I think some of my readers need a refresher course on exactly what I’m doing here and everything that I’ve contributed to the external IBM community (aka, the community that IBM does next to nothing to help thrive).

1. I constantly post and answer questions of all levels in the two external newsgroups for WebSphere Integration Developer and WebSphere Process Server. The groups get about 10 posts a day and between myself and Neil Kolban, we’re the primary responders. If neither of us runs with an issue, it doesn’t get solved. Where do the unsolved questions go? A straight negative to IBMs bottom-line with a PMR. Or better yet, just another unsatisfied practitioner.
2. I constantly post to this blog outlining my personal experiences with the two products. I try to tackle the problems that I encounter along with their resolutions. The hope is that through my trials and tribulations, the external community can learn and avoid the productivity waste associated with running into insane exceptions.
3. I also try to post about my honest assessments of the product stack at the point in time. Sometimes I’m happy with the way everything works, and sometimes I’m extremely disappointed in the solutions. I think it’s completely fair to air these in the blog. I’m not here to be another marketing slide for IBM. Are the products good 90% of the time? Sure. Are they crap in the other 10%? You bet. Competing products either fail 60% of the time or just don’t provide the feature in the first place.
4. I’ve written articles for DeveloperWorks on WID.
5. I’ve completed redbook residencies on WebSphere Process Server.
6. I attempt to provide feedback back to IBM through the various IBMers who may swing by. I’ve found that since I left IBM my voice carries more weight than it ever did internally. I’m hoping the right people can stumble around here to make the future software revisions even better.
7. I’ve also worked with numerous people who email me with problems. I prefer it when they’re posted to the newsgroup but I can accept someone needed a critical answer quickly.
8. I’m pretty much open 24/7 for YOU the Business Integrator. I solicit comments/topics/questions as much as I can  in the hope that it doesn’t take you three years to skill up on the product set like it did for me.
9. Oh yeah, my actual job. Implementing SOA solutions with WID/WPS. Spreading skill to the field by working hands on with customers.

Anyway, I’ve hit a very big crossroads with respect to the external IBM community and my role in it. Over the next few weeks there will likely be some large changes that can range from status quo daily blogging to ceasing my newsgroup activities to flat out deleting danZrobok.com and forwarding it to icanhascheezburger.com forever.

If you read between the lines, I’m at a very VERY low point in my blogging career. If you have any kind of pick me up, I can use it right now.