Introducing Mike my bytes
People are using all their senses for recognition. Just think about how many jingles, slogans, images, or even actor faces unequivocally remind us of something. They are consistently building what we call a brand. It’s not a coincidence by the way - it’s called multisensory marketing.
Software engineering loves consistency too - not only when ACID comes to play, but also in terms of technical content. Interestingly, only some of the tech companies I know managed to build a consistent, nice to look at visual identification or technical brand (surprisingly, the budget often seems not to be a reason for that). I and many of the technical people I know actually care about those things. One could say, the content is more important than its wrapping - sure! However, mediocrity is what we feel right at first look. And in terms of marketing, nobody wants the first impression to be the last one…
A few weeks ago, the idea of building my own brand came to my mind - to build something recognizable enough, to outstand from tons of other blogs, conference speakers, and consultants out there. But, at the same time, something which I would truly identify with. Something independent from any of the companies I worked for. Something personal.
Today, I’m delighted to announce the premiere of the Mike my bytes.
Mike my bytes is far more than just a domain name. It is an attempt to build a brand, which stands for itself like a manifesto of what I believe professionally. At the same time, it is a tool providing a consistent and modern ideas communication medium to all the people that meet me in my professional way - making their experience more pleasant. My goal is not to throw down the gauntlet for the technology giants (you can sleep well for now!), but to aim for an even more professional approach.
Refreshed blog
My blog not only received a new, fresh look & easy to remember domain name, but also a new purpose. I’d like to make it my place-of-choice for sharing thoughts - preferred over various Confluence pages or Slack discussions. To be able to point people asking “Hey Mike, what do you think of…” to something which will survive changing a project or place of work. That’s why I expect a lot more content appearing here, rather regularly.
My goal was never to provide starting-point tutorials there - not because there is something wrong with such an approach, but because of how many excellent resources like this are available these days. This most likely won’t change.
Nevertheless, I really hope that a refreshed blog (based on this excellent Ghost template) will significantly improve the overall user experience on desktops and mobile devices. Feel free to leave me a comment about your first impressions. And to all night owls like me - don’t forget to give dark mode a try!
To be honest, I had underestimated the power of Twitter in terms of IT news for the past few years. Luckily, this is not something that can’t be made up for. With this tool, I’d like to not only track interesting things but also actively participate in the ongoing discussions. And, in fact, I have already been trying so for the past few weeks. Instead of believing, check me out! follow me!
November 10, 2020Launching my own technical brand today. Say hello to Mike my bytes! 🎉 https://t.co/43MoDksEHZNovember 10, 2020
LinkedIn & Facebook
I realize that some people prefer technical news sources other than Twitter or old-fashioned RSS. That’s why I decided to set up dedicated Linkedin and Facebook pages too. To be honest, it’s a kind of experiment to me, as my goal is not exactly becoming a social media influencer. I have no clue about how it will evolve… and that’s probably the best part of experimenting.
The logo
Last but not least, like any other brands I know, Mike my bytes received a logo:
Starting from today, I’ll use it consistently across all the content I’m gonna produce. And, who knows, maybe the time for laptop stickers or t-shirts will come too… 😉
Kudos for this marvellous design goes to Justyna Nowak.
Coda
I really hope that Mike my bytes will start a brand new chapter of my career. However, with almost everything, success is a combination of hard work, consequence, and a bit of luck. So, instead of making any predictions or promises (or even putting an inspiring quote here) I just want to say that I’m curious - curious about what it will bring.
Stay safe, Mike