From the way Patrick speaks he sounds like he's got the right idea...
I'll sell off a few things and pick up a copy of the book and give it a little read and play about with the tips and tricks in it to see what comes off for me... I'll prob have a few spin off's for it but I got time to try them all out. 😉
Thanks for the share dude...
Thanks Patrick for writting the book...
Though I think it's most likely to be a good book, I'm still sticking to my guns and saying I'd prefer to do it myself and learn along the way, as I already have and has thus far provided me with good ideas. I love hearing other people's ideas and opinions though, partly why I browse admins boards so often. Perhaps it would be a good thing to buy, but right now I'm not sure I even have time to read it.
Jonathan I'd imagine that even most authors would agree, you learn more from doing it yourself than you do by just reading about it. However, when you do both you can really accelerate your learning. The practical stuff gives you experience and knowledge and books let you know the common pitfalls, what is to be avoided and the tricks that work, which could take you a long, long time to figure out on your own.
Interesting thought Fergal. I would like to read up on perhaps some of the mistakes I'm making and a few new ideas... I might just pick it up some time 😉
Thanks so much, Agentmanningctu, Fergal and Diron. I appreciate it.
Jonathan, that's totally cool. To be honest, there are no guns to stick to. 🙂 We all learn in different ways and that is only natural. You have to learn in the way that is best suited to you (I believe this about education in general, not just this particular subject 🙂). As I mentioned, I learned by doing myself. The book is the result of that first hand experience. So, I can only respect that.
Of course, that also isn't to say that I didn't learn from others over the years. My knowledge is certainly not exclusively compromised of things I have done myself, but also things I have learned from others. Learning from others can take many forms. I learned from people that I served under as a moderator. I learned from people who managed a community I participated in. I learned from writing (digital or in print). I don't really think anyone's knowledge is made up strictly of things they have done insulated of other people.
It's a natural good thing. So, whether you visit other admin forums, or this forum, to learn from what others do, or you read a book, you are supplementing your knowledge and that is a good thing. It shows a strength in you, a strength that I think all (most?) successful people share: the recognition that you can't know everything and the desire to seek more perspectives and the experience and thoughts of others, in order to form your final thoughts. This is how I operate, as well.
A book can't make your experience for you, and most of what you do will be learn as you go, but what a good book can do is steer you in the right direction and warn you away from dangers. The advice in it is worth as much as you decide to play by it.
