One of the things that have been keeping me from regular posts has been working on setting up a new SQL Server User Group. Well, that is now starting to really come together! Our first meeting is scheduled for Tuesday April 13th, 2010. We have a basic site, a logo and some plans. Still some little kinks to work out but we have a start and that is really exciting. 🙂
Checkout The Seacoast SQL Server Users Group Website to learn more details.
You can also follow us on twitter at @SeacoastSQL or find our LinkedIn group.
Learning, Giveaways, Networking And Free Dinner
Hopefully the emphasis is on Learning but we will have other things for you there also 🙂 Giveaways will look different (books, an Amazon gift card the first meeting, and other random toys and trinkets from vendors, Microsoft and others). They’ll be given away by drawing and that list will be populated by folks who RSVPd ahead of time. Free food each night as well (First meeting will be Pizza and Soft Drinks/Coffee).
The learning will typically look like a 45-75 minute presentation with some time for Questions and Answers. The first month we have Grant Fritchey who blogs as the Scary DBA who will be presenting on understanding Execution Plans. A topic he often blogs about and wrote a book about.
Future months will feature various speakers, national and local, well known or new and from our own local community. They’ll present on a variety of topics covering all parts of SQL Server (BI, Database Engine, Database Administration, Reporting, even Professional Development).
Seacoast? Isn’t That Kind Of Vague?
There is an area of Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire often know as the “Seacoast Region”. That is where we are. We are in Portsmouth, NH (45 minutes from Portland, Maine. 60 Minutes from Boston, MA and 45 Minutes from Manchester, NH). We have an excellent user group in the general region with the “New England SQL Server Users Group“. They meet in Waltham, which for those of us up this way is about a 1.75 hour drive.
Hopefully meeting up here will give a second option for folks who live north of Boston. I will still try and get to many of the New England SQL Server Users Group meetings, always good to be learning.
I Want To Go!
Well – check out the site. For now, send an RSVP e-mail to seacoastsql@straightpathsql.com so we can make sure we are ready for you and have you entered into any giveaway drawings. The first meeting is Tuesday April 13th at 6:00PM (Main presentation starts at 6:30 if you are a bit late, no worries)
I Want To Speak!
Great! Please contact me at that same address above or in the comments below. We are hoping to start off with speakers in the flesh but may also consider remote speakers with live meeting if we need to. As we gain sponsors we hope to be starting a budget to cover travel costs for speakers coming up, including hotel in Portsmouth, NH by fall (A really fun town with some great atmosphere and plenty to do no matter what you are interested in). We are looking for speakers across the spectrum of the SQL Server product line. Let us know and we’ll get you scheduled!
We & Us
This is the user group for the community of SQL Server users in the area described above. I happened to have the idea bouncing around for a few years as I posted last year. I enlisted the help of some great local SQL Server experts to help keep things honest and they and keep things moving along. We may be the folks who got this off the ground and have names in small print on the about us page but this is not our group. Well at least not only ours. This group is for you. We want to see the knowledge level rise all around the area and encourage the sharing of great knowledge and tips all around the local SQL Community.
Have an idea? Let us know. Have a complaint? Les us know. Want to speak for the first time? By all means! One of the things I would like to do (but only if folks think it is a good idea) is try a night where we have a lot of speakers speak for shorter stints to get used to it and get honest and constructive feedback. Have some content you really want to hear? Please, let us know.
This is going to be fun. 🙂
Very cool! Congratulations on the new group, it’s always great to see the SQL community growing.