For my first blog post, I want to go over how I’ve recovered from VMworld this past week. That sentence may be a little strange for most considering I didn’t actually get to attend this year. Once the event started and Twitter exploded, I felt pretty down on myself for not going. I’ve been working to go for the last three, but haven’t managed to actually make it yet. I WILL be there next year (I hope)!
VMworld for me was lived entirely vicariously. I spent much of it glued to my computer screen reviewing the play-by-play that the Twitterverse was providing. Even though I wasn’t there, I felt energy and excitement through my computer screen.
Yet, what I found interesting is the driving force for my excitement. I fully anticipated being amped about new product announcements, news from Dell, and eventually streaming the sessions I missed by being two thousand or so miles away. Instead, I found myself buried in an almost-overwhelming sense of community. Tons and tons of Tweets from attendees about what they were doing, who they were doing it with, and likely looping in someone that should tag along. Even better was that those at the front of the company are completely supportive of the community and the need for it to grow. It was an incredibly refreshing realization – even more so when I recognized that I can play an important (albeit minute) part in that community if I so choose.
In that vein, there are two videos that I saw over the course of last week which really drove home community, the support behind it, and the ability to participate in it. The first was an interview with Brad Tompkins (@VMUG_CEO) on theCUBE (@theCUBE). I’ve watched it several times now and continue to gain inspiration from the passion with which Brad talks about VMUG. He talks about growing VMUG at a local level by engaging with energized leaders and local volunteers, how people see this energy, and how this attracts growth of the community naturally. Later in the video, co-host John Troyer (@jtroyer) explains, “You really become better at your job when you’re part of the community.” He later follows up with, “Crazy, amazing things happen when you get involved with VMUG.” Check out the entire video here. It’s well worth the time.
With a clear mind that I needed to start doing more, I reviewed a quick video tweeted by #vBrownBag (@vBrownBag) about community involvement. The session, led by Tim Davis (@ALDTD), is a quick, sub-10 minute video that talks about different ways to contribute. I learned that there’s a list of the Top 100 vExperts for me to look at (which then gives me a bunch of blogs to read)! Overall, Tim makes it sound much less daunting to being an engaged member in the community. Check out the whole video here.
I’m not sure I can say that I’ve actually recovered in the week following VMworld. I’m still feeling the after-effects of the event, but not in a negative way. I didn’t have to catch up on emails. I didn’t miss a bunch of meetings. Instead, I’m stuck with a bit of a nagging feeling that I need to give back. I’m stuck with the inspiration of seeing hundreds upon thousands of people being energetic and excited.
It’s time to become a part of something, learn, and do great things!