Notes on Marketing PASS at Non-PASS Events

This is a follow up to my previous post about Orlando Code Camp. The event team offered oPASS/MagicPASS a free sponsor table and we took them up on it. I wrote a bunch of notes about what worked and what didn’t (below), but the bigger point I want to make is that there are so […]

Notes From Orlando Code Camp 2015

Last weekend I attended the 10th annual Orlando Code Camp. I think I’ve missed two of those due to scheduling conflict. Ten years, and ten consecutive years, that’s a really good run! Former ONETUG President’s Joel Martinez and Shawn Weisfeld were present along with current President Esteban Garcia. I like that continuity and hope it’s […]

What Does PASS Stand For? How Do You Answer That Question?

This past weekend I was at the 10th annual Orlando Code Camp as a speaker, attendee, and helping staff the PASS/oPASS/Magic table along with Kendal Van Dyke and Shawn McGehee. We had a prime table location and we talked to quite a few people. Many knew about the local groups and SQLSaturday, many did not, […]

Thoughts on The SQL New Blogger Challenge

Ed Leighton-Dick published a challenge for new bloggers (or those who haven’t blogged in a while) to do one post a week during April. Great post, great reason for it, and I hope that many of you will give it a try. Read his post first! Some thoughts for those of you that are brand […]

Changes to the SQLSaturday Numbering System

Tim Ford has a post on the PASS blog today about Feedback Requested on SQLSaturday Numbering System that is worth a quick read and comment. Basically the idea is to remove the numbers from the event title to make it easier to reuse marketing materials. My feedback on the change: Joe Healy suggested the numbering […]

From a SQLSaturday Volunteer: There Was a Lot More To This Than I Ever Knew

This past weekend in Tampa I spoke with a first time volunteer who had attended the events before (in Tampa and other cities) and he said that he had been really surprised and impressed by the amount of work that the event requires. I think he was disappointed a little that he had not realized […]

Product Based Communities Are Easiest To Build (Not Easy)

Part of a discussion from this past weekend prompted me to write down some quick thoughts on building community. Building communities is a lot of work and a lot of magic. It starts with a shared interest though, and while it’s never as simple as always, I think that it’s easiest to build communities around […]

Celebrating First Time Speakers in the PASS Universe

I’ve long been an advocate of growing more speakers locally, something that turns out to be surprisingly hard to do, at least here in Orlando. This past weekend I was at SQLSaturday Tampa watching the end of day raffle and was interested to hear that one of the winners was also speaking for the first […]

The Appearance of PASS Chapter Websites

Imagine you’re new to SQL Server, or new to a city, and you start looking around for networking and learning opportunities. With luck and/or experience you find your way to the local PASS Chapter web site. Once there, what do you find? Does it look professional? Is it current? Can you see what the last […]

Follow Up Thoughts on the Board Q&A/Town Hall

Reflected a bit more while driving last night on the PASS Q&A held yesterday and my in the moment notes I posted, bunch more stuff: I hope it won’t just be the officers each time. Made sense for this first effort (and maybe the next), but I think we’d like to see more of the […]