Alternative title: Goodbye, For Now! Welcome back to the final episode of The Geek Whisperers! It took us a little longer than normal to publish this one because, as you know, this is our last episode for the foreseeable future. We’ve been doing this podcast for five years and feel it’s time to…Read All Show NotesThe Final Whispers – Episode 140

In a fitting second-to-the-end episode for us, the three of us discuss Influence Marketing. Bare with us as we dig deeply into the marketing terminology (along with A LOT of banter). If you’d like to read a little more before listening, here’s one against Influencer Marketing: from AdWeek that states “Companies spent an…Read All Show NotesInfluence Marketing is different than Influencer Marketing – Episode 139

This week we tackle a topic bigger than a single career step. We talk about happiness as an intentional practice and Lorinda Brandon, Director of Developer Marketing at CapitalOne DevExchange, joins us to do so. She has over 30 years of time in the technology industry and has a few lessons…Read All Show NotesHappiness at Work with Lorinda Brandon – Episode 138

How many emails is too many emails when you’re talking to a recruiter? And how do they get paid? We answer these questions and many more this week with Liz Bronson. Liz is a recruiting consultant and was the recruiter during the early years of VMware. Her business focuses on the…Read All Show NotesAdvice for the Job Hunt with Recruiter Liz Bronson – Episode 137

The three Geek Whispers get together to talk about the trend of going private in social channels and where we should hang out online these days. We talked a little about this in the past, but the trend has grown even more so. People are gathering in new tribal regions…Read All Show NotesIs Twitter Still A Community Channel When Everyone is on Slack? – Episode 136

Is the Field CTO the evolved final form of the Evangelist? And just how does an off-the-grid sabbatical change your perspective? We ask these questions and more as we talk with Nick Howell, who reflects back on his previous adventures as a technical marketing engineer and new journeys as a…Read All Show NotesTalking Field CTOs and Sabbaticals with Nick Howell – Episode 135

You could be an attendee at an event or you could do more. What does that extra work do for your career? We revisit this classic balancing act with Nirmal Mehta back at to DockerCon 2017. We start by asking about why he’s a Docker Captain, but his story is far more…Read All Show NotesA Docker Captain’s View of Community with Nirmal Mehta – Episode 134

Why is someone with a career starting in performance optimization looking for a job to be “customer facing?” That’s the question that brings our guest onto the show this week. Who's hiring? Technical Customer Facing preferred. — Leah Schoeb (@vLeahSchoeb) March 14, 2017 Leah Schoeb has a background in hardware…Read All Show NotesStaying Technical and Customer Facing with Leah Schoeb – Episode 133

There are Speakers and then there are Keynoters. The latter holds a gravitas throughout the tech industry. How does a community contributor step up to the keynoting stage? What skills does every speaker need to get there? Our guests, Emily Hendershot and Renee Woods, work at a company that coordinate events…Read All Show NotesPreparing to Keynote at Events w/Renee and Emily – Episode 132

What’s Latin for without a bucket? The three Geek Whisperers catch up with you, fair listener, on conversations with those who fall into Evangelist type positions but don’t see how it fits. Our TL;DR is this: You need a bucket. We hit on how: Evangelist is still a bad title in…Read All Show NotesEvangelists, Find Your Career Bucket – Episode 131

When people are paid quite well in the Enterprise Tech industry, why do so many people have “other” jobs? Is it a job for a paycheck or a passion project? We talk to Mike Colson about his past experiences and how it brought him to a place where multiple jobs…Read All Show NotesExperiences with Side Gigs with Mike Colson – Episode 130

So you have lots of skills. That’s great, most of the time. But when is that diversity of skills a liability? Our guest, Dave Henry, wrote a blog post about his recent free agent status that inspires this conversation today and its one the Geek Whisperers are sure other listens have wondered…Read All Show NotesTrials and Tribulations of a Technical Generalist For Hire with Dave Henry – Episode 129

Being an engineer at an event is one thing, but how do you engineer an event? How can you make sure to meet those people you really want to?If you’re getting frustrated by the randomness of meeting people at conferences, this episode is for you. This episode is all about getting the most…Read All Show NotesEngineering Your Time at Conferences with Aaron Delp – Episode 128

How does a geek move into the business, and how many steps does it take to get there? This week we talk with Ed Saipetch, Office of the CTO for IBM’s Bluemix private cloud. Co-host of the Speaking in Tech podcast What does Ed do? Office of the CTO’s role in…Read All Show NotesBecoming a business geek with Ed Saipetch – Episode 127

Too much social media kills the golden goose? That’s our topic this week as we discuss a recent article in the New York Times. Our intrepid Geek Whisperers discussed this article from Cal Newport, Quit Social Media. Your Career May Depend On It. A couple of points that we make: Yes,…Read All Show NotesSocial media: the career killer? Episode 126

So you feel stuck. What is a change that will make a difference versus one that makes you feel the same in a new place? How do you take a step back and review your situation? In a topic brought up by Matt and as a continuation of the Pioneers, Settlers…Read All Show NotesModels of Contribution Throughout Your Career – Episode 125

How do you start a podcast? We get asked about that a lot. This week our guest is Cecelia Taylor, social media manager for 8×8, who asked us just that. We start with follow-up from Episode 117 — talking about Prescribed Tweets. “Brands cannot scale,” says Cecelia. She thinks even marketers…Read All Show NotesStrategies for starting a podcast with Cecelia Taylor – Episode 124

We’re joined by Kurt Collins, Director of Developer Evangelist and Partnerships at Built.io, to discuss his role and his participation in The Hidden Genius Project, mentoring young black men and teaching them to code. The audio is a little rough, but it’s probably because Kurt is enjoying a baguette in a Parisian coffeeshop. We chat before…Read All Show NotesBizDev Developer Evangelism and the Hidden Genius Project with Kurt Collins – Episode 123

What is the value of a technical certification? How do you make the time to get one? We talk with Gregg Robertson, who recently earned the prestigious VCDX certification. This podcast was recorded live at VMworld 2016 in Las Vegas. VCDX stands for VMware Certified Design Expert, and is VMware’s highest-level certification. There…Read All Show NotesGetting Certified with Gregg Robertson, VCDX: Episode 122

Dom Delfino is not shy about sharing his opinions. Now the VP of Worldwide Sales and Systems Engineering for VMware, Dom joined us live at VMworld 2016 to talk about leadership. We touched on assertiveness, building trust, picking your battles, and delegation. We had a good time. Previously on the Geek…Read All Show NotesThe Domolosophy of Leadership with Dom Delfino – Ep 121

In a banterful welcome back to the vBrownBag stage, we have another round of Geek Whisperers Live. VMworld 2016 brought us to past guest, Frank Denneman. His current title is Sr Staff Architect for VMware R&D. He can’t tell you what he does, but he does Geek Whisper about it.…Read All Show NotesChoosing Titles You Want to Have w/Frank Denneman at VMworld 2016 – Episode 120

Engineering to Sales to Marketing. It’s a path few take and everyone questions. We bring Erin Banks (aka Banksy and banksek) onto the show to discuss her move back to EMC as a Portfolio Marketing Director of Big Data & Analytics. What brought her back to the company? And how did a job…Read All Show NotesKeep Learning and Keeping Connections After Changing Jobs w/Erin Banks – Episode 119

This week Sarah Vela tells us about bringing skills to the table at work, and knowing when to make a change. Sarah’s day job is in social media at Dell, and her recent non-day gig was as a co-host of Speaking in Tech, a role which she recently relinquished. Sarah…Read All Show NotesDo what you liked doing when you were 10 with Sarah Vela – Episode 118

In a throwback episode to our social media origins, your Geek Whisperers take on one of our origin stories: the prescribed tweet. Prescribed tweets are a method of sharing prewritten content that a colleague (most often marketing) requests you send (most often verbatim). Cons: Duplicate tweets on the same hashtag looks inauthentic Harms your…Read All Show NotesPrescribed Tweets and the Chamber of Employee Engagement – Episode 117

In a particularly special episode, John and Amy record a surprise episode of the Geek Whisperers from my wedding reception! The guests are an amazing collection of people met through the community. In particular we cover: Task of being an online community manager  How that transitions to offline naturally Origin…Read All Show NotesOnline and Offline Community at Matt’s Wedding – Episode 116

In which we ask the existential question: which would you rather have: an annual performance evaluation, a root canal, or a colonoscopy. Only The Geek Whisperers are brave enough to tackle this kind of cutting-edge question! Our guest is Srinivas Krishnamurti, and on this podcast we try to figure out why…Read All Show NotesEvaluating the Performance Evaluation with Srinivas Krishnamurti Ep 115

Jill Jubinski is technical recruiting done right. We talk with Jill, Technical Community Evangelist for IBM’s Blue Box. We discuss how she talks to people as people and turns that into value for companies and recruits alike. We get into: Recruiter-ish — she lives outside of the HR org chart Reports…Read All Show NotesRecruiting as Technical Matchmaker with Jill Jubinski Ep 114

When is being an evangelist not the right thing to get the job done? This week we talk with Vaughn Stewart about the implications of a title like Chief Evangelist, and why he changed roles (and titles) to VP, Enterprise Architect at Pure Storage instead. Vaughn was a de facto and de jure…Read All Show NotesWhen Not To Be An Evangelist with Vaughn Stewart – Episode 113

The Geek Whisperers are coming back to your from our wonderful time at the Silicon Valley VMUG. Armed with beautiful new microphones, we sit down with Frances Wong, SVVMUG Leader and IT Professional. We discuss:  Building rapport quickly The charisma myth The unspoken parts of charisma Hiring in the valley Hiring…Read All Show NotesIT Pipeline and Hiring for Rapport with Frances Wong – Episode 112

Do Tech Recruiters have souls? We’ve often wondered. The Geek Whisperers have more faith after hanging out with Andy Tullo. He’s a entrepreneur focused on recruiting in our fast-growing Enterprise Tech scene.  We discuss: Vetting company culture before you sign the paperwork Positive psychology in the workforce Finding great places to…Read All Show NotesTech Recruiters are Matchmakers with Andy Tullo – Episode 111

This week we recap our VMware User Group experience, where we talked with VMUG attendees about their careers and how to take the next step. This podcast was recorded directly after the Silicon Valley VMUG on April 12, 2016. We had a line throughout the day of people who were interested…Read All Show NotesInvesting in Career Insurance: VMware User Group recap – Episode 110

The Geek Whisperers will be appearing at the Silicon Valley VMUG tomorrow, Tuesday, April 12, 2016 in Santa Clara. In this episode, we talk about what’s going to happen, how we got started talking about geek stories, and as always, Things We’d Never Do Again. Silicon Valley VMUG site and…Read All Show NotesGeek Whispering at the Silicon Valley VMUG Tues Apr 12

Christina Murillo started this show as a stranger to us. Within less than an hour, we were in awe of her work within the security community. Christina works in the IT Security scene in NYC – born and raised – and began by asking what a Tech Evangelist is. Before long, we had…Read All Show NotesIs Tech Evangelism Dead Yet Or Can I Be One Too? with Christina Morillo – Ep 108

We’re pleased to bring you a conversation with William Lam, Staff Engineer II working within the VMware R&D organization and creator of the ever-popular VirtuallyGhetto.com. The Whisperers spoke with William back at VMworld, and due to a number of lost files and a miraculous backup copy, we now deliver it to…Read All Show NotesAdvocating for Engineers and Customers Alike with William Lam – Ep 107

What career moves can we glean from the big company consolidations of late? How do you stay above the downsize? We spend time with frequent podcaster Mark Twomey, better known as Storagezilla. He digs into industry trends, staying relevant with the times and his own development in 19 years at EMC.…Read All Show NotesSurviving Enterprise Consolidation with Mark Twomey – Ep 106

Kenneth Hui wrote a powerful blog post on leaving his job that caused this podcast. He made the tough call to quit his job without another one lined up. Here’s some of the story you can’t find online and some important questions to ask yourself as you consider your next move.  Part of…Read All Show NotesHow to Publicly Resign as a Tech Evangelist – Kenneth Hui Ep 105

What’s happening with the Geek Whisperers? Where have my weekly episodes been? Well, we have to admit we’ve failed you, fair listeners. And we’re going to admit it in the open. This episode covers: Falling behind on podcasting Life getting away from us Trying to be This American Life for…Read All Show NotesFailure & Failing In Public – Ep 104

In this episode, we welcome back Brian Gracely to discuss identifying yourself within the Pioneer, Settler, Town Planner continuum (based on Simon Wardley’s blog) and what impact that might have on your career. Things we reference: Matt’s Blog: On Pioneers, Settlers, and Town Planners – Or Understanding My Personal Brand…Read All Show NotesThe Pioneer, Settler, Town Planner Continuum with Brian Gracely – Ep 103

Glenn Pitchford is an IT director at a small nonprofit. We talked to Glenn at the SpiceWorld 2015 conference in Austin. Glenn talks about mentoring, being a trusted advisor to the business, and living the dream with a career in IT. Some of Glenn’s advice: Don’t get stuck in technology and…Read All Show NotesLooking beyond the server rack for a career in IT with Glenn Pitchford – Ep 102

It’s the end of the year, and as things slow down and the holiday season ramps up, your Geek Whisperers gather an open fire to roast some chestnuts and talk about the year past and what we’re grateful for. Some links: Matt has a new gig with Intel and a new…Read All Show NotesA Very Special Holiday Geek Whisperers – Ep 101

We talk about making the rest of your life work well when the work part of your life is busy as we interview Nigel and Heather Hickey. This is another live interview from SpiceWorld 2015 in Austin, TX. Heather’s current job takes her on the road, and Nigel’s IT job…Read All Show NotesTreating home life as seriously as work with Nigel and Heather Hickey – Ep 100

This week’s episode is a special edition of our time with Scott Lowe at VMworld 2015. A special thanks to our friends at TheCube for recording us live! You can see the original video here. Scott works in the NSX team at VMware, focusing on open source and the surrounding ecosystem.…Read All Show NotesThrive by Learning New Skills with Scott Lowe – Ep 99

We talk to Cody Bunch back at VMworld 2015 about mentorship and how he finds the time to help others. Cody’s day job is as Principle Architect at Rackspace as part of the OpenStack Product group, but we dig into a passionate project of his that means a lot to all…Read All Show NotesThe Importance of Being a Mentor with Cody Bunch – Ep 98

The Geek Whisperers have the pleasure of discussing careers with the very special guest of Chad Sakac, President of Presales at EMC. He’s grown into leadership, starting as an individual contributor and is now up to 4,000 “nerds in the field,” and that’s just part of his day job. We discuss the unbelievable…Read All Show NotesLife as an EMC Leader with Chad Sakac Ep 97

Audio on this one is pretty terrible, but it’s worth turning up the volume. What is the next job move when you co-found a company that’s grown to be a huge success? You have the option to stay and the option to transition out. This happened to Scott Abel, CSO of…Read All Show NotesNext Steps for the Founding CEO of Spiceworks with Scott Abel – Ep 96

Welcome back to another episode of the Geek Whisperers! While we were live at VMworld 2015, we jumped on the vBrownBag stage and discussing localized community with the vBrisket guys. You may recognize their handy work around the Pittsburgh area and for throwing a great event at VMworld 2015. They also have…Read All Show NotesLocalized Community on vBrownBag with vBrisket at VMworld 2015: Ep 95

Tyler Hannan, Director of Technical Marketing at Basho, digests what in the world a Technical Marketing Engineer (TME) does. His journey goes from database administration to technical orator and he has a great view of the many parts of the Enterprise IT world. I  (Matt) have the pleasure of working with…Read All Show NotesWe Need to Speak Differently – Technical Marketing with Tyler Hannan Ep 94

This week we talk with the mind behind #CloudMinds: Amy Hermes, program director of this IBM program. #CloudMinds is a program that brings together cloud thought leaders, both online and offline, to do that smart thing when smart people talk to each other. In this episode, we talk about What…Read All Show NotesBringing people together is Not Marketing with Amy Hermes – Ep 93

Your Geek Whisperers podcast with podcasters who like to whisper about careers. Mr. Greg Knieriemen is our first thrice guest and walks us through the career path memory lane as we think about Technical Evangelism, moving roles, living in Cleveland and speaking in tech. Amy and Greg are together at Cisco Live…Read All Show NotesTechnology Evangelist as Utility Infielder with Greg Knieriemen – Ep 92

This week we had channels and platforms on the mind. No guests, just the three Geek Whisperers talking social media channels and platforms. Are private channels replacing public ones? Do podcasts replace blogs? Does Slack replace Twitter? Listen on. Are private channels replacing public ones? Sometimes, you can’t say what…Read All Show NotesNew and Old Communication Platforms in 2015 – Ep 91