Saturday, April 4, 2009

Book, charity and life

I'm a customer support engineer that supporting Cisco Unified Communication products.

I built this blog and wrote the book "Deploying Cisco Unified Prsence" with the intention of helping my customers (and my employer). The book was priced very cheap (39.99). After deducting the manufaturer and distribution cost, the revenue I received from retailers is $5.16 for each copy sold (it'll be higher if it was sold from the publisher's website).

For some reasons, my motive was questioned. (Sorry I can't disclose more details. But it makes me feel really bad.)

Thus I make an announcement here (and Lulu.com), that all (100%) revenue from this book will go to "American Red Cross International Relief Fund".

I'll try my best to answer any technical questions you have. I'll be hosting a "Ask the Expert" session on Cisco NetPro Forum in June 2009 (on CUPS/CUPC products).

God bless America. God bless you!

Donation receipts for Q1 2009:


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10 comments:

  1. AnonymousApril 4, 2009 at 6:16 PM

    Michael, I don't know who is questioning your motives for writing the book, but I sincerely thank you for writing it. It's a great book. I would hope you do get some compensation for your time and effort.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Michael LuoApril 4, 2009 at 9:14 PM

    Thank you for saying that. That's the most valuable compensation I got.

    I never thought of making money from the book. I priced it a little bit higher than the cost just to make sure I have some buffer when the manufacturer/distributor raised their prices (so I don't have to change the price tag on the book to cover the cost).

    My employer pays me to support customers. I thought writing the book would be one of the ways (maybe the best way) to support customers.

    I don't want people think I'm taking advantage of my job and doing my own business. Hence all revenue goes to charity.

    May the peace be with us.

    Michael

    ReplyDelete
  3. RavindraApril 5, 2009 at 7:25 AM

    Hey Mic,
    Greetings from Sri Lanka.
    Really appreciate your efforts towards the charity.

    Keep up the good work.

    ReplyDelete
  4. SeanApril 6, 2009 at 11:22 AM

    Michael, I also thank you for writing the book. It's been a tremendous resource for me and has honestly made me feel more secure about the platform in general, just knowing that this type of resource is available for Cisco UC. I represent a lot of UC customers and I hope to see a lot more of this type of help available. Thanks again!

    ReplyDelete
  5. jrgreenbergApril 13, 2009 at 7:48 PM

    Hey Mike,
    I wanted to thank you for your articles on this blog and also with the the TAC cases you have helped me with in the past. Keep up the good work.

    Regards,
    Jon

    ReplyDelete
  6. Michael LuoApril 13, 2009 at 8:57 PM

    Jon,

    Thank you very much for your comment. I really appreciate it.

    TAC engineers are under a lot of stress (remember those P1/P2 cases?). A simple "Thank you" from customer is the best gift for them. :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. TimApril 28, 2009 at 6:15 PM

    Hi Michael,

    Going to purchase your book now! Thanks for writing it!

    Cisco Press stuff is usually good, but it is really good to see some books coming from other sources!

    Cheers,

    Tim

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousMay 10, 2009 at 5:30 AM

    congrats

    keep it up your good work ...our support is with you...

    ReplyDelete
  9. AnonymousJune 3, 2009 at 2:03 PM

    Michael, that is amazing!! You should be commended at Cisco for your contribution not only to the Cisco UC, but to the Red Cross. Why anyone would question motives is beyond me.

    Thanks again for your all your work!

    CCO tcatlinins

    Tommer

    ReplyDelete
  10. Vinicius BuscacioJune 25, 2009 at 5:57 AM

    Hi Michael.

    I'm Brazillian, and I have your book, it's really good. I reccomend it to everyone how wants to study the Cisco Presence. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete

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