Monday, January 15, 2007
Garry Betty
Many of those in high tech circles may have seen that Garry Betty recently passed at age 49. Garry was the CEO of Earthlink and a friend and mentor to me. He was my first boss when I moved to Atlanta in 1984 and he helped make Hayes Microcomputer Products (the inventor of the computer modem), a leading company in the 1980s. After I left Hayes, I did not have that much contact with Garry, but every few years there would be an opportunity to reach out to him for advice or counsel. Despite his busy schedule, Garry would always accomodate. I believe he was like that for everyone that he ever worked with.
Garry was truly a great businessman and even better person. He will be sorely missed. Earthlink has set up a tribute site at http://gbetty.ning.com/
Garry was truly a great businessman and even better person. He will be sorely missed. Earthlink has set up a tribute site at http://gbetty.ning.com/
Blogging: Just Getting Started
One of my favorite bloggers about blogging is Debbie Weil, who got a lot of agreeing comments when she blogged that on the corporate side, blogging is just getting started, even though some analysts say that blogging overall is about to peak.
A terrific indicator that corporate blogging is still in its infancy is Toby Bloomberg's Blogger Stories, a blog about how blogs touch people's lives. Many of these stories are about businesspeople who have changed the ways they do business by blogging. (By the way, Toby is the Marketing Diva.)
This Blogger Story is about a guy who didn't even like writing, and was a bit of an Internet Luddite--and now he's a professional blogger.
I was working with a colleague last week who hates--hates!--to write. But her company is an IT consulting firm, and she needs to keep her clients updated about the latest technology--from anti-virus software to inexpensive servers to cool phones. Blogging is a natural fit for her business. So I'll be helping her get over her writer's anxiety so she can bring that content forth.
The comments on Debbie Weil's post indicate that a lot of businesspeople are still bashful about blogging. So while they get over it and start asking for help, it's plain to see that corporate blogging will continue to grow.
A terrific indicator that corporate blogging is still in its infancy is Toby Bloomberg's Blogger Stories, a blog about how blogs touch people's lives. Many of these stories are about businesspeople who have changed the ways they do business by blogging. (By the way, Toby is the Marketing Diva.)
This Blogger Story is about a guy who didn't even like writing, and was a bit of an Internet Luddite--and now he's a professional blogger.
I was working with a colleague last week who hates--hates!--to write. But her company is an IT consulting firm, and she needs to keep her clients updated about the latest technology--from anti-virus software to inexpensive servers to cool phones. Blogging is a natural fit for her business. So I'll be helping her get over her writer's anxiety so she can bring that content forth.
The comments on Debbie Weil's post indicate that a lot of businesspeople are still bashful about blogging. So while they get over it and start asking for help, it's plain to see that corporate blogging will continue to grow.
