I was asked recently by a developer who was looking for a way to make a name for themselves in the global developer community how they could do just that. While this developer was not an IBM Lotus platform developer, my advice was similar, and something that was echo'ed on a recent episode of Boagworld.

The advice, simply put, is to give it away and build a portfolio.

When this developer asked me how they could establish themselves, my initial response was to ask them if they knew of any non-profit or volunteer organizations in the area. If they were able to find a local organization where they could donate their services.

Giving away your services doesn't exactly establish you as a subject matter expert, but it gives you exposure.

Exposure of your solutions to people -- especially in the volunteer organizations -- who most likely work for larger for-profit organizations.

Exposure of your solutions to customers, as there is no better confirmation of your reported skills then being able to witness them in a production environment.

And -- most importantly -- your own personal exposure to the solution delivery process.

Sure, you might be able to sling code... but until you can work the entire process (from requirements gathering thru development and to delivery), then it's all just theory.

... so what does this have to do with IBM Lotus Notes Domino application development?!

(Click thru for more...)

Frequent readers of this site should recognize the name Scott Sigler. He's one of my favorite authors, and has a knack for writing stories that are impossible to put down. The hard science horror author really delivers with his action-packed novel -- which I had the pleasure of hearing in it's initial podcast novel release -- Ancestor which goes on-sale June 22nd, 2010.

Scott just released the trailer for Ancestor, which made this junkie even more anxious for June 22nd:

(Note: This trailer contains gore and NSFW language. Use caution... or headphones.)

I've added a new category to the dominoGuru.com Amazon Store, Step away from the IDE..., and have added Ancestor as the first entry... as it's something that I can not recommend enough!

From my entry in the dominoGuru.com Amazon Store:

Revised from it's original publication as a killer podcast novel, Ancestor delivers in only the way a Scott Sigler novel can: you squirm, you look over your shoulder, you can't put it down! Hard science meets horror in this action-packed story that's the perfect blend of Alien and Die Hard!

You can pre-order the novel from the store, or directly from the author's site. If you prefer a local bookstore, please select one that reports to the New York Times Best Sellers List and help an author prove that the old ways are dead, and that giving away content and actually engaging your fans works!