The Skeptical Informer, June 2007, Volume 1, No. 5

For reasons that are not clear, my newsletter database says I didn't send the June edition. I hope this is wrong, but what the heck: a bonus this month, two newsletters! June and September! (Thanks to the way the template works, you'll get the same pictures in both, sorry)

What an extraordinary month it was in June on the IT Skeptic blog. I had expected ITIL Version 3 books to dominate proceedings, but they took a back seat to debate over the itSMF: it's transparency, it's accountability to members, and the broader debate over its viability and reason for existence.

We also had an enormous debate over the philosophy behind the Service Strategy book, culminating in accusations of plagiarism in comments on the blog! Not to mention robust discussion of APMG's new certification scheme for V3, and the perennial CMDB. Next to all that, the IT Skeptic's new BOKKED, the Body of Knowledge Known Error Database, has had to take a back seat. But I hope this facility will grow if it is seen as useful by the IT community.

Getting back to the itSMF, the IT Skeptic was delighted to see Keith Aldis - CEO of itSMF UK and of itSMF International - wade into debate on my blog. His openness and preparedness to meet criticism head on is a refreshing change from past practice. Long may it last, though a cynic doubts that it will last long, once other powers notice. He has been quiet of late...

We have had two emails from Leah Palmer, itSMF USA President, to US members regarding the accusations of foul play in the itSMF USA Board election. These emails either show a determination to investigate all avenues or a determination to shoot the messnger - I am not yet sure which.

This is not the end of the itSMF's woes with Board trouble brewing in another country as well!

You can see from this newsletter that the IT Skeptic has taken a long hard look at governance and transparency of itSMF. A recent poll shows just under 90% of you are itSMF members so this examination will continue (the rest of you please bear with us for now).

I end with two quotes from me from the blog:

"I encourage all readers who are itSMF members ...to ask ...questions of your local chapter. Ask them formally in writing and ask your chapter executive to pass them officially to itSMF International for response. If that doesn't work email the Chairman direct: chair@itsmf.org. I'm just a troublemaking nutter living on 'the last two rocks before you step off the planet'. I can safely be ignored. A groundswell of queries from multiple chapters cannot."

"My personal interest on the internet is social computing or Web 2.0. This blog has made me intrigued by the democratic power of Web 2.0 and I have already served notice that I intend to explore that power. You can see the first rumblings on this blog already..."