My CEO Life

Imagine my surprise when i received a google alert today that i had been mentioned in the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH).  As i had not been interviewed by the SMH recently, it was then with enthusiasm and a little curiosity that i opened the online article.  Had someone decided to write about our new business venture, Classified Ad Ventures or perhaps one our investments – ArtsHub, Sports Passion, or Homethinking in the US. Or perhaps they had picked up on some of the articles about the REA Group / realestate.com.au that we had been writing over on Property Portal Watch. Thefore imagine my surprise when it was none of these.

Under the heading of Blog Reveals All, The Sydney Morning Herald decided to write up the existance of this blog and my departure from the REA Group in August last year. While a little late, it was flattering to know that they wanted to write this up as a story. The article focuses on the fact that this blog exists and openly discusses what it is like to be a CEO of a listed company and now a start up – Classified Ad Ventures. The article also talks about how i was summarily dismissed from the REA Group by the Board.

While it was fund to read about the past, it did get me thinking about blogging and why it is important – for the blogger and the reader.  In Australia, there are not that many blogs – especially compared to the US and to a lesser extent, the UK.  And those that are blogging are usually not writing about things that are that interesting. 

However, i do think that blogs play an important role.  When well written, they provide great insights into a specific topic – far more than you are likely to gain from traditional media.  They allow those that are interested in a particular topic to gain easy access to subject matter experts.  The challenge of course is wading through the mass of poorly written blogs to find those that can truly provide valuable insights.  That is where services such as <a href=”http://www.regator.com”>Regator</a> come into play.  They provide a sort of filtering mechanism, much the same as LookSmart did in the early days of the internet.  A blog is also important for the blogger.  It provides an outlet for them to share information (news and views) that they believe is important. 

It would be great to see more blogs being written by people in leadership positions.  I think that the transparency would go along way to providing a better insight into their day to day lives and the challenges they face.  Lets hope more leaders catch the blogging bug soon.

1. Launching Property Portal Watch (in Beta of course :))

   I have been very busy since leaving the REA Group (realestate.com.au) a few weeks ago. One of the things that i have been working on is the launch of Property Portal Watch. This site is designed to provide readers with...

2. Its YOUR Career – Take Charge!

   In many of my discussions with staff over the years, there seems to be an inbuilt expectation that a business is going to actively train and educate you with your long term career in mind. Well i hate to break...

3. Thank you – A Special Message to My Ex-Collegues at the REA Group

   A week ago i left the REA Group after 7.5 years leading the business.  I didnt get a chance to say goodbye to everyone so i thought i would write a note to the team at the REA Group to...

4. Who am I?

   For the last couple of years i have been writing this blog with a degree of anonymity.  I did this so i could comment freely on the things that were happening around me.  However i realise that this doesnt really...

5. Emirates Part 2 – Great Follow Up Customer Service

   A week or so ago i wrote about the not so good service i received on a recent Emirates Airlines flight.  Well i thought i would go further than just bleating about it on this site.  I decided to write...