Information Week has an interesting article about those involved in such online ventures as digg, del.icio.us, Zoot, and Six Apart’s Movable Type. Basically, the article discusses how people have made their money off of blogging or providing the blog-like software and services.

Most people who pull down a paycheck dream of making a living at their hobby. For IT managers, the dream is more within reach than it is for most professionals, as their technical skills can give them a head start in building businesses on the Web. A supertalented few have even made fortunes.

How do they do it? We went straight to the sources, interviewing tech pros who turned their cyberhobbies into full-time jobs. Many of them truly were accidental entrepreneurs; others at least had an inkling they could make a go of it. All were helped along by a business-fertile Internet environment, their raw ambition, supportive spouses, and a little luck. They haven’t all become rich, but they’re all making a living at what they used to do for fun. Click Here for rest of article.

I enjoyed the article and I think most of CMS Report’s vistitors will also find the artcile interesting. However, I have one point to make. Success is not an accident. While these people may be very lucky to have a “job” doing something they love, accidents just don’t happen. It takes a lot of hard work, sweat, risk, and dedication to become successful in IT. Sure there are exceptions…but I think most of those interviewed in the article wouldn’t really consider their success to be found only by accident.

Note: This post has been “recycled” from Bryan’s other site, CMS Report. You can read that post by clicking here.

Packt, an IT book publisher, announced the beginning of their Open Source Content Management System System Award. The award is meant to “encourage, support, recognize and reward an Open Source Content Management System (CMS)”. Visitors to Packt’s site can nominate their favorite CMS and one of the top five will be selected by a panel of judges. Besides the first place winner being awarded $5000, the second place winner will get $3000 and third place winner will receive $2000.

You’ll want to take note that the CMS you nominate must be part of an open source project. Also, the deadline for nominating your CMS at Packt’s site is September 1, 2006. For more information you’ll need to visit Packt.

I originally posted the below discussion at CMS Report. While the discussion isn’t typical for this site, I still felt it worthy to be posted here. Sorry if it’s too “geeky” for some of our more casual readers…but once a geek, always a geek.

I don’t care who you are. I don’t care how much education or how little education you have. If your profession is in information technology (IT), you and I share the same exact thoughts, questions, and even dread toward this particular topic. The topic is user surveys.

What am I talking about, you ask? Ok, picture yourself arriving to work and finding “it” in your inbox at the entrance of your cubicle. Let’s go even further, you’re the one that placed the survey in everyone’s inbox and now the time has arrived to collect the paperwork, tally the results, and draw conclusions for the project that you are working on. At this moment, reflect on your thoughts and frame of mind while you hold those surveys in your hands. We all have that same creepy voice in our heads asking us the question, “Do these user surveys hold any real value?” The voice demands an answer.

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Like most Americans, we don’t have too much of an interest in soccer if the players are 18 and older. We don’t know why, but soccer is a bigger sport for the kids. The translation…we didn’t watch the World Cup.

However, The Register has a funny take on that French player, Zinedine Zidane, who was kicked out of the World Cup. Depending on which country you’re from…you may not have seen the same thing that the officials saw.

Check out the following link: http://www.theregister.com/2006/07/13/zidane_headbutt_outrage/ .

Every year, the city of Sioux Falls has something that very few cities have…the Sioux Falls JazzFest. Oh you may think other cities have something similar, but you’ve never seen anything like what happens one weekend a year in South Dakota’s largest city. Imagine some of this country’s biggest Jazz and Blues musicians on stage. Imagine over 100,000 people from all parts of North America listening afternoon and evening to music as they enjoy their beer, wine, or water. Now imagine all this…and it’s free due to mostly local sponsorship.

We’re talking Shemekia Copeland, Mavis Staples, and Hubert Sumlin and the G.E. Smith Band. Oh and let’s not forget Buckwheat Zydeco, along with Medeski Martin and Wood and so many more. Never heard of them? Well I have to admit I don’t know them all, but by the end of the weekend I’ll know their music.

The below was posted today regarding our our forum for content management systems.

Greetings from the WebCMS Forum!

During the past few weeks, the forum reached a milestone, over 500 posts have been generated with 30 plus users. The growth of the forum has been slower than some of us would like, but no complaints from me. The smaller number of members has enabled some of us to get to know each other a little better than a busier forum would allow. Interestingly, while membership remains low the traffic to the site by guests is rather active.

If you have not visited WebCMS Forum in awhile, please stop and say hello. Also, any word you can spread about our forum, whether through a link from your site or word of mouth would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Bryan as WebCMS Admin