jeffhester.net

More than fine describes my intent for what you will find here at jeffhester.net — stuff that I think is notable or otherwise worth your time and attention. It is not a personal blog, although you will gain insight into what makes me tick. I tend to focus on Web 2.0, online communities, social networks and knowledge management.

I would like to hear from you — what you like; what annoys you; or what you’d like to see more of. Leave a comment and speak your mind.

Who is Jeff Hester?

I am an author, speaker, community-builder, inciter, provocateur, KM advocate, unabashed geek, mountain biker and wanna be classical guitarist.

I’m currently working on a third-generation knowledge management system for a Fortune 500 firm, performing usability testing and developing the user experience. Knowledge management (KM) is usually the buzz-word laden domain of high-priced consultants, but I have the pleasure of working with a team that really understands KM and has produced measurable results.

I am a big believer in online communities, as evidenced by my own network of community sites. The biggest of these is BigBlueBall, providing instant messaging news, support and tutorials for the entire IM community since 2001. BigBlueBall has grown to over 46,000 members.

Meta-data

I’m all over the web. You can go ahead and google me, but then you’ll get other Jeff Hesters out there, like this astronomer responsible for a lot of cool photos from the Hubble telescope. But that’s not me.

This is me.

• Flickr - I post photos fairly regularly. I don’t pretend to be a pretentious photographer. You’ll see nice shots and snapshots all mixed together.
• Twitter - Yeah, I do that, too. If you add me, I’ll add you. And there is the nicer-looking cousin, Jaiku. Twitter feeds my Jaiku stream, so take your choice.
• Last.fm - If you ever wonder what music I’m listening to, this site will show you. It tracks my top artists, favorite songs, and of course, most recent listens.
• del.icio.us - I prefer to store my bookmarks online, where I can access them from anywhere — and share them with anyone (including you).

Publications

Co-author, AutoCAD 3D Design & Presentation
New Riders. Out of print.

Published in 2001, this was the very first book to cover 3D Studio. I co-authored this book with my friend Michele Bousquet, whom I first met through the online Autodesk community hosted on Compuserve.

This book went on to be published in German, Chinese and Portuguese.

Co-author, A Guide to Multimedia
New Riders. Out of print.
Remember “multimedia?” It sounds so archaic today, but back in the days of Windows 3.1, many people didn’t even have sound cards for their PCs! Change is good.

Co-author, AutoCAD: The Professional Reference
New Riders. Out of print.

Yes, as you might have guessed, I was really into CAD for many years, with a slant toward 3D.

Speaking Engagements

I’m scratching my head a bit on this. I’ve spoken at numerous conferences, and I’m going to have to do some digging to remember the dates and topics correctly. For now, here’s a partial list of my public speaking engagements (details to follow):

• 2005 PlantSuccess NorthEast, Philadelphia, PA
  Knowledge Without Boundaries: Leveraging KM Across Time, Space and Community
• 2005 APQC Knowledge Transfer Session, St. Louis, MO
  Using Communities of Practice to Drive Organizational Performance and Innovation
• 2003 KM World, Santa Clara, CA
  Strategies for Building and Sustaining Successful Communities of Practice
• 1999 A-E-C Systems, Los Angeles, CA
• 1998 Autodesk University, Los Angeles, CA
• 1998 Daratech Internet/Intranet Strategies, Los Angeles, CA
• 1997 Daratech Internet/Intranet Strategies, Los Angeles, CA
• 1997 3D Design Conference, San Francisco, CA

Got any questions for me? Want to know more?

Leave a comment and I’ll try to fill in the details, okay?