baltimore

This past Saturday I participated in the 2nd of my 3 straight weekends of SharePoint Saturday’s.  I had a great time with all the speakers as there were a few I had not seen in sometime so it was great to catch up (Matt, Danny, Brew, Tom, etc.).  The conversations at this event were energized with lots of SharePoint “What’s New?”,  “When will it do this?” and the best one “Why can’t they make it do this?” conversations.  On top of all that I sat in on some sessions and obtained a lot of valuable information.  Gina Montgomery did a bang up job explaining where Office groups will fit in your day to day work life and hopefully get some people away from using PostIt Notes (Bill Wolff :)).  Office groups have come a long way and still have a ways to go but they will stay on the radar.  Bill Wolff had such an electrifying impromptu lightning talk at lunch which lead to him filling his room for his Responsive Design session.  It was literally standing\sitting room only!!  Great job Bill I’m just sorry I couldn’t attend but can’t wait to see what you do with Forms!!  Susan Hanley did her governance presentation which I have to admit I have wanted to see for sometime.  She did not disappoint and it has provided the spark I needed in governance to provide different ideas for different clients.  Thank you very much Susan!!  There were many other amazing speakers and presentations given on Saturday but I was most proud of attending a session for a 1st speaker!!  Swetha Sankaran was encouraged by Matt Bramer to submit and I am very glad that she did as it was encouraging to see new faces as it means that the excitement for SharePoint is still growing out there in the community.  Great job Swetha and I can’t wait to see you again!

My session on “Build It and They Will Come:  SharePoint User Adoption”  (One of my favs!) went extremely well and those who attended truly made me feel like the were walking out of the door with valuable and most importantly usable and repeatable information.  What more can you ask for at an event right?  Well what made it even better is the conversations kept continuing as throughout the day those who attended would come up and ask me additional questions.  Each experiencing all the common issues we deal with when it comes to implementing SharePoint and trying to make sure its going to be used the way it should be.  I enjoyed every conversation I had and I thank you all for it.  On a funny note I had a conversation with one of the vendors at the event where we talked about his company and what they do and then where I was from and what I do…you know the normal.  We parted ways exchanging business cards but knew we’d talk again.  However, I did not expect that to be soon after that when he approached me to let me know that one of his colleagues handed him an article the other day to read and he said he really enjoyed it and was pretty excited about it.  I was like ok as I was not sure where this was going.  He said after our discussion that colleague informed him what he read was one of my blog posts on user adoption!!  How flipping awesome is that!!  Totally made my day and an reassured me of why I take the time to try to share my experiences.

Link to presentation:  BuildItandTheyWillCome_SharePoint2013-SPSBaltimore

This event came at the most perfect time for me as I have been struggling to find meaning and understanding  of why I do what I do and does anyone really care or notice.  I have been fixated on a goal that I have been trying to achieve for some time now but as of yet I have not obtained that goal hence the struggle.  There is a method to the madness and I respect and appreciate it but at the same time I’m wondering if it is worth what I am putting my friends and most importantly my family through.  Not to mention the sleepless nights and long hours I have been enduring to stay caught up with everything.  By no means do I think or feel like I’m doing it the right way but have not yet found a better one.  Prior to this trip I made a decision and one I still stand by even after this amazing trip and event.  However, what I will be doing is re-prioritizing.  That goal I would love to achieve and that I would honor and hold in high regards will even still be a goal but what I have decided is that goal is  its not worth all the sacrifices.  The many months and at this point years has been amazing but its time to refocus.  I do know that the potential of me achieving that goal will lesson but all the other things in my life will be heightened and that is what is most important family, friends and Focal Point Solutions.

Huge thank you to the event organizers you do an amazing job putting this event together and location of everything was simple amazing.  Shadeed many could learn from you…hats off!!  Also, thank you everyone who participated in my life this weekend as if you didn’t already know you all make an impact.