Archives
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Settling in and linking to the world
Okay, I've got this .Text thing down pat now. I've been blogging for a few years now with the original sin, Blogger (wayback before Google capitalized on it when it was just a spark in Evan's eyes). Now I'm juggling a few blogs on various subjects but I'm happy with where things are.
I did have to spend a couple of hours tonight (which I'm sure people will consider a waste) copying all my RSS bookmarks into RSS Bandit so now I've got a single source for my geek-news aggregation. I've also added the noteworthy ones to this site in the appropriate categories (mostly SharePoint). Of course this meant I had to go through an exasperating sequence:
- Launch the site in my browser
- Copy the shortcut to the RSS feed
- Create a new feed in RSS Bandit
- Create a new link in this site
- Paste the RSS link
- Copy and paste the web URL
- Enter the name of the site
- Lather, rinse, repeat
Whew. Well, now that that's done it's over. Bandit is happily churning away grabbing news and telling me when something I might consider useful in the world changes, which is a much better model than me visiting a few dozen websites looking for something useful (and usually finding dribble). I highly recommend RSS Bandit (or similar news aggregator, but Bandit is Open Source and written in .NET) to get on top of these things.
I've also added a new link group called Articles. .Text is a great system and lets you post articles rather than blog postings for whatever you see fit. The recommendation is to create a post in your blog about an article with a link to it, but after that blog rolls off your active list how can you access it? So the brain fart came over me to create a link group called Articles and post them there. I've added the first one that I'm pretty proud of which is a Workshop template you can use to ease people into Adopting Agile Practices into the Enterprise. It was assembled from some ideas I've had and tidbits of info I found on the net around the benefits of Agile and XP. I've applied it to a typical waterfall type development group/PM where I work with a lot of success. I'm planning on getting all new .NET development following it in the new year so if you have any suggestions on the content feel free to leave a comment in the article. I'll be updating it as I find tweaks to the Workshop.
Finally I imported a large MVP list into my MSN so for those of you who are wondering who the heck is this guy it's me. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.
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Hello World
Well, I made it with few scars and most of my body parts intact.
This is probably the 4th or 5th blog I've setup on the net but the first that's specific to .NET and various other Microsquishy topics. I set up home here as I'm now officially a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP), getting my award back in April of this year. Microsoft MVPs are acknowledged by peers and also by Microsoft for their active participation in Microsoft technical communities around the globe. My MVP award came as a result of my participation in the SharePoint community. Over the last couple of years, I've become quite intimate with the Microsoft Portal product introducing it to my organizating (CP Rail) and getting people doing things differently with document management and mentoring people on what a “portal” really is.
This week I'll be hosting an Ask-The-Experts booth at the TechNet Canada Spring Tour in Calgary on June 3rd. The event will begin with an overview of best practices and strategies for ensuring client and server security. In the afternoon, we'll also review the new features of Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) 2003, and show how SMS 2003 integrates with Network and Operating System Technologies such as Active Directory and Windows Management Instrumentation. The event will conclude with a look at the new features in Windows Small Business Server 2003 starting with a fresh out-of-the-box installation. Feel free to approach me and chat with anything and they'll be some goodies you get courtesy of Microsoft. The Calgary event will take place at the regular location, Paramount Chinook down on McLeod Trail. Information and registration can be found here.
Anyways, so I'm off and running on this blog now. I have to thank Scott Water and .Text for this site and the ease to post my info here. I just have to figure out how to configure this site and add more info. I'll be posting blog snippets of .NET code, SharePoint tips, Agile software development techniques and experiences and whatever else comes along the way.