For the inagural issue of this newsletter, I decided that it would be a really good idea to speak about who I am, why I’m doing this and what my intentions are.
Who am I?
I’m a 40-something year old software development engineer in test who lives and works in the Puget Sound area of Washington state. I’m a wife and a mother as well – which can lead to a rather busy life sometimes. I’ve got a mixed bag of interests that include things like online gaming and software security but also things like knitting, reading, jewelry making, etc. I often joke that I suffer from an incurable disease called “Interested in Everything”.
And if those two jobs weren’t enough, I’m also an author. I started out by writing technical documents at work, then moved to teaching classes to fellow employees on some in-house tools, then moved to technical reviewing for MSDN Magazine. During all this I discovered that I really like to write and teach and I have a talent for it. I seem to be able to convey what I need to, even to people with different levels of sophistication or experience.
I saw a need for a book to teach other software testers how to conduct software security testing so I channeled my passions into that task, writing and selling the book Testing Code Security which is scheduled to be released in June 2007. It was a lot of work – hard work – but I really loved it.
After it was complete I debated writing another technical book right away but instead asked my agent about the possibilities of a book that was geared toward the task of demystifying computer and technical subjects for the average person. My agent didn’t feel there was a market for that type of book but that just didn’t make sense to me – if there was no market, why would I field so many questions from friends and family? Even strangers in my favorite coffee shop have asked me questions.
So I decided to try an experiment… this newsletter and website.
Why am I doing this?
I actually have two reasons to do this.
The first reason is that I want to prove or disprove the statement about whether there is a market for this subject. I’ve talked to family and friends and they keep telling me how much they would like to have the information I proposed. When I asked about some of the “Dummies” or “Complete Idiot’s Guide” books, most people told me they were decent, but they were too geared toward a younger crowd and sometimes they felt a little too cute or condescending. If this sort of grass roots effort develops a following, I will have proven my case. If, however, I am only talking to myself, I will have instead proven my agent’s opinion to be likely.
The second reason is that I really do like to teach and help others and think that computers and technology are treated a bit like a dark art – even down to the language the majority of information is couched in. This is a chance to help others.
What are my intentions?
I intend to cover a multitude of computer subjects in real-world, ungeeky terms. My list of possible topics ranges from a basic tour of computers to things like:
As you can see, I am not going to cover questions that involve the intricacies of a particular program in the Newsletter. I want to cover information that will give readers a foundation to build on when they read more involved instructions or have to make decisions.
I’m going into this project with a minimum commitment on my end of producing two newsletter a month (on the 15th and the last day of the month) for six months. At the end of six months, I’ll look at what readership I have and decide how to best proceed.
If there isn’t much of an audience, the decision to stop may be easy (and obvious).
If, however, there is a following, I’ll have to make a more difficult decision – either keep the site going or write a book proposal – or even both. I really won’t know until the six months are up and I can look at the readership, my own time and other commitments.
What can you do?
I’m not a huge promotion person and my time is a bit limited, so feel free to send a link to your friends and family or refer people to the site. Let me know what you like or don’t like. Suggest topics you’d like to see covered in a newsletter. In other words, talk to me 
- Maura