Once more, with feeling

Who am I and why am I here?

That’s how I started my first blog post, in December 2004. Back then, the blogosphere was still relatively new, and my main focus in life was XML, with side interests in crafting and music and an emerging specialty in digital identity. That blog was called Pushing String.

Identity-centered concerns quickly took over as they became my full-time job, first at Sun Microsystems, then at PayPal, Forrester Research, and ForgeRock. Now, in 2024, I advise technology vendors and enterprises looking to enhance their distinctive attributes through identity, all under a new banner that says Venn Factory.

(These days, my music hobby is relegated to throwing karaoke parties. And coffee has gained a ridiculously large new role in my life.)

What’s a Venn Factory?

The Venn Factory is a place where you can make key insights and connections, and then make them practical – with outcomes you can see and experience.

Why the name? First, who doesn’t love a Venn diagram? Second, those in the know may recall that I’ve created many, many Venn diagrams for analyzing the identity realm since the mid-2000’s, and somewhere along the line got tagged with the moniker Queen of Venn.

Venn Factory is here to help you develop irresistible identity strategies. What do I mean by that? To be irresistible it has to capture your distinctives, articulate your vision and values, and compel action and connection.

What happens in The Workshop?

The original blogosphere had a kind of magic to it, and the original identity blogosphere doubly so. With each blogger sharing their own perspective, and with the power of comment threads, we collaborated rapidly to push forward new ideas. A blog aggregator called Planet Identity (run by the talented Pat Patterson) allowed people to subscribe to the whole darn thing.

What we do today feels more marketing-driven, and it feels like a loss. In my opinion, we need less “influencing” and more “workshopping.” Hence the name of this blog. (Hat tip to Identity at the Center podcasters Jim McDonald and Jeff Steadman, who are spurring valuable industry discussions of the classic sort, only in audio form.)

Put simply, I hope to contribute to the industry conversation in this fashion in The Workshop, along with giving others space to contribute as well. And as befitted Pushing String in its time, I’ll include the human side in the discussion.

Logistics

You can expect new posts at least once a month. If you subscribe through Substack, you’ll receive posts in your email.

Thank you

Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts! And if you’re wondering where the first new Venn diagram is…stay tuned. (Or propose a topic for one in the comments.)

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