How do I go about meeting such people? the flaw in the article I see is that it suggests there is a dichotomy between monster.com and networking. Are there other ways to find qualified people that will locate these brilliant programmers who don't do anything programming-related outside of work?
You can start by not driving them away. Seriously.
There are a lot of really good programmers who don't tinker or blog in their spare time. If they come across an employer who makes a categorical statement that "their kind" is not employable, do you think they'll even bother to send in their resume?
As another commenter noted, tinkering with programming on the side is a positive indicator, but not tinkering is not a negative indicator. Good programmers notice the logical mistake here, and it is off-putting.
Your intent is laudable, but your argument seems to miss what I actually said, which was that I personally would never meet them, not that they weren't qualified or weren't employable. I can't hire someone I don't interview.
My experience is that "hiring practices" is a very touchy subject. No matter how precisely you express yourself, people will take things personally because their self-worth is loosely connected to whether other people value their potential inclusion in a team.
So I'm not even remotely surprised to find comments like yours.
"Your intent is laudable, but your argument is flawed."
Yes, you are correct. In my passion I got carried away and started constructing a strawman. My apologies!
"What I said was that I personally would never meet them, not that they weren't qualified or weren't employable."
True. I think it touched a nerve with me because I've seen job posts specifically state that they would not consider any programmer who does not have a blog (!).
Thanks for bringing up the subject; it's a good one. :)
Now that I think about it, I'm upmodding your original point. Whether the argument was flawed or not, the very fact that hiring is a touchy subject makes your point necessarily valid: While there may or may not be merit in my practices, blogging about them may be a poor idea.
