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Happenings Around INETA North America (NorAm) |
Board Elections
The recent Board election is a great step forward for INETA and another piece of our long term strategic plan (see accompanying article). INETA started as a grass roots effort of a few user group leaders with the goal of sharing knowledge and providing services to the greater user group community. In five short years INETA has become a worldwide organization with significant sponsor funding and is a not-for-profit corporation.
While it is necessary to implement a variety of business practices associated with our size and scope, we want to keep our
connection to the community we serve. To achieve that goal, we consist primarily of volunteers from the community to increase
our ties to the people we represent and serve. In addition, we felt it is necessary to establish a system by which the decision
makers for the organization rotate on a regular basis to continually have new perspectives. To that end, this recent election was
the first time we have systematically involved the community in the nomination process for our Board, allowing any user group
leader to nominate a worthy individual. We will continue to examine and update this process to ensure we remain an organization run by the community for the community.
Another TechEd in About 8 Weeks
It seems like it was just yesterday that we were in Boston, MA for TechEd 2006, yet in a short eight weeks we will be in Orlando, FL for TechEd 2007. Once again INETA will be in the Community Area and we look forward to seeing all of you attending TechEd when you stop by and say hello. More details on our TechEd activities in the May newsletter.
User Group Leadership Summits
Some of you may have attended our User Group Leadership Summits held the past several years in conjunction with TechEd. I am pleased to announce we will be expanding that program to hold User Group Leadership Summits in a number of areas throughout the United States and Canada over the coming year. Volunteers Rob Zelt and Chris Wallace have a team working hard on the planning for Summits in Florida adjacent to TechEd, Montreal at DevTech, Los Angeles adjacent to PDC, San Francisco, and Dallas. More details from the User Group Leadership Summit team in the May newsletter.
Share Your User Group Successes
We would like to help you share the successes of your user group here in our newsletter. Have you held a special event in addition to your regular user group meeting? Has your group contributed to a local charitable activity? Have you done a special project like a study group? Share these or other noteworthy activities through our newsletter. Contact our Marketing team at noram.marketing@ineta.org.
Volunteers
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 noram.volunteers@ineta.org.
Chris Pels, President, INETA NorAm chris.pels@ineta.org
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INETA Community Leadership Summit - Orlando, FL |
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INETA and the INETA User Groups of Florida are hosting a regional
Community Leadership Summit
in Orlando on Saturday June 2, prior to the start of Tech Ed 2007. The summit is open to Community Leaders from the area, as well as those
attending Tech Ed from across the country and around the world. It is an excellent opportunity for exchanging information and ideas.
If you are a user group leader, or are involved in the leadership, planning, promotion, or day-to-day operations of a user group community,
this event is for YOU! The summit is an open forum to share ideas, discuss common challenges, and gain from the experience of other leaders.
INETA Community Leadership summits are part of an ongoing effort by INETA to create, improve and share resources designed to strengthen
individual user groups and the community. This meeting will be the perfect opportunity to meet leaders from other groups, benefit from
their success stories, and expand your network of contacts.
Mark your calendar on June 2 and stay tuned for further event details and registration.
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Devscovery Discount |
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Attend Devscovery 2007 in Denver (April 17-19), New York (May 9-11), Redmond (August 14-16) or Silicon Valley (October 15-17) and get three days of intense .NET content from industry experts like Charles Petzold, Jeffrey Richter, Jeff Prosise, John Robbins, Jason Beres and others. With more than 30 sessions to choose from you will be treated to subjects such as WF, WPF, WPF/e, ASP.NET, AJAX, Security, the Framework, VSTS, Debugging and more!
INETA newsletter subscribers save $100* off the $900 Devscovery registration fee by using registration code IDD.
For more information or to register, please visit www.devscovery.com.
*cannot be combined with any other offer.
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INETA Live -- Fresh for the Spring |
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Spring is here, at least it's showing up in some areas. Along with spring comes the time for things to get a fresh start.
The INETA Live webcasts are back and ready to shine. That is, with your help. We're counting on your participation to keep
our webcasts energized and informative. Please read more about presentation opportunities below. But now, we want to invite
you to our April 11th webcast on Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF). Register NOW to see how easy it will be to create
interoperable applications, including 3-D animation. WPF is built into Vista and is available for download for Windows
XP and Windows Server 2003.
Join Us April 11th, 12 - 1 PM PDT
Teresa Hennig
Host INETA Live
Windows Presentation Foundation Overview
by Julio Casal, MCAD conference presenter and INETA Regional Speaker
In this presentation we will see how to take advantage of Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF),
a new set of technologies included in .NET Framework 3.0, to quickly and efficiently create
new user experiences oriented to Windows and Web, achieving results hard to get in the past
and that satisfies the increasing needs from users. We will show how to create this kind of
applications step by step and will demonstrate many of its new features - with emphasis on
how to use XAML for effects such as:
- Adding animation to applications - online or on the client machine.
- Customizing and adding branding to controls (buttons).
- Customizing control layouts - using panels of controls.
- Vector Graphics - zoom and control without loosing quality.
The presentation will start with an overview of the user experience and how it will benefit from
WPF and XAML. Julio will then give an overview of the WPF, working with .NET Framework 3.0, and show
some key scenarios. He'll move on to cover some of the key feature of WPF, including the designer-developer
relationship, using declarative programming.
Julio will also cover some of the basic questions about hosting, interoperability, and of course, getting the tools.
The presentation includes some awesome demos -- get ready to get hooked.
Julio Casal has an MCAD certification and specializes in the design and construction of Smart Client
Enterprise Solutions on .NET Platform. Julio has given several speeches for Microsoft and for his local community,
MSGuayaquil, where he has talked about Visual Studio 2005, SQL Server 2005 as well as new emergent technologies like
Windows Communication Foundation, ASP.NET Ajax and Windows Presentation Foundation. He has also been teacher on courses
related to .NET Platform and Visual Studio 2005.
Today, Julio is Software Developer in John Galt Solutions, a worldwide recognized ISV which focuses in forecasting
products and he is also the webmaster of his local community site (www.msguayaquil.com), where he frequently publishes
news and answers questions of his colleagues. Julio likes to share his learning experiences on his
personal blog
and when he manages to leave the computer he loves playing with his favorites videogames.
Register now for this webcast!
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.NET University |
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March Madness is upon us and no doubt a lot of developers will be busy watching to see if their bracket predictions become a reality. After the dust has settled and a winner is crowned, developers will be looking to satisfy their .NET withdrawls and get back to coding. Why not look at setting up a .NET University course in your area?
The primary goal of .NET University is simply to give people a way to learn about .NET at no charge. Currently the four course topics being offered are Windows Presentation Foundation, Windows Communication Foundation, Windows Workflow Foundation and CardSpace. .NET University will also soon be adding a Web development course as well (potential topics may include ASP.NET, AJAX, Gadgets, and Live Services). Attendees of a .NET University will get an overview of the new features of the .NET Framework 3.0, both in business value and technical capabilities, and after completing the course attendees will get certificates and .NET University *alum* T-shirts.
To get started setting up a .NET University in your area you need to sign up to teach at the website
www.dotnet-u.com,
find a venue, instructors, and notify potential attendees. Various venues that have been used in the past include:
- 4 consecutive user group meetings - 1 topic per month, with a running list of attendees that attend all 4 sessions.
- 2 consecutive user group meetings - 2 topics per night, either consecutive nights, or consecutive monthly meetings.
- 1 track within a Code Camp
- A stand-alone one-day event
- Companies have also run the event internally for their employees.
Attendees are encouraged to bring a laptop and follow along with the labs, but the labs are also available on the .NET University website for anyone to download and try at a later time. .NET University is largely a community event, and it is a good way to stand out among your peers and give back to your local development community. To get started organizing .NET University in your area check out
www.dotnet-u.com
or contact Doug Turnure at
dougturn@microsoft.com.
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Speaker's Corner with Richard Hundhausen |
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Julia Lerman
speaks with another INETA speaker
Richard Hundhausen.
For those of you keeping track, this is the third interview of someone who learned how to program
computers by hanging out at Radio Shack!
Welcome Richard, how long have you been speaking to INETA groups?
I've been a member of the INETA Speakers Bureau for less than a year, but it's already been a rewarding experience, having spoken to some great user groups across the country. Thank you for the opportunity to spill the beans on myself today.
What interests you the most of everything you have seen in .NET over the years?
Its consistency. I've learned, used, and abandoned many languages over the years. I hated to see some of them go, but the "new thing" was always just around the corner, and I wanted to stay on the edge. With .NET, the "new thing" is generally delivered inside the .NET framework, so my core language doesn't need to change. This may change when Microsoft shows us their plans for dynamic language support.
Do you have a secret past, or have you always been a geek?
Nope, always been a geek. Been coding as a hobby since I was 9 (TRS-80 Model I), and professionally since I was 14. I guess there
was a month one summer when I flipped burgers at the new Wendys that opened up in Twin Falls, Idaho. I supposed I just wanted to
meet girls. It didn't happen, because if you've ever been to a Wendys the grill is positioned between the counter and the drive-through, so I only got to meet other cooks. Oh, and I never got paid.
What's your favorite food?
Anything German.
What do you do for fun that has NOTHING to do with computers?
I play soccer, or football as I like to call it. I've played my entire life, and even though I'm in my late 30s, I'm an avid player of
indoor and outdoor leagues here in Boise. Last year I was able to schedule a training gig in Germany during the World Cup. Another dream
fulfilled. Beyond football, I like to ride my Harley Davidson, backpack, watch movies, and the trails with my wife Kristen and dog Roxie near my house.
What did you think you wanted to be when you grew up?
When I was 7, I wanted to be a herpetologist (snake specialist). I'm not sure why, probably because snakes were cool, and they terrified the neighbor girls. I went through an Evil Knievel phase too, but fortunately Radio Shack saved me from many potential bites, breaks, and bruises. Hot coffee is all I have to fear these days.
What was your path into being a .NET developer?
I was a huge fan of Turbo Pascal, Object Pascal, and Delphi. I appreciated the many things that the built-in libraries, such as the VCL, could do for me. Unfortunately, I couldn't find much paying work writing Delphi code, so I switched over to VB in the mid 90s. This included some Access and FoxPro programming, but I was young and needed the money. When I heard that Anders Hejlsberg had left Borland and joined Microsoft a few years later, I knew I had made the right choice and things were about to get more interesting in Redmond. Having been a part-time instructor since 1990, I decided to get my Microsoft Certified Trainer certification, and started teaching VB, ASP, SQL, and other related technologies in 1998. I must admit that Java got my attention (much like Ruby is doing now). This changed as soon as I got my hands on "Cool" (C#) and the betas of .NET from the PDC in 2000. A few hundred thousand lines of code later and a few books written, and I'd say this is where I'll hang my hat for a while.
When you are not presenting at INETA user groups, what do you do for a living?
My friend Steven Borg (another Team System MVP) and I started the company Accentient
a few years ago. We focus on knowledge transfer and coaching software development teams on how to construct software better use Microsoft's
development tools and technologies. Today this primarily involves Team System, .NET, SQL Server, SharePoint, and BizTalk. Speaking to clients,
students, and conference attendees is primarily what I do, so it's like an INETA user group 24/7 for me!
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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 April 7th. 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 |
| Los Angeles .NET Developers Group | Los Angeles, CA | Billy Hollis | 4/2/07 |
| 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 |
| Fox Valley .NET User Group | Appelton, WI | Deborah Kurata | 4/18/07 |
| Central Pennsylvania .NET Users Group | Harrisburg, PA | Robert Green | 4/17/07 |
| Philly .NET User Group | Malvern, PA | Robert Green | 4/18/07 |
| Greater New Orleans .NET User Group | Kenner, LA | Rocky Lhotka | 4/23/07 |
| Springfield MO .NET User Group | Springfield, MO | Chris Menegay | 4/24/07 |
| San Diego .NET User Group | San Diego, CA | Les Pinter | 4/24/07 |
| Dallas ASP.NET | Irving, TX | Bill Vaughn | 4/24/07 |
| Aggieland (Texas A&M University) .NET Developers | College Station, TX | Bill Vaughn | 4/25/07 |
| Alamo PC Organization, Inc., .NET User Group | San Antonio, TX | Bill Vaughn | 4/26/07 |
| South Colorado.Net | Colorado Springs, CO | Brian Noyes | 5/1/07 |
| Capital City .NET Users Group of Florida | Talahassee, FL | Chris Menegay | 5/3/07 |
| New Mexico .NET User Group | Albuquerque, NM | Tim Huckaby | 5/3/07 |
| Orange County C# Developers Group | Rancho Santa Margarita, CA | Scott Cate | 5/8/07 |
| San Luis Obispo .NET User Group | San Luis Obispo, CA | Scott Stanfield | 5/8/07 |
| Austin .NET User Group (ADNUG) | Austin, TX | Tim Huckaby | 5/14/07 |
| San Diego .NET User Group ASP.NET SIG | San Diego, CA | Phil Weber | 5/15/07 |
| Sarasota .Net Developers Group | Sarasota, FL | Wally McClure | 5/15/07 |
| Naples .NET Developers Group | Naples, FL | Wally McClure | 5/16/07 |
| .NET Miami Users Group | Miami, FL | Wally McClure | 5/17/07 |
| Capital Area .Net Users Group | Vienna, VA | Shawn Wildermuth | 5/22/07 |
| SacDotNet | Sacramento, CA | Scott Stanfield | 5/29/07 |
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Exchange and Longhorn Roadshows |
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Penton Media (publisher of Windows IT Pro, Exchange & Outlook Administrators, and SQL Server Magazine) is producing a series of roadshows this spring for Microsoft, 1) one focused on Exchange Server 2007 and Microsoft Unified Communications and featuring Paul Robichaux as the key speaker, and 2) one focused on Windows Server "Longhorn."
INETA members qualify for a special $59 registration fee (regular price is $99).
You can find the show details (including speaker bios and session abstracts) for the Exchange shows (which kick off in New York March 27) at: www.windowsitpro.com/roadshows/exchange2007usa.
Info for the Longhorn shows (which kick off in New York on April 5) is available at:
www.windowsitpro.com/roadshows/longhorn.
Your user group members who attend either of these shows will receive the following benefits:
- $59 VIP Registration (normally $99 for early registration; $159 at the door)
- Access to industry-experts, including Paul Robichaux, Jim McBee, Devin Ganger, and Steve Bryant (for Exchange) and Michael Otey, Mark Minasi, and Derek Hatchard for the Windows Server "Longhorn" show
- Building community and enthusiasm within your group
- Facilitating camaraderie and networking with their peers
- Lunch and snacks
- Attendee bag with various special offers from sponsors
- Roadshow T-shirts
- Opportunities to win special prizes
All you need to do is use one of these invitations to promote attendance - links are coded
with the INETA discount. Members who sign up through these materials can use the special promo code included in these materials to receive the discounted registration fee of $59.
As the leader of your user group, you have even greater benefits, including a table-top booth at the roadshow (a $1,000 value) if you bring 10 attendees to the event, public announcements about your user group, and promotion of your user group on the at the shows.
If your group brings 25 members to the show, they will donate $500 worth of training or giveaway prizes to your user group!
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Become an INETA Live Presenter |
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INETA Live is all about sharing expertise with you fellow developers and leaders. They extend your reach far beyond your local
community - all from the convenient location of your computer. Our first year included several topics to help user group with
marketing, attracting sponsors, using SharePoint and creating a web site. While maintaining that type of support, we will be adding
additional webcasts on technical topics. That's where YOU come in.
We need YOUR suggestions for TOPICS and PRESENTERS. I'm sure that most of you have more to share than you expect. Think about how you've
answered a question or two at a meeting, or how a client or co-worker exclaimed over a cool tool or technique that you developed. INETA
Live is the perfect forum for sharing that with others. Combine a few PowerPoint slides with a demo and it's easier than you think.
The bonus is that you're helping others while you're having fun and building credentials. All that is the time it takes for your lunch break.
Still don't know what to present. Well, if it's something you're interested in, then other people reading this newsletter will probably
be interested as well. Technical topics can run the gamut, so I'll leave that up to you. The following are possible topics, but we want to
hear what YOU have to say.
- Networking - how to encourage networking at meetings; techniques to get more out of each encounter; building confidence.
- Boosting Attendance - where to advertise; locating prospects; why don't they return?
- Powerful Presentations - Scheduling Speakers
- Sponsorships - More than a One Night Stand
- Delegate and Elevate - Spreading the work, the honors and the rewards
attracting and rewarding volunteers
- Taking Charge - Setting the tone and running effective meetings
So, are you ready to sign up? Or maybe you just have speaker or topic to suggest. Please email
Teresa.Hennig@INETA.org
ONLY If the page is updated should the following be included
http://www.ineta.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabindex=10&tabid=61
For more about INETA webcasts, please visit
LIVE.INETA.org
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From the Editor |
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Well, the names of the new board members are announced above. It's good to see some fresh new names on the list and some old friends returning. It
should be a good group of volunteers in our leadership positions! Let's all rally behind them and offer whatever support we can. This is a good time
for you to get involved!
Speaking of support, if you have done something in your user group that helped boost attendance or interest in your group -- and would be willing
to share your idea with other user group leaders -- email that to me and we can share that idea here in the newsletter. We're all
in this together.
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
