>I think if you ask around, you'll find a fair number of people in this community who'll say that either Whil or I gave them their first chance to write or speak.


I can vouch for this too. I contacted Whil about writing articles on the Report Writer. I also asked Whil about the idea of writing a book. I can't remember if he asked me or I asked him about speaking .. but my first conference was a WhilFest. The bottom line is that newcomers are given chances to break into the Fox writing/speaking community ... and then the qualify of your work will determine your success and ability to stay there.