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Hey, I just realised I didn't have one of these and, as a noted big mouth, I decided I should write one

Hmmm, what to say? I never know what to say about myself, so I guess I better go read some of the others first to see what is Kosher...

Ok, I'm back with a vague idea. Here goes

Location: Sydney Australia - Specifically the snobby, ridiculously pricey Eastern Suburbs by Bondi beach, where only Poms, Kiwis, tourists and I live. I like the beach, but the neighbours irk me a bit. Still, I have a beach 100 metre away, and that is the price I have to pay. After all, you can't have everything... where would you put it? (hat tip Steven Wright).

(Relevant) History:
I originally studied IT on Australia's sunny Gold Coast, and moved back to Sydney (my spiritual home) right as the dot.com crash wiped out my livelihood.

Unfortunataly, as a graduate from a city (the Gold Coast) that is a cross between Ibiza and Las Vegas, my degree was taken about as seriously as Paris Hilton at a Mensa membership drive (I was actually asked in a job interview what I majored in: Pot smoking or surfing. I said I was one of the smarter students, and got the double major ).

As a result of poor timing and circumstances, I spent a year or so wishing I had done nursing and researching to find a new career, as I applied for job after job that all had about 400 applicants.

I stumbled into this whole SEM caper after a chance encounter with an article explaining why many web sites fail. Most of the ones I had been involved in had failed for pretty much the reasons listed (marketing was lacking, despite good tech), and I realised my IT background may not be the best grounding for building an online business, or for understanding the "why" of building websites (You mean you need to market a product?? Even an IT product??)

This lead to where I am now, which I must say is a pleasant position in an industry I quite enjoy

These days, I work for my own company, WMS Australia, that I run with a business partner. We don't do a lot of marketing (our website is still to be finished, as an example and note to self), because we get more than enough work from referrals.

How I found cre8:
You know, I really can't remember.

I remember coming here early in my SEO/M research when I first got into forums many moons ago. I always thought the place was nice, but never really "got" it. I had a few places I visited, but in those days never really thought of forums as a serious thing. Over time, however, I just got more and more in tune with the style and (I keep saying it) "vibe" of cre8, and found myself learning here in spite of myself. As my knowledge grew, I found other places lacked an approach to discussion, and a variety of perspectives and personalities, required to further immerse myself in what interested me. I also never really felt like there was much community in a lot of other places.

Whereas at cre8...

I kept seeing topics turned over and looked at from a new angle, from different eyes with perspectives far removed from my own. I love how here the range of perspectives varies from newbies to Graphic types to tech types to site owners. I liked even more the feeling of community, and the general good will (you mean people don't have to abuse each other on forums? Who knew!) That a place could exist in a spirit of good will and good humour, despite vast personality and perspective differences, fascinated me. What is the line by Dylan from Tangled Up In Blue? Here it is:

We always did feel the same,
We just saw it from a different point of view

At cre8 I get to learn about my craft from people looking at my craft from the outside, the inside and, sometimes, from outer space. It is always useful to have different perspectives, and I for one learn so much from the coming together of multi-disciplines, and not only about the practical stuff, but also little side stuff along the way. In fact, I haev learnt so much I am not sure I can ever give back quite as much.

Oh, I tell you what I do remember. I remember being offered a Mod gig here. I never check my PMs (PMS? No, I mean personal messages). Anyway, about four days went by, and I realised, oh, I have a PM, and it was from Kim. To say I was a bit shocked is an understatement. After 0.01 seconds deliberation, I accepted

About me:
In real life v1.0 I am pretty much like I post: fast, funny and full of spellign mistakes (struggled on that third F a bit).

My signature says "QUISQUE COMOEDUM EST" which I think sums me up. In case anyone wonders, it is Latin (highly pretentious, a bit like me) that translates as "Everyone is a comedian". That is as much a request as a belief, as I am always trying to make everyone (myself included) laugh. I tend to do stream of consciousness stuff (see this post), in an attempt to channel my inner thoughts verbally, usually with mixed results. I usually do this at 100 km/h, and was actually told today I speak faster than anyone a client had ever met! Hey I aint got a lot of time all right, and I got a lot to say

That said, there is no reason to let fun get in the way of being professional, or really visa versa. Professional is a word that gets bandied about a bit, but for mine it means doing a job as well as one can whilst not going brain numbingly dead. Laughing and enjoyment make everything better, from work to meetings to relationships, and I try my darndest to add enjoyment to all I do.

Now I think about it, I am a bit of an extremist, really. No, not the shaved headed, out with old in with neo-Nazi style extremist. The love-it-or-hate-it-no-inbetween type, an introverted extrovert who won't shut up but works alone and avoids people. I also have strong likes and dislikes. Sport, music, sci-fi, art house cinema, food, wine, beer, computers and the beach are my passion and life blood. Fashion, clothes, style, domestic chores and small talk are my kryptonite, much to the chagrin of many I am sure.

So there ya go. That is me all rambled out. Any questions?