Thanks Ethan Banks for sharing your "Touch of Grey"

June 24, 2008 —

(Lyrics by Jerry Garcia)
Must be getting early, clocks are running late.
Paint my love a morning sky, it's all cold.
Dawn is breaking everywhere, light a candle, curse the glare
Draw the curtains I don't care, but it's all right
I will get by, I will get by, I will get by, I will survive.

Every Silver lining has a dark cloud according to Jerry Garcia in this song. For Ethan Banks that silver lining was passing his CCIE lab. The dark cloud came by way of a blogger who is very passionate about certifications and how they are achieved. Because Ethan Banks (CCIE # 20,655) spent his time sharing his experience through his blog he became an easy target for criticism.

A few weeks ago Ethan was assailed as a cheater by Robert Williams, CEO of
CertGuard, for the use of Test King and Braindumps as study tools. Braindumps,
as I understand them, are simply the documented recollection of individuals
who have taken an exam. These are available on the internet and seem to be widely
used. I don't think Braindumps have all that much value as a tool for cheating
as they provide information about the areas to study. The CCIE lab is not passed
by memorization but on experience and knowledge. So when Mr. Williams made his
accusation, many of the CCIE bloggers and readers of the blogs were inflamed.

The internet is such a wide-reaching and powerful medium that bloggers often
do not realize its real strength. When we convey our passions in a public forum
there will be those who disagree and those who may even be hurt by our strong
opinions. Our words can also come back to haunt us.

Mr Williams words were considered a harsh attack on a hard working and very
bright star in the CCIE blogging community. When I was growing up I was taught
that calling someone a cheater was a very harsh criticism. Mr. William's words
are still echoing throughout the internet and it is still a topic of conversation
here at Networkers.

The impact that most worries the people at CertGuard is that Mr. Williams'
words will impact their business. I want to state clearly that CertGuard provides
products and services much needed in the IT industry for creating a standard
for certification, and they are not villains.

Ethan Banks did not take the easy road to CCIE certification. He blogged about
his experience and he shared his feelings about his months focused on achieving
his CCIE. He passed, and he shared his journey on his blog

I see you've got your list out, say your peace and kiss off.
Guess I get the gist of it, but it's all right
Oh well anyway, sorry that you feel that way.
Every silver lining's got a touch of grey
I will get by, I will get by, I will get by, I will survive.

Unfortunately, Mr. William's comments are no longer available online. The site that originally posted them has replaced it with this statement:

"Network World and the authors have decided to remove this blog post and
the discussion that followed. While the original post was intended to highlight
how the issue of braindumps is a pervasive one, we regret having singled out
anyone in particular and apologize for any accusations of cheating." We
were not witness to the discussions but Ethan Banks was called by Mr. Williams
and Taylor Ripley to apologize for the harsh accusations and to discuss their
next steps for a written apology.

Many bloggers showed loud support for Ethan and called-out Mr. Williams for
his accusation.

I was caught up in the wave of "Banks-supporters" but took a breath
and stepped away from the blogging. There are two sides to every story.

I called Ethan and researched CertGuard. I sent an email to CertGuard for an
opportunity to speak with them, and was pleased to receive a response via email
and then a call from Mr. Ripley, the CSO and Co-Founder of CertGuard. We had
a very good discussion and he informed me that the call to Ethan had already
been made and that he was a part of that call. He went on to explain that there
was some work being done by Mr. Williams to fashion an apology for posting and
it would be completed soon. I am very pleased to have Mr. Ripley as a professional
associate now and am meeting with him next week as I make my journey to Networkers
in Orlando.

It's a lesson to me, the ablers and the beggars and the thieves
The ABCs we all think of, try to win a little love.

I know the rent is in arrears, the dog has not been fed in years
It's even worse than it appears, but it's all right

Cow is giving kerosene, kid can't read at seventeen
The words he knows are all obscene, but it's all right
I will get by, I will get by, I will get by, I will survive.

Ethan has published Mr. Williams' apology to his blog. The apology was also
emailed to a few of Ethan's supporters. I was happy to see the email in my in-box
this morning and extend my thanks to Mr. Ripley for sharing it with me.

Here's the email with an apology from Mr. Williams at CertGuard to Ethan Banks:

Formulating an apology to such an important topic has not been a simple task;
especially when I have been trying to take into account the opinions and concerns
of not only Ethan himself, but every professional who has taken the time to
show their support for him.

I felt that an apology of this caliber required something more than just an
empty "I'm sorry" and for that reason I have taken the necessary time
to reflect on all of your comments (and mine) numerous times. It is for this
reason that I have taken so long in getting a public apology out to Ethan and
to the public. I sincerely hope the apology provided below will satisfy everyone
involved or affected by my actions.

For those of you who are not aware, NetworkWorld has pulled the blog and I have
written Ethan a personal apology for my actions, but also feel that a public
apology is necessary for the good of the community as a whole. My intentions
were never to harm Ethan, the IT industry, or the certifications every one of
you is diligently working to earn. I made a mistake by publishing Ethan's name
and website in my blog. I'm human, I make mistakes. One of the great qualities
of being human is that we have the ability to learn from the mistakes we, or
others, make. I assure you that I have learned from this and promise that it
will not happen again.

My deepest and most sincere apologies go out to you and your family Ethan.

I would like to further apologize to those of you that I offended in my responses
to your concerns. These responses were unwarranted and I deeply regret offending
anyone. The only goal I have ever had is to help those individuals that aren't
aware of the dangers of braindumps. I agree, I went off the deep end when I
saw the comment posted by someone purporting to be Ethan; and for that I apologize
to everyone. I assure you it will never happen again.
I wish you all the best of luck on your certifications and your careers.

Best Regards,

Robert Williams

So what's next? Well for me it is simply doing what I continue to do every
day minus the excitement of Ethan's journey. I only wish I had the kind of outpouring
of support from the virtual world that he has received. When a Network World
blogger, Brad Reese published a photo of me dressed as Elvis several months
ago I thought I would receive at least a little sympathy for having a physique
so similar to the king of Rock and Roll! Maybe even a call from Jenny Craig
would have made me feel better. But, no, my boss in London is wondering why
he continues to keep me on his payroll, so I will just go back to work now…

Shoe is on the hand that fits, that's all there really is to it
Whistle through your teeth and spit, but it's all right

Oh well a touch of grey, kinda suits you anyway,
That's all I had to say, but it's all right
I will get by, I will get by, I will get by, I will survive.

It's a lesson to me, the devils and the east and the free
The ABCs we all must face, try to save a little grace.