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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Thomas, Paul J.
Bite Size Advice: A definitive guide to political, economic, social and technological issues
p. cm.
ISBN: 978-161339817
1. BUSINESS & ECONOMICS/General
2. BUSINESS & ECONOMICS/Government & Business
3. BUSINESS & ECONOMICS/Education
Every attempt has been made to trace accurate ownership of copyrighted material in this book. Errors and omissions will be corrected in subsequent editions, provided that notification is sent to the publisher.
The views expressed in this publication are those of the author and not necessarily those of Gateway Credit Union Ltd.
To my wonderful parents, Paul and Dorothy Thomas, exemplary role models of hard work and principled living.
A book is rarely the work of one individual and this book is no exception. Many people helped me on the long journey to get Bite size advice published. This book, however, owes particular recognition to four women, without whose support it would not exist.
My biggest debt of gratitude goes to my publisher, Katherine Owen. Turning a blog into a book requires a publisher with an open mind who can think outside the square. I hit the jackpot with Katherine. She is a regular reader of my blog and believed it would appeal to a wider audience.
Special thanks must go to Gateway’s Chairman, Catherine Hallinan, who also demonstrated strategic foresight and saw the potential in transforming the repository of blog content into a published book format. She championed my transition from blogger to author and was unwavering in her support.
Not to be forgotten is the assistance of my PA, Marisa Dul, who for the past seven years has proofread each blog post before it has gone live on the Gateway website. She also proofread the manuscript for this book. Marisa is a quiet achiever who effectively manages me as well as my busy diary.
Finally, my deepest appreciation is reserved for my wife, Beverley Thomas. Given the pressures of my working week, I write most blog posts at home on a Saturday afternoon. Beverley has encouraged me to do this even though it takes away from our time together. Her support is invaluable.
This book contains a cross-section of blog posts organised thematically into four chapters. Each chapter contains posts covering a common theme. By arranging the posts into discrete subject areas, the reader is able to find all the content about a specific topic in one chapter, making browsing by interest much easier. Note that the chapters can be read in any order and that each chapter begins with a brief introduction. Please also note that the posts contained in each chapter are not presented in chronological order. Each post ends with a footnote showing the original publishing date to provide a timestamp and historic context.
Contents
You cannot open a book without learning something.
-CONFUCIUS
It is estimated that there are over 150 million blogs on the Internet and the number continues to rise. The blogosphere has rapidly become a big and busy world, yet is still relatively new. The first blog was written by a college student in 1994 and a decade later the word blog was declared word of the year by Merriam-Webster.
While there are many blogs, not all are created equal. One which stands out from the crowd is a thought-provoking and eclectic blog written by Paul Thomas. Paul is the Chief Executive Officer of Gateway Credit Union in Sydney. Gateway was a relatively early adopter of blogging and maintains one of Australia’s leading business blogs.
Australian companies remain cautious about embracing social media tools like blogs. In contrast, Paul has been putting a human face to Gateway via his CEO Blog since March 2008. Paul is living proof that blogging is no longer the sole realm of geeks and believes that corporations without blogs are faceless entities.
This book is a compelling collection of some of Paul’s blog posts –
