Should this be the end of 'Software Testing Zone'?

They say there is a woman behind every successful man. I am not sure if that is true but let me tell you, “There are lots of untold tales of pains, agonies and failures behind *most* of those successful persons”! Does the same also apply to a successful blog on testing? Who knows!

For a long time, I was wondering if “Software Testing Zone” is a successful blog! I was doubting if I was wasting my valuable time maintaining this blog. And if I could have utilized the time spent on this blog in a more productive way to gain knowledge and learn skills that are required to become a good Software Tester. Although my site stats suggests that there are hundreds of testers (and possibly some developers, managers, domain experts, technical writers, data analysts etc) reading this blog everyday, still I was not sure if this blog is making any difference in their professional life! I love to speak and discuss testing related matters with my blog readers who contact me. Recently I received two interesting and strikingly opposite reactions about my blog during such conversations with two of my tester friends.

Anna (She is a tester from UK) – “Debasis, thanks for writing such wonderful posts on testing and giving me chance to learn so many things. I love to read your posts to such an extent that I have referred it to all my tester friends. Congratulations for running such a *successful* blog on software testing.”

Ashok Kumar (He is a good friend of mine and is a good tester too)
Ashok – “Debasis, I am just curious here. But I was wondering if you show your blog URL in your resume!”
Me – “Well Ashok, that is an interesting question indeed and the answer is Yes! I am planning to display my blog in my resume when I am looking for a new job next time around!”
Ashok – “As a friend I would suggest you NOT to do that. Chances are that you might find yourself loosing the job!”
Me – “That is really interesting! Would you please tell me your theory behind such belief?”
Ashok – “There are many testers in testing field who are not so serious about testing. Somehow they manage to work for a while as testers (in spite of their incompetency) and in due course of time are promoted to higher ranks in testing. You know riding corporate ladder does not necessarily need you to be good at your work! If the person taking your interview is such a person, (s)he might look you as a threat to his/her own position (after going through your blog) and might reject you!”
Me – “I am speechless (literally)!”

The above two conversations made me to revisit my blogging decision! One was encouraging me to write more thought provoking articles on testing and the other was pointing me towards a darker side of blogging. A scenario, where being efficient could become an obstacle for your professional growth. This is not something, I have not faced in past. But here was my blog (Software Testing Zone) posing a threat to my career! Thanks Ashok for pointing out this possible scenario, where being passionate about testing and writing passionately about testing could mean trouble!

I have been thinking on this for a while and I feel this is a worth taking risk! I have decided that I will keep writing on testing and will not hesitate to show it on my Resume when I search for a job in future! Anyway, I would not like to work with a person who is not so serious about testing and sees a good tester as a threat rather than an asset worth utilizing! So it is better to be rejected in an interview on the basis of my blog, than to work with a person who is not as passionate about testing as I consider myself to be! What do you think? What would you have done if you were in place of me? I need your honest views on this.

Coming back to Anna’s statement, I am not sure if this blog is a success as yet but I can assure you that there are good enough reasons to start/keep reading me!

» Software Testing Zone is a place where I write my real life experiences related to testing. So unlike most other testing blogs, you can expect some practical testing stories to read here.
» I am a learning tester. I blog to learn, to help others learn, to share my experiences, to help others share their experiences (via commenting), to share my views, to help others share their views, to gain exposure to the current happenings of the testing world, to help others in doing so, and last but not the least, to build credibility and reputation as a tester!
» I no longer (don’t) write theoretical stuffs on testing. Already a lot has been written and spoken about theories on software testing. So instead of reinventing the wheel, I write something practical and out of the box, that might interest testers who are really serious and passionate about testing.
» Each of my new posts goes through a series of rigorous testing (I mean it) before it is published. I have noticed that some great international testers are reading my blog these days. That fills me with even more sense of responsibility to deliver quality content. In case you are interested in testing my testing abilities, probably an easy way to do so is to read my posts, which are tested by me! :)
» I love to test a whole range of products (both software and non-software) in my free time. And I like to use my blog as a defect/bug/issue tracker to log all those defects that I find during testing. So if you are reading me, you can get a chance to come across defects in products that you already might be using in your day-to-day life. You may want to dig through the Archive area (“Unearth The Dead!” section in the sidebar) to find such posts.
» This blog is like a reality show! I am on my journey to become a Software Testing Expert from India. That is my ultimate dream and I am working hard to make it a reality. I guess you would be interested to know if I was successful in chasing my dream. And the only way to know is by following this blog!
» I try to write at least one post per week. So you will find something new to read on this blog at least once a week. And let me assure you that it will be unique; you won’t find the same content on any other testing blog! (Of course unless someone copies my stuff)
» Usually I don't reject reader comments (even if they are against my ideas/views, unless they are too offensive, use foul words, and are targeted personally). So, if you have anything to share or want to clarify a doubt you can use this blog as a platform for testing related technical discussions. Usually, I reply to comments that are fired specifically at me. In case I am unable to answer some of your doubts, others who are reading this blog might still have an answer for your question!

I have tried to note down few reasons why I think I should continue blogging and why you should keep reading me. I am open to your comments/constructive criticisms/feedbacks/views/opinions. Feel free to jot down your thoughts via commenting. Help me in becoming better at testing and making this a successful blog. Wish me luck in emerging as a Testing Expert from India. :)

Happy Testing…

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About Debasis Pradhan

Debasis has over a decade worth of exclusive experience in the field of Software Quality Assurance, Software Development and Testing. He writes here to share some of his interesting experiences with fellow testers.