A year ago I posted my first ever blog “New Year’s Eve Security Plan Karachi”

 

The Why?

Really simple Salma Jafri (@salmajafri) had been nagging me for several months to share my knowledge and was convinced people would read it.

 

The How!

Crowd Sourcing a term I only learnt many months later after actually getting the work done.

People I met over twitter, where I’d been ranting about how difficult setting up a blog was, stepped in.

Kulsoom (@Rj_Kulsoom) helped me create my wordpress account.
Imtiaz (inspirex) set me up with hosting.
Urshela (@urshelariaz) set me up with my “nJa” logo
Shoaib (@shobz) worked with me on the posts, editing, formats, APIs and whole lot more.

Along the way I’ve had more support from @ambershasan @chuck_lala @fursid @harimirchein @aaliyajaved @aftershockCEM @R3scueranger  all of whom have contributed in various ways to the blog.

 

The Experience!

I was a bit apprehensive in the beginning. Unsure if I would be able to come up with simple tips that would be clearly understood by the reader with little or no interaction. My professional experiences until this point were that all tips needed some explanations or testimonials to clear doubts.

For the most part however I’ve seen that the “K.I.S.S.” rule worked. (If you don’t know you’ll enjoy looking it up)

There were and still are the detractors those who wonder what expertise or experience I had to be sharing information on life safety matters. Proving my credentials has never been my thing and so I ignore them.

There were some funny moments when readers would tell me how they’ve seen the tips shared word for word by other security professionals as their own work. Initially it annoyed me and I ended up placing watermarks on the posts. However after thinking about it I stopped doing that because it meant a larger audience was getting to read them.

Some of the highlights have to be the posts being discussed by Local TV, Radio and even being quoted in print media. International bodies picking up the posts and sharing it further has been beneficial as it has given me an opportunity to talk to experts the world over.

The greatest acknowledgement has to be what I’ve received from the readers. On many occasions I’ve had people let me know that something they read helped them in preventing or overcoming that particular situation. Some chose to write to me, others tweet, a few met me in gatherings & yet others who got a hold of my number and called me. It’s a wonderful feeling to know that you’ve been able to make a difference even if it’s a small one.

My only request to everyone out there is that every now and then I’ll need your help to compile information that may actually benefit you at some point in time or someone else. Please take out five minutes to fill out those surveys. Someone somewhere will thank you and if not I surely will.

Your feedback is always appreciated because I actually use it!  ask@norbalm.com

 

Thank You! Have a Safe End to the Year 2013!

 

Norbert Almeida aka Noor Butt Al-Media aka @Norbalm

 

6 thoughts on “A year comes to an end …”
  1. You have done a marvelous job in compiling and sharing security resources. I know people personally who have benefited from these posts. Keep them coming.

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