It all started back on February 21st 2007, and it's been a load of fun since. I have been watching the post count for a while to see when I would hit #200, and here we are!
When I first started this last year, I had no clue it would grow to what it has, and I had no idea that I would have the opportunities that I have had along the way.
Along the way there have been some pretty memorable moments. Among them are:
Breaking the news of the Solidworks and Autodesk merger
Releasing graphics card info about SW 2008 from the Beta program, and not getting in trouble!
Counting down the 23 or so top reasons to attend Solidworks World 2008
Interviewing Lynn Allen at Solidworks World
Potentially getting myself uninvited to Solidworks World 2009 because of three pictures!
Posting 25 blogs in 4 days at Solidworks World 2008
Discovering that according to a CEO of another cad company that Solidworks wasn't parametric
Those are just a few of the highlights!
The blog has opened up lots of opportunities for me also. Contacting many people at Solidworks at all levels is just an email away making it easy to get answers and find out about things readers want to know. Having the ability to pass along what users tell me to the people at Solidworks is also a big advantage.
There are some people that I want to take a moment to thank for their help, professionalism, support, and all around input.
Patrick Cook who is in the Internet marketing department at Solidworks is the person responsible for all the behind the scenes technical stuff. Without his expertise, I wouldn't have a profile picture, and you would still be finding me at some impossible to remember web address. But more than that, he insures that all of the Solidworks supported blogs stay running like clockwork.
Richard Doyle who is the user group community manager is the inspiration for not only myself, but for many others to do what we do. His passion for the community inspires a lot of the bloggers and user group leaders to do the best job we can.
Nancy Buchino and Laura Kosikowski from Solidworks PR who made my trip to Solidworks World 2008 the most memorable World to date. Their tireless efforts insure that all the uppity press people have everything they need for those four days every year at World.
The Solidworks Blog Squad who spend their free time creating posts with information about using Solidworks better, running contests with cool prizes, and running online forums to help disseminate information. Without these guys leading the way, I would have had no clue what to babble about here!
And finally most important, you the reader. I know there are a few hundred of you that check in on a daily basis, and I thank you. With out you, I would be talking to myself, and my cat.
The future. Well I guess that begins now. In the immediate future, there are some very exciting things happening. I will be conducting my very first official hardware review for Product Design & Development Magazine next month. We will be heading out on the road yet again for work, most likely making our way to Oregon, Reno, and Norther California.
Also next month is a very exciting trip I am taking back east. I have been mentioning it from time to time, and now here are the details. I have been invited to attend the Solidworks quarterly meeting at their headquarters in Concord Mass. Not only that, I have been asked to speak in front of the employees at their meeting to discuss my experience with Solidworks. Having the opportunity to address so many people from Solidworks and Dassult is exciting. I thank them for giving me the opportunity, and I look forward to visiting next month.
So for now, that wraps up the 200th post on the blog. Again, thanks for following along, and heres to the next 200!
Congrats on making your personal milestone Mike. I always enjoy reading your viewpoints and ideas. I will continue to look forward to future posts and more reports on your trips.
Have a great day!
Posted by: Rod Uding | April 21, 2008 at 08:37 AM
Congratulations Mike. Enjoy your trip to Concord, MA. If you get the chance, go into town, it's quaint and there are many historical homes there.
Devon
Posted by: Devon T. Sowell | April 19, 2008 at 09:30 AM
Congratulations on the milestone Mike. You do a wonderful job here. Keep up the great work!
Posted by: Jason Raak | April 19, 2008 at 08:11 AM
Happy 200th Blogiversary
Look forward to more posts !
Adrian D.
www.aaadrafting.com
Posted by: Adrian Dunevein | April 19, 2008 at 07:13 AM