Update II: If you are interested, please follow the directions below. Due to the overwhelming response, all current positions are filled. If you would still like to be considered, a waiting list will be created. Thanks.
The motto of this site is “Connecting Developers, Building Worlds”. I came up with that while I was sitting in a hotel room far from home trying to get this site off the ground. I originally wrote it thinking of what my goals are with dotProject. I believe that one of the fundamental reasons why so many software development projects fail is poor communication… between developers, with customers, with projects managers, with testers, etc, etc, etc. I believe that this still holds, but there is another aspect that I had not considered.
Over the past two months, I have given presentations on dotProject to NoVaLUG (Northern Virginia Linux Users' Group) and DCLUG (Washington, DC Linux Users' Group) and will be giving a presentation to NoVaJUG (Northern Virginia Java Users' Group) this evening (details here). These have been a great opporuntity to connect with the community, discuss issues with other software people, and meet quite a few great people. And it made me realize that there is something missing.
There are tools like LinkedIn, forums like Joel On Software, and a variety of disconnected places where people talk, share ideas, argue, connect, and generally sharpen their wits. Unfortunately, I think there is a slight gap missing where front-line software people can stop and talk about their own jobs, skills, thoughts, etc. There are huge segments of the software development community who aren't connected with one another and therefore missing out on much that is happening. Therefore, CaseySoftware is undertaking an effort to improve the situation.
I am looking for six software people who want to write, discuss, and generally contribute to a group blog. I am looking for people of all backgrounds, experience levels, skill sets, and nationality, but there are two things required. First, the postings must be in English. A conversational style is encouraged, but basic grammatical rules should be followed. Second, you should post something – a book review (linked to your Amazon account if you wish), software development issue, a howto, etc – at least once a week. I have found that most of my entries take 10-45 minutes.
What do you get for this effort? Well, nothing financially as CaseySoftware has no intention of paying you because we're not likely to make a dime from this. We plan to provide all technical support, but more importantly, I see this as your opportunity to polish your writing and communication skills, to demonstrate that you are a professional, and – most importantly – to establish yourself, your expertise, and get your name out there.
Obviously there is nothing preventing you from starting your own blog somewhere with minimal effort. Unfortunately, you'd then be a lone voice and be responsible for all the content. This way, you can benefit from having numerous contributors and the increased traffic that results. After all, if a person blogs and no one reads it, did they really blog?
My goal is to launch on August 15th.
Updated: If you are interested in becoming a contributor, please drop me a message at webmaster [at] CaseySoftware.com with an example or three of your writing. These can be blog entries, recent articles, book reviews, etc. I need to see that a) you are a competent writer and can contribute to the community and b) you are serious about this opportunity.