Recently there has been an uptick in conversations surrounding the G.O.A.T. With the live sports world essentially halted, ESPN and the rest of the sports channels are replaying old games and focusing on some of the greatest and most popular players of each sport. Yes, I still have normal cable. Being a pretty big sports fan it’s been a pretty good filler in the absence of live sports. I’ve enjoyed watching ‘The Last Dance’ which focused on Micheal Jordan, ‘Tiger Slam’ focused on Tiger Woods and some others like Gretzky, Mike Tyson Cal Ripken. As a nostalgic sports fan it has been great.
So this is a tech blog right? So all of these shows had me thinking about who in the VMware community is the G.O.A.T., or the IronMan, a person that you would want to aspire to be like. Knowing that you may never reach that greatness! But who makes me want to hit the keyboard, and create something cool, or automate that strange thing to save me a few mouse clicks, etc.
While I think that the VMware community is full of great folks, it is a very large community with a lot of positive attitudes that are willing to help. I can say that honestly as I have been around for quite a while and participate(d) in several other communities that aren’t as well established.
The person that jumps out at me is William Lam. He is head and shoulders above anyone else in the community. He is the vGoat.
So what makes William the v.G.O.A.T.-? Several things.
- Longevity
- Quality Content
- Nobel Intent
- Generally speaking, a really nice person
Longevity
His blog https://www.virtuallyghetto.com/ has been around for over 10 years. Honestly, I would love to see the stats his blog generates. I’m happy when I see 10-15 views per day on my blog, lol. He’s a machine.
Quality Content
He is an expert. He is intelligent. His blog posts reflect this. The content of his posts are detailed and consumable. Whether it be a new feature, troubleshooting a common problem, or just something cool that he has been working on, his writing style allows you to be immersed in the content to understand the purpose of the blog post. The level of automation that he is able to achieve across a wide variety of technology is pretty amazing when you step back and take a look. His knowledge spans many products, not a stove pipe. His knowledge is deep, not just wide. The frequency of the content is also something to note. This is where I’d love to see his stats again, but I would venture to say 1-2 blog posts a week is normal if not a bit low.
Nobel Intent
While I cannot speak for William, I truly believe his goal is to educate everyone. He wants to share the solutions he works on, and make life easier for anyone that uses the products he touches. He cares, about his work, helping others, delivering great products, great content, etc. The word ‘Passion’ comes to mind when I think of him. He is so energetic about his work, it addictive, it excites me to jump back into something I am working on.
Generally speaking, a really nice person
I have had the pleasure of talking with William over the years and its a pleasure. He is a kind person. Loves to talk tech stuff, he is interested in learning about those edge cases and weird scenarios you may have.
The tech oozes from his soul. That is something I appreciate.
So Check out his blog and follow him on Twitter, or vGhetto. You will never be bored.
The Great ones always stand out. Thank you for all that you do William.
Invoke-Automation 