Blog systems

So, you want to blog huh? What do you need to know? Well, there are all those
standard responses about your content, butnot that many go into detail about
the different systems and hosts that you have available. Do a search for “free blog”
and you get up a veritable ocean of services that offers you access to “your very
own weblog/blog” But is it really “your own”. I have to say no to that one.
You can change the look and feel to an extent, but really, you cant upload new
templates to most, and neither can you do much regarding images and music.

So. What do I prefer? Well, I have tried blogger and blogspot, and well, they are good
no doubt about it, but I want to be able to customize it more, not just poking about
with standard templates. I want to be able to go to sites that offers templates and
see what would be just right for me and then upload it to my very own site.
How does one go about doing such a thing? Well, there are a few ways really.
You can A: get your own webhotel and upload to that one.
B: Set up your very own webhost and host it there.
C: ask someone who has a webserver and a little knowhow to set up a blog
for you.

I have tried a few and the one that suits _my_ needs best, is WordPress.
Wordpress is a php based blogging system that never seems to amaze me.
One day you can find some very nice themes, the next you see a plug in
that simply rocks.

WordPress.org hosts the sourcecode if you want to download that, and
wordpress.com is actually a host for wordpress blogs. Albeit not as
“free” as the source code, you still have a lot of options to play about with.

Also, If you are a kind person that just wants to write and experiment
well, I could host one for you. Even if you dont have the tech knowhow
I could help you set one up and even create a custom theme for your
blog so its a “one of a kind” as i did with Zombified.

Oh well .. time to get back into the real world.

Blogger fired for blogging on his free time

Lets talk a little about consequences.

The blogosphere has every once in a while been put
into an uproar by a blogger getting fired from his
work do to his or her writings on a blog. Ok, we all
have a freedom of speech, we can agree on that. But
what is acceptable? Take this for instance. I am writing
this in a notepad in between calls because nothing is
happening, I am not taking any bandwidth from the
company i work for until I am mailing this to myself
and posting it from home. I am not being effective,
I will admit to that, but I am keeping myself alert
by this monologue. Does this warrant me getting
fired? I say no to that one.

However, very recently a co-worker got fired for.. you
guessed it. Blogging. Hold your horses. It is not
unjustified this time. This is highly unlike me, but
I will in this case actually defend the company in question.
Let me start from the beginning.

Today the buzz at work was that one of the co-workers
was fired due to his blog. Well, to be honest I felt
the classical rage and felt the bile rise, until I,
as I usually do, started to ask around to get to the
core of the matter. One said thus, and one said so.
Long story short. I dont have the official story
or everything on it, but I have the gist of it,
and heres what the buzz is all about.

It appears that this person wrote, ON HIS BLOG,
sensitive corporate information that wasn’t even
close to official yet.

Now, I dont know what you think, but personally
that shows a disloyalty to the company and it also
is a violation of trust for the clients. So I say
it again. He shouldnt have gone out with the information
and the company was in its right to fire him because
he outed sensitive information that may or may not
have damaged the company and its reputation and
certainly have damaged the reputation of the clients.

Now, I am firm in my belief that the company I work for
isnt using my potential neither my technical knowledge
to the extent I would like, but thats beside the point.
I work for this company and when bought, I stay bought, so
to speak.

Ok, they may not have the need for an sqladmin, neither
a webdesigner or a linux user manager or pherhaps
a pretty good allround tech when it comes to computers
or digital tv, but still, I dont feel that gives me
the right to reveal clients strategies and actions.

Was the layoff justified, I think so. Whats your take?