Specialization

Roy posted: I should focus on a particular area of .Net and create a following too ;)

Some people actually think I'm over-specialized :) But I, of course, disagree. Specializing has really helped me find a fun and interesting niche in the huge world of .NET.  I work a full-time job and DatagridGirl.com is just a hobby, so I would never have the time to manage a site that covers all of ASP.NET--it's just too huge of a topic.  Plus, general ASP.NET tutorial sites have been done, there's no need to add another one.  What hadn't been done, was a site just devoted to the Datagrid.

Plus, it's a lot easier to be really good at something when you're focused on one thing, rather than doing a little bit of everything.  When I have extra coding time, I usually work on an experiment that's Datagrid-related, rather than just any interesting area that strikes my fancy.  This means I've done more interesting things with Datagrids than most people out there, because I focus on it.  If you're only doing one thing, you have a better chance at doing it well.

Another advantage is that you become the "go-to" person in that technology.  When any of my ASP.NET buds have a Datagrid question, they know they can come to me.  When Microsoft hosted an online chat about the Datagrid and needed some MVPs to help staff it, I was honored that they asked me.  Now I'm not saying I'm the be-all/end-all when it comes to Datagrids--there are plenty of people who have done more with it:  Scott Mitchell, Dino Esposito, and Andy Smith come to mind, plus countless folks within Microsoft.  But it does give me a niche, and an area to build my name around.

So Roy, if you weren't just joking around, go out and build that specialty :)

Datagrid Girl

Published Tuesday, March 25, 2003 12:18 AM by datagridgirl

Comments

# re: Specialization

Hi DataGridGirl! Since you are so intrested in datagrids, maybe you could be intrested in an article I recently wrote. It's about binding webservice results to a datagrid (not just datasets, but custom build collections). You can find it here: http://www.codeproject.com/useritems/LeaditWebServiceWrapper.asp Greetz, Jan

Tuesday, March 25, 2003 1:43 AM by Jan Tielens

# Specialization reviewed : ISerializable

Specialization reviewed : ISerializable

Tuesday, March 25, 2003 3:18 AM by TrackBack

# Shared Source CLI Essentials Book is out + more about specialization : ISerializable

Shared Source CLI Essentials Book is out + more about specialization : ISerializable

Tuesday, March 25, 2003 3:18 AM by TrackBack

# re: Specialization

I agree in the need for specialization. Don't chase after every dollar. The only person that can say if you are too specialized is the customer. if you are too specialized, you will know it because the customer will not pay for that one piece.

Wally

Tuesday, March 25, 2003 7:09 AM by Wally

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