For a long while I used Power Automate to push out interesting stories around the Microsoft Cloud I found to Twitter (X now). Unfortunately, X changed the pricing of their API which made it prohibitively expensive to continue with this approach.

Given this, I’ve been thinking about what would be a suitable replacement. I initially considered an email list, as that is what all the cool kids do, but I also needed a process that was simple and easy for me, especially if I was going to do something weekly. The problem using a bulk email system like Mailchimp, is that I would need to format each blast using the Mailchimp website as well as send it from there. If I planned to do a weekly update of links I have found, that becomes time consuming and inconvenient, especially if I’m travelling.

Another reason I have not opted for an email list is that I am already on plenty that send updates weekly and honestly I don’t find that it is a very effective mechanism. Yes, I do read them all and yes, they provide value but I tend to put off reading them and deal with more important things in my inbox. I kind of need to be in the ‘mood’ to sit there and read through all the information and if I’m not then they tend to ‘backup’ as a to-do item.

I also considered doing a video update and posting it on YouTube as many others do. The downside to this method is it is a huge amount of work behind the scenes. My experience is also that a video of a whole bunch of screen shots or text really doesn’t appeal to people because when I tried it a while back by posting my podcasts with this content, the number of views simply didn’t reach acceptable minimums for the amount of invested effort.

Thus, I ruled out setting up an email list or using a video update as well as few other methods and instead have favoured posting the information here on my blog. The benefits of this is that it will be easy for me to quickly copy, paste and post the collection of stuff I find weekly. For those that do want emails there is the option to subscribe to my blog as email if you wish. The blog method however means you can simply read the post without having to give up your email if you choose and not have additional emails in your inbox, which is always a good thing. I also like that it will be searchable and publicly available.

I have created a tag on my blog called ‘CIA Brief’ which allows you to filter by just that tag. For example the feed will be:

https://blog.ciaops.com/tag/CIA-Brief/

that means you can simply follow the items I post with this tag the get the list of information I plan to post.

The ask I have of those that find value in the CIA Brief is to Like the post, as shown above at the bottom of each post. This way I know that the information is of value to people and provides an incentive for me to continue producing it. If you can Like each CIA Brief you see that would be very much appreciated.

Of course, I also welcome your feedback about how to make this concept even more valuable to people. I want something that is quick and easy to view on a weekly basis that will keep you up to date with the Microsoft Cloud. If you have any suggestions or feedback then I’m all ears.

That is the why and wherefores done. Stay tuned for the first CIA brief at the end of this week.