Tomorrow morning, I am headed off to CES 2012 in Las Vegas.  I've been going to the show for many, many years, starting back with my very first job out of college in 1976 (yes, I know that was a really long time ago.)

Way back then, I worked for a company that was owned by Jack Tramiel, the founder of Commodore, who went on to buy the Atari brand name, and other related ventures.  Way back then, I had a really cool job as a copywriter, authoring mail order ads for products that were breaking new ground that the company I worked for sold.  

Contemporary Marketing is no longer in business, but was a mail order outfit owned by Tramiel that was used as an outlet to primarily sell Commodore branded calculators (remember this was 1976).

We were also working on the launch of the new Commodore Pet and other Commodore branded products. 

Fast forward to today (or tomorrow when I leave) I'll be doing two things:  I'm covering the G.hn standard for my other site, Everywire.com.  I am also looking for a broader trend that I am trying to get my hands around the very (but maybe not so obvious) notion of the consumerization of IT.

B.Y.O.D.?

B.Y.O.D. (Bring Your Own Device)  is not a new fangled term for drinking in a different form, or bringing your own alchohol to save money on drinks.  B.Y.O.D. is the term for Bring Your Own Device.  

Now, if you are running your own business, or a solo entrepreneur, this is no big deal.  But what happens when you work for a company, with an IT department, with equipment that is given to you, that has security policies in place and on and on.   You might be showing up to work with better, far more powerful,  and cooler toys that what have been budgeted to your department.  Or maybe you were given a corporate Blackberry, and you'd rather work with your iPhone, the iPad you got for Christmas, or your children's Mac that you bought them.

Showing Up To Work A Whole Lot Smarter

Gizmos, gadgets, computers, tablets and smart phones aside, the fact of the matter, is that we're all coming to work a whole lot smarter, and far more technologically savvy than we were even a few years ago.

 You might work for an awesome company, but also have a personal brand in your own right, or produce content, or  keep a blog about a hobby, a side business or a business you hope to build on your own and go independent.

I don't have an answer to this, and still trying to define what this means.  I do know that these powerful devices we are bringing into the workplace is impacting how, and the way we work.

I met Dwight Silverman 20 some odd years ago when he was with The San Antonio Light - which went away and was sort of bundled into the San Antonio Express-News.  His syndicated coverage of technology for the Houston Chronicle is some of the best.  He not only writes, but engages with readers, and posts cool and useful stuff such as: his list of journalists he is tracking for CES 2012.  

It would stand to reason that someone like Dwight would follow his peers who also cover not only consumer electronics, but all the gizmos, gadgets and apps that will be at the show.  (I'll be there too).

Sometimes you have to be a bit of slueth to figure out where your candidates might be for coverage.

This does not guarantee you success, but certinaly helps accelerate your research and discovery process.