Background Noise

Hey, Is This Thing On?

This feels a bit weird....I haven't posted to my blog in almost a year. I had all but abandoned her. My work and family life was eating up all my time and energy, and I found that I had very little to say. Not to mention that I felt like I had about 10 people that read it on a regular basis.

I started this thing back when I was preparing to leave the job that I held for 7 years, which was the closest thing to a "career" that I think I ever had. I had no idea what I was going to do, but I wanted to use the blog to help figure it out. It was either something that I could point potential employers to, or simply build upon if I ultimately decided to hang my own shingle out. In the end, I took on a new role as an E-Commerce Strategist with ATG, and found myself neglecting the blog. Like an old friend that you just stop communicating with, the longer I was away, the harder it was to convince myself to reconnect.

Two things changed all that recently:

1. At a recent E-Commerce conference, I ran into some people who said that they actually read this thing when I was posting regularly. Wait...what?
2. More importantly, I began using Twitter.

The act of "micro-blogging", if that's what its called, has convinced me that I actually have thoughts and ideas that are impossible to constrain to 140 characters. So, I figured what the Hell. Let's see if I can't kick-start this beast again!

So, for those of you who manage to stumble across this for the first time, I have a couple of disclaimers:

• I have no idea how often I will post.
• I have no idea what the content will look like. It might be technology-related. It might be about food. Beats me...
• My writing style and overall ability to be grammatically correct at all times sucks. Deal with it!

Hello, it's me...

In the immortal words of Jim Anchower:

Hola, amigos. I know it's been a long time since I rapped at ya, but I got a lot on my plate these days!

If you're one of the 2 people that read my blog when I first started it, you remember that I made some vague references to some upcoming changes in my professional life. Well, that has seriously come to pass, and I've been drinking from the fire hose for the last month or so, and haven't had a moment to catch my breath and devote some time to my blog.

Shortly before the end of last year, I came to the realization that I would be leaving my position as Director of E-Commerce at Finish Line. I was in that role for 7-years, and very proud of what I accomplished over that period. Unfortunately, like any other relationship, perceptions and expectations can change over time, and it was time for me to move on to a new challenge.

After much deliberation, and some really great opportunities in front of me, I decided to take a position as a Solutions Strategist with ATG. I had been a client of theirs for quite some time, serving on their Customer Advisory Board for a couple of years, so I was very excited when the opportunity presented itself. In my new role, I'm going to working in a consultative role with prospects and existing customer, helping to align the technology with the real-world demands of their online business.

As some of the members of my new employer like to joke with me, I've crossed over the "Dark Side" now. As funny as that sounds, I'm jacked about sitting on a different side of the table than what I'm accustomed to, and it's just the challenge that I've looking for!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes...Part I

As I originally alluded to when I started this blog a few months ago, I was on the verge of some changes in my professional life, the first of which has come to pass. I have officially decided to leave my role as Director of E-Commerce at The Finish Line in order to pursue other opportunities. What might those "other opportunities" be? Well, I'm not prepared to say just yet, but I'm definitely excited about the conversations that I've been having, and what the future might bring!

I've been asked by several of my peers about why I decided to leave, and all I will say is that it was simply time for a change. I presided over a period of incredible growth during my tenure, and I'm proud of everything that I accomplished. But in the end, I feel that my professional reputation was being compromised by a final product that I simply couldn't put my name on any longer. There are still a lot of very good people there, and I wish them the best of luck.

That said, I do know that Finish Line is currently looking for a VP of Direct-to-Consumer, so if you are interested in the position, feel free to email me and I can direct you to the right person. I don't have a job spec, but I have seen it and they are looking for nothing short of an Internet/Direct Marketing rock star.