I am Mark Dykeman and I live in Woodstock, New Brunswick, CANADA.    It’s a (really) small town, but a decent place to raise a family (I have a wife, a son, and a daughter).  I’ve lived here most of my life.  Big cities can be fun and stimulating, but there’s something about the pace of life in a smaller town that seems to work for me.  Thank goodness for high speed Internet, though!

I’m an IT professional by day, so this blog and my other online activity are hobbies at the moment.  I observe social media and I often participate, including:

• blogging
• microblogging (mainly Twitter)
• social bookmarking
• participation in forums or other communication media

I have been (or currently am) a contributor at the following blogs:

• TouchBase at Pistachio Consulting
• LouisGray.com
• Mashable.com
• SiliconANGLE
• Collective Thoughts

I have also written several guest posts for Copyblogger, LateralAction and Pick The Brain.

I do not possess any equity, ownership, or editorial control at the blogs where I have contributor status.

I do receive compensation for some of my blogging and writing work.

Here’s some personal stuff:

• I have a Bachelor’s of Business Administration from a New Brunswick  CANADA university
• I work for a local company. It’s a multinational company in the middle of a charming nowhere. Nineteen years later I’m still there, which is pretty odd for a Gen Xer.  I don’t write about my company in public  as it’s privately owned and tends to control its communications with the public quite tightly.  It’s a good company, but it’s just better if I don’t write about it so that I don’t interfere with its communications strategy.
• I have earned several professional certifications, including CPIM from APICS and Advanced Communicator Silver from Toastmasters.
• The Best Of page will give you some insight into some of my more important online interests.
• I do a lot of guest posting and other writing outside of this blog. Check my Writing page for more info.

A few other things:

• My personality type is INTJ, as per the Myers Briggs Type Indicator.
• For some reason I’m interested in office supplies and planning tools.  I’m still trying to find the perfect To Do list and planning tool.
• I’ve been lucky enough to spend extended periods of time in the US, the UK, Australia, and parts of Europe.
• I don’t read comic books very often these days, but I seem to read about them a lot.
• I have a number of writing projects and other interests that I tinker with on occasion.
• I have done a small amount of acting and improv performances.
• I am active in Toastmasters and have started a club in addition to belonging to another.