Gestalt IT is a new publication for the best independent IT commentary

Times are changing in the tech media world, with paper publications disappearing quickly and new online ventures springing up to take their place. For a long time, it seemed that individual blogging and RSS might become the next big thing in DIY technical media. But, frankly, it’s not working out. Even after years of publicity and solid technical capability, RSS and feed readers just aren’t attracting much of an audience. A recent study showed that just 11% of Internet users use RSS feeds at all!

The majority of my blog traffic comes from Google searches – more than 2/3 in fact! But my best traffic (meaning those that stay and read a few pages and perhaps even comment) come as referrals from articles I’ve written in respected online publications. These engaged readers, my core peer group, are why I blog, and what I am hoping for! But even for-profit web sites are feeling a squeeze. No one can figure out how to monetize enterprise IT topics , paper publications are failing, and we in the industry risk losing our best source of engagement PR. This has to change!

Therefore, a core group of independent enterprise IT bloggers have come together to combine our writing into a mega blog or web magazine focused on enterprise IT infrastructure topics like virtualization, networking, and storage: Gestalt IT. The idea is that the best content from the best enterprise IT folks is brought together in one place. See the Gestalt IT FAQ for more information.

I am pleased to announce that we already have seven fine writers for Gestalt IT:

• Rich Brambley - VM /ETC
• Chris Evans – The Storage Architect
• Stephen Foskett – Me!
• Martin Glassborow - StorageBod
• Joerg Hallbauer – Joerg’s Blog
• Devang Panchigar - StorageNerve
• Ed Saipetch - Breathing Data

My blog is changing, too:

• From now on, most of my enterprise IT blog posts will be available both here and at Gestalt IT.
• I will be writing exclusive pieces for Gestalt IT as well, and linking to them from here. Check out my recent posts on the flexible nature of IT equipment pricing and the TechTarget Storage Product of the Year awards, for example.
• Many of my subscribers have complained that they don’t care about some of the non-IT things I write about (Apple computers, iPhones, blogging, etc) and they would be better served by subscribing to Gestalt IT’s feeds.
• I intend to ramp up my posting in other areas in the coming months.

Note that some things will not change. I will still be speaking and writing for TechTarget and other fine publications. Gestalt IT is simply another outlet for use independent writers to use. If you’d like to be involved, drop me a note. There’s always room for more writers!

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2009. | Introducing Gestalt IT, a New Web Magazine For Enterprise IT Infrastructure Commentary
This post was categorized as Enterprise storage, Everything, Personal, Virtual Storage. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.

First, consider whether to store records as atoms or bits. You can convert paper to data or vice versa, and there are pros and cons to both:

• Properly handled physical (paper or film) records should last for hundreds of years and can remain readable without software or devices. But they’re hard to search (you need an index), and paper is bulky, heavy, and difficult to work with.
• Digital records can either be stored offline or kept “alive,” but questions remain about their long-term reliability and readability. Living records can be easy to search and use, and digital storage can be very space-efficient, but data tends to pile up “out of sight.”

Long-term storage of records on physical media is proven – think about papyrus, tablets, gold or nickel discs, film, and paper. But will digital media fare as well? Data tapes and disks can degrade over time, and manufacturer reliability specs are based on accelerated testing, not actual experience. Regardless of media type, careful handling can extend media life.

But will you still be able to read it? Tapes and optical disks require additional hardware to read, while disk drives are paired with their read heads. Software applications are needed to read and interpret data (backup, archiving, compression, encryption, deduplication, database) as well. What about content format? Should you use ASCII, XML, PDF/A?

I’ll be presenting a webinar on this topic tomorrow, Wednesday, December 3, at 2:00 PM Eastern time. Register on-line at the AIIM web site and join me for the discussion!

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2008. | Long-Term Versus Longer-Term Archiving
This post was categorized as Enterprise storage, Personal. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.