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Apr 21, 2008
Want to be a guest? Just ask.
Martin McKeay, Network Security Blog
Ever wanted to be on a podcast but don’t have the time or energy to start one of your own? Are you already producing your own podcast but want to bring in a bigger audience? Or do you just want to take some time to express your own opinions? If any of those apply to you, take a couple of minutes to contact your favorite blogger or podcaster and ask if you can have a guest spot on their show/blog. It really is that easy, especially if your asking directly and not having your PR department doing the contacting.
What brought this on? After a couple of weeks on the road I finally got a chance to catch up a little on some of my RSS feeds. With about 150 feeds and a two and a half week backlog, this can take a while. So I skim a lot of articles and frankly just ignore the majority of them. But one that caught my eye was “6 Ways That Bloggers are Like Rappers“. I’ve never wanted to be a rapper, and don’t ever ask me to sing if you value your ears, but there’s a lot in this article that resonated with me. I’m prolific, my blog is my personal brand, I’m a member of the Security Catalyst Community as well as several others and I’ve definitely got a style all my own. Rich and I often do interviews, but one thing we only do rarely is have guests on the podcast as participants. There have been a couple notable exceptions lately, with Mike Murray and Tim Krabec most recently.
I’ve been a guest on a number of different podcast, especially Pauldotcom Security Weekly (why do I always want to spell it ‘weakly’?). Every time I do this it introduces me to a new potential audience and makes me think a little differently about how I do the show and security. I learn something, which is the biggest reason I started doing blogging and podcasting in the first place. I enjoy being on someone else’s show nearly as much as I do my own. And all it’s ever taken to be a guest is reaching out to the host and asking if they would mind me being a guest for a show.
I know this isn’t about security, but one of the things I’ve been giving a lot of thought lately is how we reach a wider audience. Not just Rich and I, but security professionals in general. For the most part, we’re preaching to the choir; the people who read our writing and listen to our rants are other security professionals. This is a great audience and what makes me come back to the microphone week after week, but it’s not the group that’s going to make changes to the larger world. In order to reach the wider world, we need to talk to people who are outside of our comfort zone, people who don’t have the same mind set but might be able to teach us something and learn something in return.
So if you’re new to blogging or podcasting and want to build an audience, ask one of the people who inspired you if you can be on their show. If you’re an established blogger or podcaster who wants to reach a bigger audience, ask one of our peers, or better yet, ask someone outside the security sphere. If you want to be a guest on the Network Security Blog or Podcast … you guessed it .. just ask. The worst thing that could possibly happen is you get back a ‘no’. But in all likelihood, the answer will be closer to “When are you available?
Apr 17, 2008
Security Bloggers Meet-Up: No Helmet Required
Jennifer Leggio, Fortinet
When I was four, my mom bought me a little red tricycle. I distinctly remember the bounce of joy I did about my grandparents’ living room when I opened it. I can also vividly look back at the painstaking process it was for my grandfather to assemble the darn thing. Socket A and wrench B and tassel C and blah blah blah. I just wanted to ride, to feel the wind in my hair at a whopping .010 miles per hour, and see the, um, driveway. I was even OK with the ugly flowered helmet I would be forced to wear.
This was my first true lesson in the concept of fruits of labor. I’ve had thousands of lessons or experiences since, however the most recent came in the form of the Security Bloggers Meet-Up at RSA Conference last week. While it was an event borne of a blogger brainstorm a few years ago, this year it became my baby – though I was certainly not alone in parenting it. We grew the event from around 50 attendees in 2007 to 100+ this year and we even added live video streaming (most of which was recorded). But in the end it still held true to its mainstay as an event designed by the bloggers for the bloggers to provide them a (fairly) marketing-free zone in which to discuss whatever was on their minds.
And speaking of the bloggers, here’s a list of most of the bloggers in attendance:
- Adam J. O’Donnell
- Adam Shostack
- Adrian Lane
- Alan Shimel
- Alex Eckelberry
- Amrit Williams
- Andreas Antonopoulos
- Andrew Storms
- Andy Steingruebl
- Anton Chuvakin
- Apneet Jolly
- Ari Juels
- Augusto Barros
- Benjamin Tomhave
- Branden Williams
- Bruce Schneier
- Chris Eng
- Christofer Hoff
- Dan O’Neill
- Daniel Miessler
- David Mortman
- Derek Manky
- Eric Green
- George Ou
- Illena Armstrong
- Ira Winkler
- Jack Daniel
- James Costello
- Jeanne Friedman
- Jeff Jones
- Jeff Evenson
- Jennifer Jabbusch
- Joe Tardo
- Jon Peterson
- Josh Morin
- Kai Axford
- Katie Moussouris
- Kelly Jackson-Higgins
- Kristin Romonovich
- Leigh Hollowell
- Manu Namboodiri
- Martin McKeay
- Matt Flynn
- Michael Dahn
- Michael Farnum
- Michael Mongold
- Mike Davies
- Mike Fratto
- Mike Murray
- Mike Rothman
- Mikko Hypponen
- Misha Govshteyn
- Mitchell Ashley
- Patrick Walsh
- Patrik Runald
- Paul Hinkle
- Phillip Hallam-Baker
- Raffael Marty
- Rich Mogull
- Richard Stiennon
- Rob Cheyne
- Rob Newby
- Robert Graham
- Robert Richardson
- Roger Thompson
- Ron Gula
- Ryan Russell
- Ryan Singel
- Samuel Van Ryder
- Sara Peters
- Sarah Blankinship
- Sean Kline
- Shrikant Raman
- Stacy Thayer
- Todd Hooper
- Walt Conway
- Ward Spangenberg
- Window Snyder
Thanks again to the security blogger community and the wonderful committee of sponsors and supporters (Alan Shimel, Martin McKeay, Rich Mogull, Richard Stiennon, Jeff Jones, Dave Berkowitz and Sonya Caprio) for not only joining in what turned out to be an amazing event, but trusting me enough to steer it in the right direction. It wasn’t quite the same feeling as the glee of zooming about on my little red trike, but it was still one heck of a fun ride. And this time, I didn’t even need a helmet.
Apr 03, 2008
Security Bloggers Meet-Up: Who’s coming with me?
Jennifer Leggio, Fortinet
One week from today the security blogger population will come together at a San Francisco hot spot for drinks, conversation and – who are we kidding? – maybe a little chaos. The Security Bloggers Meet-Up at RSA Conference promises to be quite the party with an estimated 140+ attendees from across the globe planning to join.
I’ve had a countless amount people ask me for the email contact list for the bloggers attending. Since I’ve been entrusted with this master list I’ve guarded it with my life. Alright, not quite my life, but I haven’t given it to a soul. But what I haven’t been guarding is the list of blogs that will be represented at the event (it’s even on the blog roll just below!).
That said, leave a comment here with a link to your blog if you are coming to the event and/or want to be on the blog roll. Or comment at my other blog. Or send us a message on the official Twitter feed. Or direct a carrier pigeon our way. Point being – let us know.
Finally, before we get into the RSA Conference frenzy, I want to thank some great people who helped to pull this all together: Alan Shimel, Martin McKeay, Rich Mogull, Richard Stiennon, Jeff Jones, Dave Berkowitz and my partner in crime, Sonya Caprio. If you’re coming, please be sure to buy them a (free) drink to say thanks! ;-)
Can’t wait to see everyone next week!
(Cross-posted to Mediaphyter)
Mar 28, 2008
10, 9, 8, 7, . . .
Alan Shimel, StillSecure
The ball has begun to drop in the countdown to the RSA Security Bloggers Meet up. Jennifer and the rest of the event committee have made the list and checked it twice. Naughty or nice, we just can't fit another person in. The buzz around this years event is palpable. Both in person at several events I have attended, as well as on email and especially with the tweet crowd, the security bloggers and media are all a twitter (OK bad pun I know) about the event. Whether it be a chance to hoist some cocktails with friends old and new or ask that question you have always wanted to ask that person, we are just a week or two away.
Remember, there will be live audio and video podcasting for you to join in the fun (you will have to buy your own drinks though) if you are not there in person. Also, we think the live Twitter feed should add a new dynamic element to the virtual attendees. Be sure to follow the feed @RSABloggers2008.
We are already looking at other blogger meet ups at other events. If you are interested please drop us a line or leave a comment. To everyone who has RSVP'ed already, we are really looking forward to seeing you at the event!
Alan Shimel is Chief Security Officer at StillSecure and blogs at StillSecure, After All These Years.
Mar 28, 2008
The Seed was Sown in 2006
Martin McKeay, CISSP, GSNA
I attended my first RSA in 2006. It was the first time I'd applied for and gotten a press pass. I was tickled pink to be attending RSA in San Jose even if the hotel's idea of 'non-smoking' was to spray Fabreeze in the room thirty minutes before I got there. But most of all I was eager to meet one of the people who's books and blog I'd been reading online, Richard Bejtlich, who was presenting in one of the morning sessions.
Richard is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet and didn't mind me cornering him after his presentation, but he said he was on his way to a lunch being put on by Microsoft and Sunbelt Software. The lunch was being put on to introduce the companies to bloggers and Richard invited me to come. When we arrived, there were about a dozen folks sitting around the table including Stephen Toulouse and Adam Shostack. I was warmly welcomed and sat down to a very interesting lunch with some of the first bloggers in the security community.
To the best of my knowledge, this is the first real "security bloggers meetup" even though it wasn't called such at the time. Stephen (aka Stepto) has moved on from security and is now working in the Xbox Live portion of the company, which he refers to as his dream job. While this lunch didn't directly lead to the Security Bloggers Meetup we'll be having at RSA this year, it was definitely a precursor to what's happening soon and Microsoft is still a big contributor, along with Fortinet and StillSecure. If anyone should be blamed ... er .. credited with the creation of the event it should be Stephen.
Richard Bejtlich and Adam Shostack still blog, as do I, obviously. An idea that started as a small lunch of a dozen people, half of who were from Microsoft and Sunbelt Software, germinated to become the first Security Bloggers Meetup in 2007 with approximately fifty attendees. This year we had to close the invites with over 150 people RSVP'd. Security professionals clearly understand the value of blogging as a communication medium. And security companies understand the value of supporting the people who are putting themselves out in the community.
Who knows what the Security Bloggers Meetup will look like next year? One thing is for certain is we'll need a bigger venue!
Martin McKeay is the host of the Network Security Blog and the Network Security Podcast.
Mar 20, 2008
Social Networking and Security
Jennifer Leggio, Fortinet
I’ll be the first to say that this event is getting out of control – but in a very good way. As of yesterday we have 100+ bloggers and podcasters RSVPed to attend this event. I realize that the rule is that you should count on about maybe 70 percent of your RSVPs to show up, but even if roughly 70 of the invitees attend that is quite the coup.
I realize that the security social media landscape was borne long before I was involved (heck, the Security Bloggers Network is nearing 150 members now) but I’m finding the recent shifts to be fascinating. I had a first-hand experience with security and social media at last week’s SOURCE Boston conference where I supported the event with live Twitter feed coverage and helped with the live blogging. It was quite an exhausting yet fulfilling exercise; the most interesting part of which was the fury in which the conference attendees were signing up for Twitter in order to follow the SOURCE Boston feed.
Why a Twitter feed at a conference? I was asking myself the same question before we did it. But since we did, I now have the answers.
- Information Sharing – Attendees in one session were able to follow the live feed of other sessions they could not attend – either live or later in the day. It gave them the opportunity to not miss out on some great content.
- Interactivity – Even those who could not attend the con said they felt as if they were there from following the feed. We posted quotes from sessions, links to research, pictures, cross-referenced other Twitter users – all as it was happening.
- Driving community – It forced a lot of great conversation and networking; I myself became known as the “Twitter girl” at the show and it allowed me to engage in conversations with people I might not have otherwise met. I know being on Twitter resulted in some similar experiences for others as well.
We’ll be doing a live Twitter feed from the Security Bloggers Meet-Up as well, though it won’t be of the caliber of the SOURCE Boston feed. Though it could be more interesting in some regards since it will include “overheards” from a cocktail party. You never know what’ll end up on the feed – or on the live podcast and video stream that Network Security Podcast is doing – with this group. But I think the experience in Boston last week as well as through driving this event is telling me that the social networking landscape in the security community is only going to continue to grow. I’m excited that I get to be a part of it and cannot wait to more of the meet the pioneers of this community at the event in just a few weeks.
Jennifer Leggio manages strategic communications for Fortinet. Jennifer's (brand new) social networking and security blog can be found at http://mediaphyter.wordpress.com.
Mar 19, 2008
RSA Security Bloggers Meet up – Why can’t you attend?
Alan Shimel, StillSecure
One of the most common questions I get from people about the security bloggers meet up goes something like this "I don't have a security blog, but I read yours and others all the time, I would love to come to the party and meet everyone, can I get an invite?" Sorry Charlie, Security Bloggers Meet-up wants bloggers with good taste. Just kidding actually just about all security bloggers can be invited. But the key is you have to have a blog. It is not that we are snobby or holier than thou, but the whole idea of this party was that it was a place for bloggers to meet other bloggers and speak in an environment where people could talk their mind and nothing would be quoted or said that was not meant to be.