS Report is not money but my passion for information systems. I absolutely love this magical process where people, hardware, software, and infrastructure come together to improve the business or organization. A decade ago, I could find no better example of information systems in the real world than the content management system.
Last month, CMS Report celebrated eight years of providing stories to readers focused on content management systems. Over the years, I've told you how grateful and even surprised I am of the success CMS Report has seen. All true, but for fear of sounding ungrateful I've never acknowledged the negatives of blogging over such an extended period of time.
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.
During the past week, you may have noticed that I'm posting less 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.
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!
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 suddenly 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.
