Re: SED Posts in the Wild

D from BC <myrealaddress@xxxxxxxxx> hath wroth:

I'm nearing my 2000th post to SED!

<http://groups.google.com/groups?q=group%3Asci.electronics.design+author%3AD+author%3Afrom+author%3ABC>
<http://groups.google.com/groups/profile?enc_user=GJIHcxcAAADSppZzjxuw4zqUkjRCsS5m58PTJS16uf3x2y6itgtMiA>
1980 posts. Impressive. I have some issues with one-line responses
but that seems to be the standard in sci.electronics.design. In the
distant past, I would write a script to count the number of one or two
line responses, and remove those from the total, but I no longer have
shell access to the news server.

It took me awhile to figure out why some people are on here.
My latest thought is..... for 'advertising' :)

Ummm.... I think it's more properly called "self promotion" or perhaps
"self-aggrandizement". Advertising implies offering services or
products, which I've only in the spam.

Awhile back I did my post "JFET Common Source DC Amplifier Temperature
Compensation"...

Well.. I was surprised to bump into my own posts in Google web
results. Not google group results.
Also, I was surprised how fast Google got to indexing that thread.
For keyword "JFET compensation", the thread is top of the list for web
results!!
(Google.ca)

That thread is then repeated in:
epanorama.net
sci.tech-archieve
Both of which, I know nothing about.

There are probably other newsgroup to blog gateways. The system works
quite well for smaller newsgroups. Blogs that are hurting for content
can simply dump usenet postings to their web site. Members can post
answers on either usenet or in the blog. It helps sell their
advertising. For example, about 1/3 of the postings in
alt.internet.wireless come from:
<http://www.wirelessforums.org>

Question is: Is it effective advertising for an electronics designer?

No. I've been answering questions and pretending to be knowledgeable
on usenet since 1994.
<http://groups.google.com/groups/profile?hl=en&enc_user=tWGMphwAAAAGTj9X4k0U7wKkGyU8QhaBhaxMG2M1PWkMtCZAt5tdxQ>
<http://groups.google.com/groups/profile?hl=en&enc_user=MRarehAAAAAIkST9HkYM0yXLsJOwGmBv>
Hmmm... about 20,000 postings. Maybe I need a new pastime. That
summary only goes back to 1990. I've been posting since about 1988
when I was running a local B-news server to UUNET via a Telebit T2000.

Incidentally, I also get about 5 email messages every day from users
wanting free personalized consulting on some topic they found with
Google. I usually ignore most of them due to lack of time or
interest. What I find amusing is that every time an RFQ appears on
one of my specialties, I get buried in email asking for clues from
prospective bidders. Like a complete idiot, I answer those, instead
of trying to steal the job.

I have picked up some consulting jobs and fast fixes via my usenet
postings. My guess is about $20,000 in gross billing since about
1995. On a per-hour basis, excluding the work time, at perhaps 15
minutes per message, that's:
$10,000 / 20,000 messages / 0.25 hr/message = $2/hr.
That's also:
$20,000 / 17 years = $1,200 /year in paying work from usenet.

I've done much better with former work associates, friends of friends,
and much to my amazement, cold calling for work.

It's conceivable that my abrasive manner, arrogant demeanor, and
occasional total screwups, may have turned off prospective clients.
Dunno. Perhaps others have had better results. It's worth a try, but
I don't think you'll get rich this way.

--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@xxxxxxxxxx
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558
.

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