There comes a time for all of us when we just have to admit that we need help. If we’re smart it comes early on and we build relationships with others who know more than us and are willing to help. For some that is easy. Maybe they work in a big company that has lots of IT staff to learn from or maybe they live in an area that has a very active IT community. For the rest of you who work for small companies, don’t know many others that are in IT or who are just too busy to get out there are a few resources that can help you help yourself.

Several years ago I realized that I needed to find a few of those resources to help me out. One of the web sites that I found was the TechTarget family of sites. They offer good content and are a great place to go when you need something. Not to mention the fact that they have a separate site for most any technology that you could imagine. Then one day they created another site that offered even more of a benefit. That site is ITKnowlegeExchange.com. I joined way back in 2005 when it was (if I remember correctly) primarily a forum for asking and answering questions. I used it to get answers to a few questions that I had and tucked the url away in my bookmarks. As my career changed directions and I needed technical questions answered less and less I forgot about it. Then not too long ago I stumbled across it again and noticed that it has changed quiet a bit. The forums are still there but there is so much more now. They have their own blogs and have really changed the look of the site.

I spent a little time browsing some of the questions and was impressed with the numbers of good responses that were given to many of the questions. I read a few blogs and recognized a few names that I respect in the industry. Guys like Ed Tittle and Brian Posey. Ed’s CCNA book help me pass the exam back in 2001 and I met him at Cisco Networks in Orlando in 2002. I may not recognize many of the other names but hey most people wouldn’t recognize mine either. :) Recognize them or not many of them had some good things to say.

If you are in need of a place to get some good answers I’d check it out. If you have some knowledge to pass on to others this is a good place to add your voice.