I've been asked to pen a feature on the greening of data centers for Data Center Management magazine.
It's my third feature for DCM magazine, which is edited by Rand Christensen. Rand is a great editor and that's important. I've always felt that a magazine is only as good as the person at the helm. I've worked as a contributor for more than a dozen publications over the past 20 years, and, in every case, I've seen the publication rise or fall on the talents of the editor-in-chief. One of those talents must be the ability to access writing talent. Talent creates its own opportunities, and when that talent is allowed to thrive, the person at the top of the masthead receives and deserves the lion's share of the credit.
I'm in the process of doing my research on the data center green story, which will appear in a 2010 issue. It's the seventh or eight green-related feature I've written in the past 24 months. The greening of American industry has been a boon for me in terms of editorial assignments. I enjoy the topic. I've covered everything from the use of animal fat as fuel to the use of flywheels in data centers-viva the Green Movement.
Currently, I'm writing the sixth issue of a major corporation's eNewsletter. Since I'm a subcontractor to the publishing house that puts it out, I can't disclose the name of the company. The name of the company isn't important. (They make highly sophisticated industrial products.) The important take-away is that they've made it to Issue #6.
During the past 20 years, I've helped launch countless newsletters, but, too often, I've watched as companies launch newsletters only to publish an issue or two before budget cuts or the whims of upper management scrub the project. In those cases, not only were marketing dollars wasted, but more harm than good was done to the company's marketing program and credibility. While it's true that high-quality, worthwhile content is key to the effectiveness and success of corporate e-newsletters, it is also true that these publications must come out on a consistent schedule in order to have the desired long-term affect-whether the goal is building brand awareness, customer loyalty, or educating the user base.