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August 04, 2003
SWOT
Well I think I have been paid the "Ultimate Compliment"(tm) by Mr Jivha (The Tongue). Over in this article he writes about a number of blogs but he singles out BotB for a full SWOT analysis. This brings back memories of trying to teach students how to do this .... but I can't bring myself to mark a SWOT analysis of myself :-)
However there are a few observations I would like to make in my own defense ;-). Firstly, Jivha missed the biggest weakness of all - the speling and grammar. I am, unfortunately, a native Australian speaker and therefore I have no idea what a grammer is (sort of pumpkin?) or what to do with it. I have terrible spelling because (a) I forget to use the spell checker and (b) I don't touch type properly (I use my thumbs and two fingers - left index, right middle because I have no nerves in the right index). Outside of overlooking this major fault, I think Jivha did an excellent job ...
Now to use the material. If somthing is a strength, then it should be maintained and encouraged:
STRENGTHS
1. Writes very cogently when he’s serious and does not hedge or hem-haw
2. Is very un-biased in his thinking and does not let race/caste/religion affect him
3. Is very helpful to newbie bloggers and tech semi-literates like me by guiding attention to the former and helping out the latter
4. Gives credit where it's due - he even gives credits to fwds that he posts!
5. Has a good command over the tech aspects of blogging(he's been a sysadmin for more than 20-25 years) so less chances of some tech error screwing up his site
Well what can I say after that :blush. I try to mix the serious and the light hearted because we all need some of each. I find that the more depressing work becomes, the more jokes I post. I work hard at #2 but sometimes catch myself slipping. If any of you spot me pontificating, stop me. #3 and #4 are, I think, side effects of haven been a teacher. #5 is an accident of history.
Next we have to deal with the weaknesses. These are the most immediate things that the subject of the analysis can deal with to improve their position (that is one thing that distinguishes a weakness from a threat).
WEAKNESSES
1. Is an avowed Mac-phile and an avid Microsoft (he calls it Microslosh!) basher. That might prevent him from forming an un-biased opinion about MS sometimes
2. Beer. From his own comments he’s got a noticeable beer belly ;-)
3. Is too gentle and soft-spoken in his posts (read: does not rant), which in today’s world is a lost quality when most bloggers are looking to read extreme, abrasive, flaming posts
Hmmm. I will own up to #1 but put it in a larger context. I usually sympathise for the underdog. When I was an undergraduate (a long time ago) I was anti-IBM because of the way they handled IP and engineers (e.g. Codd - the father of the relational database). Now I am anti-Microslosh because of the way they abuse their monopolistic power. It is worth noting that I am very concerned that the SCO lawsuite could leave Sun in charge of UNIX and they would abuse a monopoly a lot more efficiently that Microslosh could. Anyway, I will try to be as fair to them as to any other target ;-). #2 is a weakness but I am working on it (with medical help - I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis which is inherited and makes it extremely difficult to burn off fat - i.e. to loose weight). I am about 20kg lighter than a few years ago (but still overweight). As for #3, I try not to rant too much because I find that a personal turnoff. Besides, maybe Jivha might have withdrawn that of he had seen this item. As well as the spelling/grammar problem, another weakness would probably be the diversity of posts which mean that readers may not find a lot to interest them individually (i.e. they like one item on the page but the rest are not so good). I have wondered about splitting the blog and putting all the funnies in one section.
OK. Here's where we make money. Let's face it, you pay someone (well not in this case) to do a SWOT analysis because you want to make a killing...
OPPORTUNITIES
1. Has a good deal of knowledge on PHP/Perl/MT which he could share by posting tips/tricks about them more often
2. Should blog more often about life/things “down-under� as people like me are always curious to learn more about cultures/customs in different countries
#1 is an excellent idea. I always sort of feel that someone else probably has a better way to do it but at least if I start the ball rolling it might help someone else. Expect more hint/tips in the future. #2 is really interesting - it is sort of like mental telepathy. When I wrote the item in response to Glenn I was thinking that I should post more "local" stories. Anyway, there are a few items in the works including a possible blog change.
Now we get to the big problems. These are things that are oustide of direct control but we may be able to build in some allowance for them.
THREATS
1. Since he hosts his own site through his iMac, the chances of something going wrong go up as compared to a commercially hosted site
2. Microsoft buying up Apple – which would mean, gasp, the unthinkable ;-)
3. His ISP has been pretty regular…with outages in the recent past.
#1 - absolutely. I am currently have a DNS caching problem (which could again be the ISP like last time). This links in with #3 and is one of the reasons for considering a possible blog change. #2 is unlikely. As a shareholder (1 share) I would certainly be voting against a possible takeover. Besides, from memory (teaching share trading to TAFE students), there are some pretty effective poison pills which would come into play (as well as DoJ interference).
Wow. That was really useful. Thanks Jivha....
Posted by Ozguru at August 4, 2003 12:08 AM
