Today I wish to address some concerns about those who ask me "What's the point of this blog" or "Yet another pointless cloned blog on the web".

Are you looking for somethin'?

But as I see it, my blog is heavily justified by my profession, which requires me to deal with different scenarios, and consequently (as the majority of my readers I suppose), rely on Google and the "Free Internet" as of 2012.

Sometimes Sysadmins end up spending hours (maybe even days), to successfully deal with specific users'/customers' requirements for acceptable solutions.

This process requires plenty of time, knowledge and creativity (yes, even traditional System Administration and Network Engineering duties require on your part plenty of creativity and lateral thinking).

Tricks under my sleeve!

I am a "results-oriented"-man, because "At the end of the day, that's the only thing that matters!"

To save time and avoid incurring on the same searches over and over again (like a broken clock), I allocate a portion of my problem-solving time to document my workflow. This way, if I happen on the same (or similar) situation again, I won't have to restart from scratch.

My last paragraph is better exemplified by a picture as well (not a proper-one, but you get the idea...!):

This "picture" shows you what my specific experience on dealing with a particular issue was.

I heavily rely on those (apparently gibberish for non-techies) keywords to act fast and prevent searching over and over on Google, because those keywords are written by me to make me "instantly remember" what was the point of my article and how I successfully solved my specific issue at the time.

Obviously new keywords are manually added (by me) while publishing new articles.

(...it also perfectly fits to my blog title, which is an abbreviation of the "Power User" word!).

Sysadmins: Jacks of all trades and Masters of none.

I don't like that appellation and anytime I am writing a new article I know I am fighting against it (and frankly, what's the point if you say you can do everything, but then you'll have to search on Google? Everybody can do that!).

When I'm required to perform a task or solve a specific issue, my best-case scenario requires me to simply read the keyword that enlightens me, then start doing, which means less time spent thinking and searching and more time spent on solving specific problems.

This feature of my blog is mainly useful to me, but I reckon any Linux/Windows SysAdmin may be able to decipher my keywords and understand at once what I am specifically referring to.

This is my way of "giving back" to my colleagues. I also think this positively adds value to my blog and reinforces my reasoning.

Ads & Beer.

The advertisements are just part of the game: I strive to keep a balance between the "taking" and the "giving". Since hosting and VPS are professional services that costs money which I'll have to cashout on my own, by clicking some of my advertisements, you'll contribute to the blog maintenance. If some particular article did help you "save your day", I also included a Paypal button which would allow you to shout me a beer that I'd gladly share with my wife.

Thanks for reading this, have a wonderful day!

Andrea Matesi.