THE OFFICIAL BLOG OF THE SBS "DIVA"

<honest on>

The restroom at my house.. oh let's just call it what it is, the bathroom, is my reading room.  And today's bathroom read is Andrew Keen's the Cult of the Amateur. And in light of Vlad's latest "How can we contribute" post, and interesting comparison.  So far (and I'm not through with it yet) Andrew Keen makes the argument that the Web 2.0 is breaking down the culture, breaking down the economy, breaking things down because no longer do we have the true expert, but instead a cult of an amateur.  But what's funny is that for years I've been saying that the best certification you can get is BTDT.... Been there, done that.  For how many years, we've had a democratic culture in the SBS community... as long as you beleived in the religion of the Wizards, it didn't matter whether you were "Expert" or "Amateur" as long as you brought to the table your views, your opinion, your BTDT expertise, you were (and still are) welcome. 

In this day and age of SBSC certification, I'd argue some are struggling to see the need, the value if they are already "BTDT" certified.  But I'd argue that what the SBSC is, and should be recognized for, is a business strategy certification.  The folks that argue "oh it's not a real world exam" need to understand that no certification is real world. Word of mouth is the "Real world" certification.  It's when you do a good job.  What the SBSC is, is the differentiator of your business.  The stamp on it that you've nailed down a niche.  You are making a statement that you embrace small business.  There will never be a certification that properly tests "real world".  Certifications have been and are always there to just "brand" you a tad differently is all.  Embrace the SBSC for that and for the fact that Microsoft does see it as a differentiator between the mere registered partners and those above that.  Being a SBSC is, in my opinion, good business.

But getting back to the "Cult of the Amateur"'s point that when we use Web 2.0 to replace a business structure, we are losing foundations of our society.  Bloggers don't do fact checking.  Bloggers aren't journalists.  In the web 2.0 world we haven't yet set up a good reputational system that can differentiate between those people we should listen to and those people that shouldn't be listened to with quite the same weight and validity. 

What we are in right now, I would argue, is a time of flux.  We're struggling right now I would argue, in the right blend of the "cult of the amateur" and the "cult of the expert".  I don't want to go to a society that doesn't see the value in the amateur.  But at the same time, there's going to be always a need for a leader.  One of the struggles I think we have right now in the SBS community is the "cult of the leader" and we're not helping and nuturing the next version of the "cult".  We're not growing replacement leaders well enough I would argue.  We need to do better on that. 

But why should you go to a meeting, or give a talk, or post a response in a listserve or do any of those things that make a community, a community?

I love Deji's profile on the MVP page - https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile=E7F1CD17-07EF-41BC-8368-F4A1D09A0C22 because it's so true about what happens when you stop accepting and taking and give a little bit back.

Deji says: I do this all because of ME. You see, *I* like doing it. *I* am very indebted to a lot of people who have helped me along the way on my journey through the IT jungle. When I have been lost, they have been there to lead ME out of the woods. So, this is MY way of repaying my debts to them.

Another reason I do this: it is the BEST, most-efficient, and most-inexpensive way I have found to LEARN. While it appears that I am doing the teaching, I am secretly utilizing the opportunity to learn and improve my self-worth, acquire new knowledge and mingle with the REAL EXPERTS.

That's my secret. It's all about ME.

I couldn't agree more.  Every time I explain something to someone else, I find that I understand more.  I'm learning more.  I'm getting better.  You think this blog is me being philanthropic?  Heck no.  It makes ME better, it helps MY network, this blog is in fact, in between all the rants, the jokes, the KB articles and what not is an electronic searchable file cabinet of technical knowledge that archives better than my brain does.  Doing this stuff makes ME better.

The next time someone says "well I don't want to get involved", show them Deji's bio. Being in community is about ME.  Being in community makes ME better.  In embracing the "cult of the amateur", in showing up in listserves, in doing what I do at totally sucking at lurking in communities that I've joined, that's when I learn. 

There's a lot you learn when you ask a stupid question.  And there's a TON more that the person answering your stupid question learns by answering it.

To all of those people who've asked the stupid questions, thank you.  You've taught me tons.