This Labor Day marks the end of my Summer Technology Break, a self-imposed exile from spending too much time at the computer when instead I could be enjoying family, the great outdoors, and the real world.  How did I do?  Well, the family spent some time in Michigan visiting family, friends, and the fish.  My 4 1/2 year-old son caught his first trout on his first fishing trip (thanks to the patience of Jason and Jean Stephens from Head Hunter Guides).  We also spent a week camping and hiking in the Black Hills of South Dakota which included a family hike up Harney Peak.  For the most part, I would say my break from technology during my hours away from my "day job" was a success.

While I did manage to maintain CMS Report during the summer with a number of posts, I would say my Google PageRank and decrease in advertisement revenue shows that I was indeed on a technology break.  With the break over, I will now be tending to the posts in numbers and consistency with more tender loving care.  I also have some ideas for helping to take CMSReport.com up to the next level.  For better or for worse, you can expect some changes at this site in the months to follow.

I'm sure by now, new visitors to CMSReport.com have wondered...why so few posts?  Last May, I explained that I was taking a break from technology during the off hours of my "day job".

So, as I have done in past years, I'm taking a break from technology. By posting less during the summer months, I hope to recharge my blogging batteries for the cold weather that is sure to follow.  I will make an effort for the quality high for those articles I do post this summer, but the quantity of posts will be somewhat lower.  My slogan for this summer's tech break is Blog less, breathe more.  I hope some of the other blog junkies out there join me and take a similar technology breaks.  Life is too short to live and die by the computer.

So, now you know.  I haven't lost interest in content management systems and information technology but I do have a greater interest.  I have an interest of staying sane in this busy profession of IT which many of us have chosen.  If you don't take such a break yourself, how do you keep your sanity?

Blogger: Beyond the Basics is a new book from Packt, which will take users beyond the basics of Blogger. Written by Lee Jordan, this book will help users to take full advantage of the rich and powerful features of Blogger to transform their blog into a fresh and state-of-the-art blog as quickly and painlessly as possible.

Blogger is a blog publishing system from Google with a friendly interface specifically designed to create and maintain weblogs. It allows users to easily create dynamic blogs with great content and many outstanding features including RSS feeds, link-backs, photo slideshows, and integration with popular Google applications like Picasa. Its versatility and ease of use has attracted a large, enthusiastic, and helpful community of users.

Seth Gottlieb, Content Here, recently turned me on to Sacha Chua and her blog.  Sacha is an Enterprise 2.0 consultant and application developer for IBM and she also happens to be a very good blogger.  What makes her blog interesting, besides being well written, is her posts on corporate use of social technologies given from the perspective of her generation, the Millennials (latest hip word for Generation Y).

While some organizations are still debating about introducing Web 2.0 technologies to their employees, this newest generation now entering the workforce is likely to expect that such technologies are already available to them for use in their daily work tasks.  While the use of information technology is often viewed by companies in terms of staying competitive and a requirement for implementing strategic plans, the technologies are also increasingly becoming an essential tool for the human resources department.  If you're expecting to attract and keep bright educated Millennials such as Sacha within your organization, you then need to better understand how people in her work cohort are likely to process the work given.

During the past week, you may have noticed that I'm posting less here at CMS Report. I love the opportunity I've been given to blog about content management systems and pointing readers to the great articles I've read at other sites on the Internet.  Discussing information systems and information technology is not only part of my career, but it is also my hobby.  However, when the weather warms, the trees grow their leaves, and children playing outside can be heard...I yearn for a break from technology.  The other me beckons to spend time camping, hiking, going to baseball games, and simply being outdoors.

So, as I have done in past years, I'm taking a break from technology. By posting less during the summer months, I hope to recharge my blogging batteries for the cold weather that is sure to follow.  I will make an effort for the quality high for those articles I do post this summer, but the quantity of posts will be somewhat lower.  My slogan for this summer's tech break is Blog less, breathe more.  I hope some of the other blog junkies out there join me and take a similar technology breaks.  Life is too short to live and die by the computer.

As always, I appreciate help in any articles or links posted here at CMSReport.com.  If you want to help, create an account today and start contributing your own CMS stories here at this site. Thanks for your support!

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