Thoughts on/for/about Scoble

If you don’t know who he is, Robert Scoble is among several other things, an “A-List” blogger who works for PodTech in Silicon Valley.

This post will sound a lot like one I wrote after spending time with Seth Godin and like it, this isn’t a fan-boy post, this is a post in support of someone whom I consider a friend.

I first interacted with Scoble over 10 years ago on the Fawcette Bulletin Boards for Visual Basic. He was there as a moderator and a big help for people trying to find information. I first met Robert in 1997 at a VB Conference put on by Fawcette Publishing. At the time he worked for Fawcette and organized and put on a bus trip/tour for all the participants interested. When I got to the conference he made an honest, whole-hearted effort to make sure that I was introduced to and included with the group who was taking the tour. Because of his efforts at connecting people, I immediately had people to hang out with on what would otherwise been a pretty solo trip. For no reason other than he’s a hec of a nice guy, he sought me out later and made sure I had an invitation to a private VIP party with all the speakers at the conference. During that party, I was able to meet and hang out with a lot of the people who I read regularly in both books and magazines including Dan Appleman, Carl Franklin, Zane Grey, Ross Anderson and several others.

Throughout the conference and during the bus tour, I got to know Robert pretty well, even giving him a standing invitation to bring his family skiing with mine here in Utah. After the conference, I continued to interact with him on BBS’s and over the years ran into him at several conferences. He was one of the first bloggers I was aware of and I’ve been reading his blog for several years now. While we’ve only interacted personally probably around 20times, more than half of those in the last 2 years, I’ve kept up with him on a cyber-personal level through his blog, twitters, videos, etc (like many many people have) and in that weird cyber way, I feel a sense of ongoing friendship with him that I don’t have with anyone from High School, college and only about 3 people I’ve met in the last 10 years.

This was all before he was an “A-List” blogger or “The Microsoft Blogger” and now “The PodTech Blogger”. The reason I went through clarifying all that is to be able to explain this: Robert is one of those rare people who will take a nobody stranger under their wing and introduce and share with them all that he has. He is a kind and giving person who will go out of his way to make sure that others feel friendship and inclusion when otherwise they wouldn’t.

So, what’s this all about? Well, a few days ago, after having trash coming at him from all angles, he announced he was taking time off of blogging and social networking and that he didn’t want to come back until he felt he had something to add value to the world. This post is to demonstrate how he has added value to my world and the effect on my “online world” his taking a week or so off has had.

First of all, I follow his Google Link Blog and look forward to his picks of good stuff to read, often from the “little guy” “z-listers”.  He hasn’t updated it for a couple days now and it has had an impact on me.  I have other tools (some that I’ve built) to get good information to me, but his link blog is an important part of my reading selection.  I miss that.

Secondly, he frequently Twitters, usually about things that he’s experiencing that are both interesting and useful tidbits.  His videos are by far the best tech videos coming out right now and while some people don’t like it, I love the “raw” format he uses.  Over-produced video on tech topics is so blah.

And of course, there’s his blog.  While it’s not always about something that I feel enlightened after reading, to me the overall value of reading everything he puts out is valuable in aggregate.  While I disagree with him on several things, he still offers a very passionate perspective on what he’s blogging about.  Then there’s all the other social stuff like Facebook – I’m used to reading/seeing/interacting with Scoble all throughout the day.

I always look forward to it when I know I’m going to be able to visit with Robert, I was very disappointed that we had to cancel the Utah Bloggers Conference since he was going to be our Keynote speaker and spend a few days out here with us.  Every time I chat with him he has interesting stuff to share.

So here’s my advice for you Robert.  First off, back off a bit when you come back, spend more time with the family.  This is coming from a guy who doesn’t do that very well, and knows the consequences of it.  You are right about babies being a cathartic experience.  It’s something that never goes away – take it from a guy with 8 kids, they never stop bringing you joy, making you feel loved and making you feel like there is meaning to life (when their older it can get more rare though ).  Don’t let the first year pass you by – it’s by far the most precious.

Your obligated time with PodTech is almost over, I think you’ve seen enough and have enough contacts that if you sat down and started thinking about it and working it out, you would come up with a killer startup plan that really had value.  I would suggest that you put together your own company, get funding for it, and do the things you’ve been doing for yourself.

And finally, ignore all the idiotic voices coming out of Silicon Valley, honestly – the rest of us do!  (well, maybe only some of us, I don’t know) You would have an amazing effect on the tech culture/industry of any town that you went to.  Salt Lake might not be ready for you, but I bet that Denver is.  If you were to re-locate to a tech almost-boom-town I think you’d be able to make a huge impact. Silicon Valley is stifling, every time I spend a few days there I feel completely overwhelmed.  Sure it has its benefits, but overall its suffocating.  Get somewhere that you can make a big impact and still spend time with your family.

Of all the A-Listers out there, I honestly believe that Scoble is one of the few who are personable and are actively adding value to the world.  I’ve met a lot of the “A-Listers” and there aren’t many I would want to be friends with.