When I was first asked to do this blog I hesitated - who really wants to hear what I have to say? Now I know that there are probably a lot of heads nodding in agreement on that one right now (thanks for the support folks...), but then again, you are sitting here reading this, aren't you?
The other thought that came into mind is what do I write about, which is an odd thought for someone who makes their living with the written word. I'm actually involved in a number of different areas but they do all have a common theme - fire. Campus fire safety, fire safety and the environment, standardized markings on smoke alarms, sprinkler fire saves, significant mutliple fire fatalities, Vision 20/20, Campus Firewatch Radio, Fire Marshal's Corner...once I started compiling it the list kept growing and growing. I need to get some help (as in staff, not psychological. Or is that open to debate?).
Through this blog I'm hoping to bring light to some of the different issues that may not always make it into the magazines or into the different online discussion groups. Some of them will have a narrow focus with a limited audience, others more mainstream. However, I hope that they will all be of interest and value.
Another common theme through much of what I do is the use of the Internet. I work out of my home in Belchertown, Massachusetts. There is only one reason that the global headquarters of writer-tech.com, llc, can be located in a beautiful town like Belchertown and that is the Internet. When I first went out on my own ten years ago, the Internet was already an established and powerful tool, but nothing like it is today. I make a lot of use of features such as Google Docs, Google Calendar, PIcasa, Blogger, GChat, Gmail, Twitter, Facebook, whenisgood.net along with the standard suite of Microsoft products such as Word, Excel, Powerpoint and others. All of this has helped me to do my job but has also extended my reach globally in what I do. I'm hoping that these tools will help all of you in what you are doing and that I can provide some real world examples.
