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Happenings Around INETA North America (NorAm) |
Board Elections
The list of candidates for the upcoming 2007 Board elections can be found in an accompanying article in this issue. It is rewarding to see people volunteering to help others in the community by working on the INETA NorAm Board of Directors. Our profession is quite unique given the level of camaraderie and interest in helping fellow professionals.
Board Meeting
First, I'd like to thank the Board members who took time away from their work and family to attend our recent INETA NorAm Board meeting the weekend of February 17-19, 2007. As always it was a busy weekend with some lively discussions revolving around strategic planning for INETA NorAm. Some key outcomes from the meeting include:
- More autonomy and responsibility for project teams to implement all aspects of a project including planning, marketing, implementation, follow-up, technology, etc... Each project will have a defined goal, scope, and tasks which we hope will entice volunteers to participate.
- A revised operating structure at the Board level to have Board members focus more on strategic planning and less on implementation, which will be done by the project teams.
- Each project will have a Board owner that is ultimately accountable to the Officers for a project's success. A project leader will work with each Board owner.
- A continued emphasis on diversifying our sponsorship base for long term stability and planning.
- Initial planning on project requests to Microsoft, our Charter Sponsor, for their FY08 funding starting in July '07.
- An emphasis on increasing our volunteer base through the project structure discussed above.
MVP Summit
During the week of March 12th I'll be in Redmond at the MVP Summit so if any of you are in town and want to say hello or talk about INETA look for me and some fellow Board members during the Summit.
Volunteer Opportunities
As I mention each month, we continue to need volunteers to assist in the Marketing, Sponsorship, and Technology/Web Site areas for INETA North America.
If you have time and are interested please contact our Administrative Director,
Nancy Mesquita.
Chris Pels, President, INETA NorAm chris.pels@ineta.org
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INETA NorAm Elections |
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The nomination process for our 2007 INETA NorAm Board elections has been completed and the following individuals have accepted nominations. Ballots will be distributed to the existing Board members shortly which are to be returned by Thursday, 3/15/2007. I would like to thank everyone who volunteered to run for a Board position. This is truly a community organization run by the community. The results of the election will be posted in the April newsletter.
Chris Pels, President, INETA NorAm chris.pels@ineta.org
| President | Amanda Murphy | | Vice President | Morgan Baker |
| Secretary | Chris Pels |
| Treasurer | Michael Wiley |
| Vice President of Community Activities | Scott Isaacs
Chris G. Williams
Rob Zelt |
| Vice President of Marketing | Darrell Hawley
Caleb Jenkins |
| Vice President of Membership | Chris Wallace |
| Vice President of Speakers | Brendon Schwartz
David Walker
Dan Wygant
Bill Wolf |
| Vice President of Technology | Daniel Egan
Rob Keiser
Matt Ranlett |
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DEVCONNECTIONS ORLANDO - 2007 |
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As a User Group leader and member of INETA, the largest and hottest event in the industry for developers invites you to participate in earning free passes for you and some of your members. Microsoft ASP.NET and Visual Studio Connections, SQL Connections and Sharepoint Connections Event, March 25 - 28 in Orlando would like to offer your user group members discounted registration to our event. We will create a custom code for your group to take advantage of this offer. In addition, for every 5 members that register using this code, you can earn 1 free registration to our Spring 2007 event (THAT'S a $1395 VALUE!)
If you are not familiar with this event, check out www.devconnections.com.
It will take place at the Orlando World Center Marriott March 25-28 in Orlando Florida and all attendees get 4 conferences for the price of one.
Microsoft ASP.NET, Visual Studio and .Net, SQL Server and SharePoint Connections!
With all of the new product releases out there, get one up on the competition!
In exchange for the discounted registration and free pass accrual, we ask that you post our banners and promote Connections on your User Group website.
Please contact me today, as our fall event in Las Vegas SOLD OUT with nearly 5000 attendees!
We offer over 150+ in-depth session delivered by over 100+ Microsoft and industry experts, a partner expo and exciting networking parties located at a world class resort.
My contact information is below if you want to take advantage of this offer.
Joan O'Connell
Conference Coordinator
Tech Conferences
731 Main St, Suite C3
Monroe, CT 06468
(203) 268-3204
(203) 261-3884 Fax
joan@devconnections.com
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Atlanta Code Camp |
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The organizing committee of this year's Atlanta Code Camp consisted of 7 people. These people fell under many different categories, including 5 user group leaders representing 3 user groups, 4 Microsoft MVPs, 3 INETA officers, 4 Atlanta Microsoft Professionals, 3 Atlanta Dotnet Regular Guys, 2 Microsoft Regional Directors and 1 Microsoft Developer Evangelist.
This was the third code camp for most of these organizers, so they were striving to improve on the past two code camps. In particular, the organizing committee focused on reducing the drop-off rate from registration and improving the communication and satisfaction of the speakers. The organizing committee of the Atlanta Code Camp aimed to get as many speakers from a variety of regions and experience levels to present. Their wishes were fulfilled when the community pulled through with speakers representing 6 states, including FL, AL, SC, NC, GA and WA. This year the number of concurrent sessions were limited to ensure that each of these speakers were awarded with a full session.
The Atlanata Code Camp was "sold out" within 2 weeks of the registration being open and nearly every session was attended with full rooms, with a couple standing room only. With a venue capacity of 300, this was the largest camp in the Atlanta area so far with about 290 attending. In addition, the the Atlanta code camp organizers managed to get over $270,000 in prizes to be given away from over a dozen contributors. The contributions were so great that every attendee won at least $700 worth of prizes just for attending. In addition, the event served as a good opportunity for members of the Microsoft community team to experience community events outside of the confines of Redmond campus and to see what life is like in the real world.
The Atlanta Code Camp was such a big success that none of the attendees took up the organizers on their offer to refund the cost of admission to anyone who was dissatisfied with the free event. When asked about the feed back from the attendees, Jim Wooley replied "a cursory look at the surveys indicated that the sessions were received with a variety of success, but in general were extremely favorable. We only noticed two criticisms that we will look to improve on in the future: one of the sessions was seen as too commercial which is a concern because Code Camps are supposed to focused on the community rather than commercial products.
The other complaint regarded the "tofu on a stick" that some of the more carnivorous attendees objected to, not realizing that they were intended for the vegetarians in attendance. Otherwise, being able to serve nearly 300 people within 15 minutes and offering something other than Pizza was seen as a big success by the organizers.
Steven Rockarts
INETA Newsletter Reporter
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Speaker's Corner with Chris Kinsman |
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Julia Lerman
catches up with
Chris Kinsman, one of the original speakers on the INETA NORAM Speaker bureau. Chris is also an MSDN Regional Director and a track chair for VSLive. Somehow he manages to fit a full time job in there, too.
You've been on the INETA Speaker bureau since the beginning. What was the most interesting user group experience you have had in these five years.
They are all interesting! Seriously. I love getting out and speaking with other enthusiasts about things we are both passionate about. It is very rare that I will speak on a topic that isn’t personally applicable to me in some fashion and that I feel strongly about.
Chris, I can't help thinking of you first as a family man. Can you introduce us to your family?
My wife Brenda and I were high school sweethearts. We have now been married for 20 years. We have three children, Matthew 17, Mark 16, and Katie 14.
What do you do when you aren't at work or speaking at users groups?
I have a number of hobbies. I ride motorcycles with my boys, we all ski in the winter and wakeboard in the summer. I am an aspiring marksman and shoot USPSA as well as CMP matches at home in Washington.
What interests you the most of everything you have seen in .NET over the years?
As always it is the new things. I am quite excited about IIS7. The idea of being able to plug managed code in at almost every level removes a lot of limitations that have been around since IIS 1.0.
Do you have a secret past, or have you always been a geek?
Always been a geek but haven't always worked in the computer industry. My job history included washing dishes at a camp, lifeguard at a navy base, sailing instructor, swimming instructor, CPR/First Aid instructor, Fire Fighter, and EMT/D+IV before I got my first technology job!
My first technology job was servicing Apple and IBM equipment for a small computer store in the town I grew up in. From there I went on to get a degree in Computer Engineering from Washington State University. Although my degree is more on the hardware side of things, immediately upon graduating I jumped into software going to work for a consulting firm that I met through meetings at Microsoft. One thing many folks don’t know is that I was a CoOp at Microsoft for a year supporting Microsoft Windows 2.x and Excel 2.x. This was just before Word for Windows shipped. Upon leaving Microsoft I went back to school but continued to work as a contractor for Microsoft managing their presence on CompuServe. Eventually I started a number of forums of my own there including VBPJFO and WINAPA-WINAPF. This got me involved with Fawcette Technical Publications and eventually led to me speaking in public to developers at their VBITS series of conferences.
What do you do for a living, anyway?
I am Chief Architect for Vertafore an ISV in the Insurance space. We make software for insurance agents, carriers, and many of the ancillary roles in the industry.
You put a few airline miles under your belt every year between conferences and work. What have been your favorite countries to visit? Where would you like to go that you haven’t yet?
Not as many as some but I typically fly around 90,000 miles a year on average. My favorite cities so far have been Munich, Germany and Stockholm, Sweden. Stockholm is just gorgeous. I have yet to make it to Spain and would love to see Barcelona.
You live in the Seattle area. What was it like in your neck of the woods after the terrible storms blew through in December?
We live in Redmond which is about 25 miles outside Seattle. The last windstorm decimated the area. No power for 7 days and it was 2-3 weeks before all the roads were cleared of trees, etc. 7 houses in my neighborhood were hit by trees. Pretty crazy.
What's your favorite food? (Besides all of the maple syrup that I bribed you with to do this interview.)
Red Wine, Scotch or Vodka. Does that count?
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Birds of a Feather - Call for Topics for TechEd 2007 in Orlando |
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INETA is again co-chairing the Birds of a Feather track at TechEd 2007, sharing the duties with our sister organization, Culminis, on the IT Professional side of the house. As the two premier user group associations for Microsoft technologies, we bring the community face to TechEd. And you can get involved, help us, and help INETA in four different ways!
If you haven't been to one, a Birds of a Feather session is an open discussion lead by a moderator. They are not presentations, there are no projectors. Unlike the keynotes and breakout session, unlike everything else at TechEd, Birds of a Feather sessions are about people talking with people - connecting, sharing, networking, and creating community. It's that simple, and that's what we do best.
The BoFs are of, by, and for the community, which is a critical part of their success. Together the INETA and Culminis BoF chairs solicit session proposals - the public votes on sessions they want to attend - and then we select, schedule, publicize and run the Birds of a Feather sessions. From beginning to end, the BoFs belong to the community.
Building on our success of the past several years, conference sponsor Microsoft is continuing the increased visibility and integration of the Birds of a Feather session into the TechEd conference. Tuesday evening, June 5, is an All-BoF Night from 6:00 to 10:00 PM. The evening will feature multiple concurrent sessions in multiple timeslots. With many topics to choose from, you are bound to find several that interest you. Come early, stay late. Make an evening of it.
By popular request, Birds of a Feather sessions will again run during the daytime, Monday through Friday, June 4th - 8th, parallel with the conference breakout sessions. This represents a sustained commitment of time, money, and space in the BoFs, building on last year's dramatic increase and reflecting well on the quality job that we've done at past conferences.
BoF Submissions and voting both close on March 20th. Get involved now! You can have an positive impact and help make the Birds of a Feather sessions a success at TechEd.
1. Propose a Topic. If you're going to be at TechEd in Orlando, if there's a topic you'd like to discuss with your peers and you're willing to moderate the discussion, submit a topic. Just click through to the TechEd BoF Submission Page.
2. Vote. Keep an eye on the TechEd BoF Voting Page and as you see topics appear that you are interested in, vote for them!
3. Get the word out. Blog or post in forums about the Call for Topics, about the voting, and about your favorite topics.
4. Stay Tuned. Keep an eye on the TechEd Community Page and look for more information here in upcoming issues of the INETA Newsletter.
Birds of a feather really do flock together! See you in Orlando!
Bob Goodearl and Stuart Celarier
Birds of a Feather track co-chairs, TechEd 2007
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Upcoming INETA Speakers Bureau Events |
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| User Group | Location | Speaker | Date |
| Tech Valley .NET User Group | Clifton Park, NY | Julie Lerman | 3/13/07 |
| Central California .Net User Group | Fresno, CA | Phil Weber | 3/14/07 |
| Baton Rouge .Net User Group | Baton Rouge, LA | Brian Noyes | 3/16/07 |
| Hawaii Dot Net User Group | Honolulu, HI | Scott Cate | 3/20/07 |
| Lower Alabama .NET User Group | Mobile, AL | Les Pinter | 3/27/07 |
| .netBC | Burnaby, BC Canada | Don Kiely | 4/2/07 |
| Los Angeles .NET Developers Group | Los Angeles, CA | Billy Hollis | 4/2/07 |
| Victoria .NET Developers Association | Victoria, BC Canada | Don Kiely | 4/3/07 |
| Western Mass .Net Users Group | Easthampton, MA | Richard Hale Shaw | 4/3/07 |
| RI .Net User Group | Portsmouth, RI | Jason Beres | 4/4/07 |
| Huntsville VS.Net Users Group | Huntsville, AL | Shawn Wildermuth | 4/10/07 |
| Bellingham.NET | Bellingham, WA | Julie Lerman | 4/11/07 |
| Dallas .NET Users Group | Irving, TX | Sam Gentile | 4/12/07 |
| South Sound Users Group | Olympia, WA | Julie Lerman | 4/12/07 |
| Tampabay .NET Users Group | Tampa, FL | Chris Menegay | 4/12/07 |
| C# User Group of Greater Boston | Waltham, MA | Stephen Forte | 4/17/07 |
| Central Pennsylvania .NET Users Group | Harrisburg, PA | Robert Green | 4/17/07 |
| West Michigan .NET User Group | Grand Rapids, MI | Steven Smith | 4/17/07 |
| Fox Valley .NET User Group | Appelton, WI | Steven Smith | 4/18/07 |
| Philly .NET User Group | Malvern, PA | Robert Green | 4/18/07 |
| San Diego .NET User Group | San Diego, CA | Les Pinter | 4/24/07 |
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Now Announcing: The INETA Membership Resources Program! |
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David Walker, Assistant VP of our INETA Speaker's Bureau, has volunteered to lead a new project for INETA Membership to kick off our new INETA Membership Resources Program.
Our goal for this project is to build a dynamic resource for you, our user group leaders and members, interested in community driven information on starting, maintaining and growing your user group. This also includes hosting monthly meetings and planning larger technology based events, such as Code Camps and larger conferences.
Your ideas and suggestions are always welcome. Our new shared resource will be a very valuable asset to all of us and will greatly benefit from your contribution. David will be contacting user group Membership Mentors and individual User Group Leaders seeking contributions from our community. Look for David's messages and announcements in the near future!
To contribute now or for questions and comments, contact David Walker.
Chris Wallace, Vice President - Membership, INETA NorAm chris.wallace@ineta.org
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Windows Mobile Offers for INETA Members |
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Develop, Activate, Upgrade. Cool phones, hot deals, and more for Microsoft Developers!
You've earned it. Now Microsoft wants to thank you with great deals on Windows Mobile powered smartphones.
Take advantage of
this offer from T-Mobile or
this offer from Sprint.
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From the Editor |
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It is March already! My how time flies these days. Not only is time flying, but technology is flying in formation right along side it. Raise your hand if you think it's a full time job just trying to stay current with everything. I have a circle of buddies that also try to weed through the barrage of information just to figure out what is important enough to learn. When one of them finds a nugget, we all share it and benefit. How can we help each other figure out what is important? Do you know some nuggets that would help other user group leaders? Share them if you do.
As you may remember, last year we had a chance to partner with Microsoft to survey our membership about the types of development projects, what kinds of technologies and what kinds of activities they participate in to get a better insight into the types of people that are part of our user group community. This year we will be participating in this survey again. Please look for a special email later this month from INETA that you should plan to distribute to your user group's members. The survey will only be open for a short time and the more participation we can get, the better for everyone. This survey helps us provide the right kinds of content to you and aids in approaching potential sponsors. This year's survey will be shorter than last year - plus, participation enters you in a drawing for valuable prizes! Thanks for your support in advance!
Well, with the flying time situation at hand, I have to go figure out if my computers know when daylight savings time occurs this year! Wish me luck.
Scott Spradlin, Vice President - Marketing, INETA NorAm scott.spradlin@ineta.org
Archived newsletters are available on the INETA website at
www.ineta.org/newsletters.
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President's Note
