Care in the Community
Read on for the latest news, features and happenings for ZDNet.co.uk members from your very own community editor.
Thursday 9 August 2007, 12:23 PM
Check out our Core Techs
The keen-eyed among you will have spotted a stream of thoughtful blogs on software development in the past few days, posted by Adrian Bridgwater. Take a look at Adrian's profile--you'll find a "Core Techs" badge at the bottom, never seen before. Meet the first of ZDNet UK's expert bloggers.
The Core Techs are specialists in specific tech fields who track trends and keep an eye on what's new, and who have years of experience behind them. They'll help you stay on top of the subject, but they also want to hear what you--the people who deal with the issues every day--have to say about it.
Adrian's regular postings cover application development--what's emerging, who the movers and shakers are, where the industry is headed. He has a deep industry knowledge picked up over many years as writing and consulting in tech. See what he has to say in his blog.
Our second Core Techs blogger is Asher Rospigliosi, who focuses on how social software can deliver benefits to businesses. He's especially interested in how Internet-based communication affects organizations and planning, and he's conducting academic research connected with e-learning for professional development. His blog is here.
So add Adrian and Asher to your contact list, ask them questions, and give them feedback on their postings. Hopefully, with input from all sides, we'll end up with a pool of knowledge we can all draw on.
We'll be drafting more Core Techs in the future--if there's an area you think we should cover, suggestions are welcome.
Monday 6 August 2007, 12:07 PM
And the ZDNet Blogger at Large is...
...research professional James B! He impressed our judges with his contributions to On the Road, the group blog about mobile working. His postings covered useful topics such as the difficulties of managing mobile data costs and whether speed or quality is the most important factor in mobile connections.
He wins a trip to San Francisco next month for the Intel Developer Forum, including a pass to the event, return flight, four nights in a 3-star hotel and £500 in spending money. He also gets a Lenovo ThinkPad with Centrino Pro to blog on wirelessly from the conference.
So take a look at James B's blogs and comments to see what he has to say about the event. And if you really want to keep up with his views on mobile working, why not add him as a contact? It's a great way to track what people with interesting things to say are posting. Roll on IDF!
Friday 27 July 2007, 1:45 PM
How messy is your server room? Show us and win
It's System Administrator Appreciation Day--a reminder to thank the hard-working folks who keep it all going, and who usually only hear from others when things go wrong. To mark it, we're launching a contest gives a nod to what sysadmins deal with: We're looking for the quintessential messy server room.
As well as bragging rights, you'll win a trip to London for the CNET Networks UK Technology Awards on 24 September. You'll get the chance to hobnob with key industry players at the networking dinner and awards ceremony at the London Hilton on Park Lane. We'll put you up for the night at that hotel, too, and pay for your train tickets.
Of course, we'll want evidence. So post a photo in a blog entry to let everyone see what your server room is like. You can't upload an image, but you can include html that pulls in a picture posted to another site. (If you need help with this, let me know. But I'll bet you won't.)
Update: If you need inspiration, here's CNET staffer Juzar Valiji in our Comms Room. It's not as untidy as it could be:
Our judges will take a look and decide on the winner. They'll take into account any comments left on the blog, so keep that in mind when choosing your photo. It's worth doing it soon--the cut-off for entries is 24 August. Come on--show us what you've got.
Thursday 26 July 2007, 3:26 PM
The ZDNet code
We've been seeing a wave of activity that doesn't fit with the idea behind this community--that is, with its being a place where you can meet like-minded people and exchange ideas. Some is ad-related stuff covered by our Terms and Conditions, but there's also a lot of instances where people haven't really "got" it yet.
To give these misguided folks a hand, we've come up with a ZDNet code of conduct, which outlines expected standards of behaviour. Here are a couple of examples:
Make your first post count
Don't begin your blog with a "Hi, I'm new" or "This is my first entry!" Use the opportunity to introduce yourself and your interests, or to raise a question or make a point.
Be transparent
Make it clear if you have a vested interest. If you're talking about a business and you work for that company, it's only fair to let people know.
Take a look at the full list here and give us your feedback. Does the code go too far, or not far enough? Do they reflect how the community should be? It's up to you where we draw the line. Either post a reply, or drop me a line at community.manager@zdnet.co.uk.
Tuesday 24 July 2007, 11:57 AM
OMG Pwnies!
It's an industry, there's a huge annual trade conference, so it's about time they got their own glittering awards. The Pwnies, to be handed out at the Black Hat Briefings in August, will mark the successes and failures of security researchers--known to some as "hackers".
There's a tongue-in-cheek air to the whole affair: One of the categories is for best song. (It's been done before--look here.) The other categories are best server-side bug, best client-side bug, mass ownage, most innovative research, lamest vendor response and most overhyped bug.
As far as I know, this is the first year of Pwnies, though they may have existed in underground form before. Flaws and research released between June 2005 and the end of May this year are eligible for entry, though, so perhaps not.
The awards could be seen as another tweak to the nose of software makers, whose disagreements with the security community reach a new pitch every year at Black Hat. This year's get-together in Las Vegas should see the demo of the recently claimed iPhone hack. In the past, a lot of dust has been stirred up by demos of an attack on an Apple MacBook and a Cisco router flaw.
To end, I just have to say I owe the headline to a comment by Dave Sanford on the Full Disclosure mailing list. Sorry, Dave--I couldn't resist.
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