WHT members, you finally have a chance to meet our Community Leaders and put a face to the name along with some other things that you might not know about them. Dennis, who is 52 years young “retired’ in the year 2000. However, he’s really not retired and is probably just as, if not busier than his pre-retirement days! With over 16,000 posts (edit: Dennis hit 16,000 posts on May 10. Congrats Dennis!) he’s been around WHT for about 3 years now. Meet the man behind the posts, Dennis Johnson – a.k.a. SoftWareRevue!

SoftWareRevue, formerly known as Dennis, formerly known as SoftWareRevue has changed back to SoftWareRevue! Phew..:-) Here’s what Dennis has to say about it.  “I changed back to SoftWareRevue. Not because SoftWareRevue is special to me or anything. But, I tried Dennis for two months. It just didn’t work for me. Besides, there’s plenty of Dennis.’ There’s only one SoftWareRevue though.”  Get ready, get set, meet Dennis! But first check out the pic when Dennis was just a little tot. Cute!

WHT:     What did you "retire" from?
Dennis:   I retired from self-employment in December 2000. I had started a business in August of 1982. It was successful enough that it afforded me the opportunity to retire at an early age. The problem with my retirement is that it was the one thing I didn’t write a plan out for. So, it didn’t take long to get bored. At least I learned from it; and will have a well written retirement plan next time.
 
WHT:   What other jobs have you had?
Dennis:   I drifted from job-to-job, searching for the one that was right for me. Having a thirst for knowledge, it usually didn’t take long for me to know enough. Once I learned it, there wasn’t much incentive to be held in the dulldrums of repetitiveness. It didn’t matter if the collar was blue or white, there just never seemed to be enough passion for what I was doing. The only practical solution was to work for myself.
 
WHT:   What is the name of your company? Tell us about it.
Dennis:   I started Service All in 1982. I started service and repair of major appliances (washer, dryer, refrigerator, etc). I became fascinated enough that I thought I’d better learn some things. So I got a degree in Electrical Technology. Because I really needed to know why I had these shocking experiences…As always; my thirst for knowledge. I developed a system of troubleshooting equipment that I could teach well. This lead to business expansion at a rapid rate.
 
I learned HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air-Conditioning) because they involved so many elements. Again, the thirst for knowledge and my affection for puzzles expanded my horizons. And the business grew again.
 
Then, by chance, I was in a shop one day and a traveler stopped with a refrigerator he had taken from his hunting cabin. Well, this was my first experience with an ammonia refrigeration system. And, needless to say, I was intrigued. I embarked on a knowledge quest to learn all I could about this widely used system. They are the type of units found in countless numbers of recreational vehicles. Within two years, we were widely known as specialists in this field. People would come to us from hundreds of miles away. Another growth spurt for the business.
 
I know I’ve mentioned customers that came in. However, our business was built on a solid reputation of customer care. Making house calls and catering to customer’s needs were paramount to our success.
 
Now to back track somewhat.
 
I had always planned on retiring early. At a young enough age to enjoy it. The one thing I didn’t plan on is, what to do with it. I was accustomed to writing business plans (ours was updated often). But, I never even thought about writing a retirement plan.
 
When someone made an offer I couldn’t refuse, that was enough cash, while still maintaining a large percentage of the business and not having to work, it seemed the right time to retire. After retiring in December 2000, I had to find new things to do. In January of 2001, I purchased my first computer. I had been introduced to this www thing earlier and wanted to learn more about it. The quest for knowledge continues.
 
Of course, the first wonder of the Internet was this e-mail thing. And it didn’t take long before I tired of free e-mail services and decided I needed something more flexible. My son had always been the Internet guru in our family and so I made sure I did what he wanted. That was to get hosting, so he could have a web site, of course.
 
This ended up quite the learning experience in hosting. And four hosts later, I decided that I could do a better job. There really seemed to be attention to customer care lacking in the hosts I had chosen.
 
I approached Service All with the idea of web hosting. Since attention to customer care was our mainstay, we had aquatinted and surrounded ourselves with people of similar ideals. So, it seemed like the next logical evolution. And, after explaining a few times how it all worked, we agreed to launch GetMeHosted.com . As I was project leader, I assumed most duties.
 
As GetMeHosted.com’s goal would be attention to customer care, I needed to be accessible. We had no one else that was really Internet savvy at the time. And, although a rookie to all this, I had gained considerable knowledge. The key to making myself accessible was learning a new sleep pattern. I practiced at sleeping for one hour out of six. It took several weeks to get used to, but it’s something I still practice today.

[I guess that’s why Dennis’ bio says he’s “often tired”]
 
It was about this same time I landed at WebHostingTalk. Coincidence? Or fate?
 
My thirst for knowledge had me reading every post in every thread (something I can no longer do). The volume of posts today, just makes it physically impossible.

[Dennis became a member of WHT in June 2001, when there were only about 4000 Members.]

When Robert Marsh asked me to help moderate WebHostingTalk on April 7, 2003, I couldn’t refuse. I had gained so much knowledge through it’s members, that I welcomed the opportunity to give back to the community that had given so much to me.

WHT:   What are the major changes that you’ve seen at WHT in the last 3 years?
Dennis:   Lots of changes, it’s a massive community now.  I’m a small town type of guy, I live in the country, so it’s strange to be around all these people. It’s the same community, just a lot of people…there’s been lots of growth.

WHT:   How much time do you spend on WHT?
Dennis:   60 hours week on a slow week. [WoW]
 
WHT:   What do you like most about WHT?
Dennis:  There is a wealth of knowledge within it’s database and members. And, well, we know how I feel about knowledge.
 
WHT:   What do you like least about WHT?
Dennis:   Sadly, with any large community, there is a percentage of spammers and scammers. The bulk of my time moderating is devoted to exposing shills and those out to defraud our members. It’s a full time job to keep up with this aspect.
 
WHT:   How long will you moderate?
Dennis:   I have never thought about not moderating WHT. The only thing I could see that would cause me to lose interest, is if it cost me too much. I spend a lot of time. And we all know; time is money. However, I expect to be part of the moderating team as long as there is WebHostingTalk.
 
WHT:   How do you deal with the younger audience?
Dennis:   Funny you should ask. I am always pleasantly surprised when I disclose my age and the younger members find it hard to believe. I like having a good time. And I think that reflects positively among younger people. I’ve never considered myself "old." And doubt I ever will. My thirst for knowledge, keeps me learning. And, as long as we’re learning, we’re not old.

WHT:   Your bio says that your interest is ‘life’, I like that. What about ‘life’ interests you most?
Dennis:   I’ve always enjoyed philosophy. New experiences are my spice of life. When I graduated from High School and before I enlisted in the Marines, I spent the summer hitch-hiking across the U.S. I wanted to see all the wonders our nation has to offer. And I figured that hitch-hiking would be a great way to meet people. I think I could write for days about my journey across America.
 
Let’s face it; people make up our society. To understand society, you have to understand those fragile, human emotions. While others would be receiving their Sports Illustrated editions, I’d be enjoying my Psychology Todays.
 
I’ve always been an avid reader. That darned thirst for knowledge thing seemed to attract me more towards technical publications though. I’d read about things I’d never do, just so I’d have some knowledge about how it worked.
 
I have a genuine passion for life. Passion is what drives us all. Work is dull, if it doesn’t involve passion. If you are pasionate in what you do; you’re doing the right thing for you.

WHT:   Are you married?
Dennis:   I’ve been married. Does that count?
 
WHT:   How many kids do you have and what are their ages?
Dennis:   When my son was 11 months old, and my daughter wasn’t born, my wife decided she didn’t like being a wife and mother. So, I was a single parent. And now, 28 and 27 years later respectively, couldn’t be prouder of my children.
 
My son is very active within the business. As well are several other family members (brothers, nephews, nieces). Service All has been good to us all. But, I see GetMeHosted.com as the future. And the future is now. We will likely move to entirely on-line endeavors within the next two years.

WHT:   What else do you do when you’re not working or moderating?
Dennis:   It seems I spend a lot of time moderating. But, my business ventures take up the bulk of my time. However, I do take time to relax. I express my creative side in cooking and music. Spending time in the kitchen is very relaxing for me. Picking up my guitar is more euphoric.

WHT:   How long have you been playing the guitar?
Dennis:   Since there was no internet and, consequently no hosting when I was 17; I took up the guitar. Okay; nothing to do with hosting. Fact of the matter is; I’ve always enjoyed singing. It was a passion as a child. And remains one today.
 
Since everyone seems to look at you rather oddly if you’re just sitting around singing "a capella," I decided I’d better learn an instrument. And, although mother was a pianist, I just couldn’t see myself carrying a piano to the beach. And so I decided to learn guitar.
 
I’ve always been embarrassed when someone would compliment me on my guitar playing. Because I’ve never played any lead. I’ve never learned how to pick it. Nuthin’ fancy at all. Just learned how to accompany my voice. It took some time before I realized that they were complimenting the music. I have a great passion for making music. When I have guitar in hand and singing, there is nothing else.
 
Defining my cooking and guitar pastimes; I’d say that cooking is where I relax. Music is where I escape

WHT:   Thank you for taking the time out to be interviewed by WHT, I enjoyed talking to you!
Dennis:   I never pass up an opportunity to hook up with a girl.