President's Notes
February 21, 2002
It was almost time to say goodbye!
Well, I tried to retire, but it just didn't happen. However, I did get
a great group of volunteers for the officer positions at the January
meeting. Honestly, we don't know who's in what positions yet. We're
working as a group to improve the organization. Here are our new board
members: Charles Miller, netINS, Inc.; Uriah Mixdorf, Tech-Solutions
Inc.; Autumn Wagner, City of Ames; Steve Ferrick, Novell, Inc.; Scott
Evans, Weitz, Inc.; Chris Nelson, Weitz, Inc.; Michael Harger, Weitz,
Inc. Thanks to all of them for their willingness to be involved!
Please don't think this means there's no room for you. The more the
merrier. If you want to be involved too, just let me know. We'll find
a place for you.
We're working to implement some big changes over the next few months.
They may include changes in the board positions and job descriptions,
changes in the meeting format, more emphasis on member participation
and less on vendors, more promotion and recruitment, more time spent
building relationships (e.g. networking and socializing), a rework of
the web page, etc., plus... whatever you would like to see!
This restructuring is going to take some time, so we're taking this
month off. We're shooting for a strong start in March. Please let us
know what you want to see in the coming year (products, skills, social,
whatever). My apologies for not notifying you sooner.
January 14, 2002
It's time to say goodbye!
It's been a good two years, but it's time for someone else to step up
to the plate and take over as president. Steve and Dave have also decided
to resign from their posts. So it's time for a new set of officers!
We'll be holding elections at the January meeting this Thursday. Please
try to be in attendance. I'd love to fill all the positions in our cabinet:
President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Events/Programs, Membership,
Education/Training, and Webmaster. It's a great learning experience
and an opportunity to meet and work with other networking professionals
from the area and around the world. You don't have to worry about being
left to your own resources. Steve, Dave and I are more than willing
to help out however we can. Lets try to fill all of these offices. The
more people we have involved the stronger the group becomes. I'll see
you Thursday!
June 11, 2001
New Time
Believe it or not, the feedback I received (thanks again for your response!)
on our meeting time was evenly split between the 11:30am and 3:00pm times.
I discussed this with Brian Clarke at Help Desk since they have been kind
enough to provide us with a facility. He indicated that since the conference
room is also their testing facility, the 3:00pm time would be the least
disruptive to their schedule. So here it is, our next meeting will be
3:00pm Thursday June 21st at Help Desk. EMC and Palisade Systems will
present.
New Name
Based on the responses I received, our new name will be the Central Iowa
Network Professionals. MG Consulting has registered CINP.NET as our
new domain name. CINUG.NET will continue to work until it expires. Thanks
for your participation!
Baseball Outing
I did receive some positive feedback on the I-Cubs baseball night, so
we will try to revisit this at some time in the future.
Thanks!
June 5, 2001
New Time
Based on the feedback I have received (thanks all of you), daytime meetings
do seem the most popular. Here are a couple of options I'd like you to
consider:
May 22, 2001
Where We Aren't
Well, things pretty much seem to be going downhill. I only got a couple
of responses to my last email and forum postings and we had an amazing
turnout of five at our last meeting (that's counting myself and the two
people from CA). I appreciate the responses I have received, however
I can't justify spending as much time on this as I do, for such a low
attendance. I certainly can't ask vendors to come in for groups this
small. I was very embarrassed to have CA engineer, Jack Brown, drive all
the way from Chicago just for our meeting and have us produce such a
poor showing. With the current lack of participation, I am not scheduling
anything after our September meeting. I really hope you can prove me
wrong with a huge outpouring of feedback on the Forum.
Let me know what I need to do to improve attendance (meeting topics,
dates, times (give me some), locations, etc.). If I get some responses
right away, I might even be able to make some of the changes for the
next meeting.
Due to the lack of participation and responses, I have not contacted
the other user groups or schools. Without people willing to participate,
this would be pointless. Also, there have only been a few responses to
the name change. Unfortunately, my earlier optimism was unwarranted.
I am not willing to make an executive decision on this matter. Post your
preference on the Forum as soon
as possible. Finally, I've received no responses on the proposed I-Cubs
outing, so I'm going to consider the event canceled. If you want me
to reconsider, lets see some responses on the Forum.
Thoughts from the meeting
Those of us that did attend the meeting had a good discussion regarding
our poor turnouts. A couple of possible reasons mentioned:
May 9, 2001
More Upcoming Events
Here are some more seminars/meetings coming up soon:
May 7, 2001
Upcoming Events
I've received information on some seminars coming up in the next few
weeks. Check these links for more information:
May 2, 2001
Where We Are
I take it from the lack of responses to my last email and our low attendance
at our last meeting that CINUG is not very important to most of you. While,
those that did reply or attend thought the group is important, they are
apparently in the minority. I really hope that those that have not responded
will take the time to let us know what you would like from the group
so we can meet the needs of our entire constituency. Please give us some
feedback using our forum or by
email at info@cinp.net.
We had a good discussion regarding the group at the meeting. I'm not
sure that we came up with any definitive answers, but we were able to
come to a consensus on a few issues.
First, many thought that a name change for the group was not necessary.
However, most agreed that a new name can't hurt. In response to that
mandate, I'd like some feedback on what you would prefer the new name
to be (I'm an optimist). Here are some options:
April 9, 2001
Well it was another rewarding trip to Salt Lake City. Both the NUI Leadership
Summit and BrainShare were great!
NUI Leadership Summit
I again had the opportunity to meet with Novell User Group presidents
from all over the world at the NUI Leadership Summit the weekend preceding
BrainShare. We were meeting for the first time under the organizations
new moniker "Novell Users International". This change was made to echo
Novell's new emphasis on solutions and giving attention to their entire
product line instead of concentrating on their NetWare NOS. It's a great
opportunity to see what other user groups are doing. I again returned
with some great ideas on how we can improve our organization.
It was another excellent retreat. As always, it's a great opportunity
to meet with the other presidents and hear that our groups have many
of the same concerns and obstacles (we aren't alone) and to hear some
solutions others have tried. It's obvious that we need to reach out to
other networking professionals to demonstrate the benefits of being a
member. Many groups provide more benefits to their membership. Some areas
I would like us to investigate: organizing/participating in local technical
conferences, community service projects, scholarship programs, and affiliating
with high schools and/or colleges.
NUI is constantly working to bring additional benefits to its members.
Novell Connection (formerly Novell Connection) magazine
will continue to be their flagship offering. They have significantly
enhanced the web site in the last year. They have built new on-line technical,
educational, and career resource centers. New offerings include forums,
an on-line store, and, in cooperation with Dice.com, a employment search
site. NUI also has become a new Novell Online Training Provider (NOTP)
that allows them to resell Novell's education programs and manuals at
a significant savings. This year has also seen a huge growth in the NUI HOT Labs.
It provides instructor-led Hands On Training on a number of pertinent
topics. It is a super training tool and is a resource we should try to
exploit, possibly as a fund-raising avenue for our group.
We again had an opportunity to hear from a number of Novell executives.
Carl Ledbetter was able to spend some time mapping out Novell's short
and long-term direction. Representatives of product and education groups
also provided updates. Novell also brought in product managers to ask
our input on the direction several product categories.
We had eight presidents from our new region attending the Summit (Wichita,
St. Louis, Kansas City, Lincoln, Omaha, Ft. Collins, Dubuque, Twin Cities,
and myself).
We had several opportunities to meet as a group both formally and informally.
This was very helpful since all the regions were realigned this year.
As part of our formal meetings, we elected two regional represenatives.
LeAllan Estrem from the Twin Cities was re-elected as our regional representative
and David Britt, president of the Heartland NetWare Users Group of Kansas
City, MO was elected the assistant regional representative. We have established
a regional web site to help us continue and build on this dialog.
BrainShare 2001
Well I thought I'd try to take it a little easier on myself this year,
but it didn't work. I walked away from the week as brain-fried as last
year. Again, lots of great information. I'm going to try to get some
of the really good presentations to our meetings. Hopefully we can get
some of the vendors that presented. In any case, I added a link to the
BrainShare presentations to our Links page. Check them out!
I'm hooked! Do it next year if you can!
CINUG Update
I'm still working to put together our meeting schedule for the next year.
Here is where we are:
| Date Thursday, August 2 Friday, August 3 Saturday, August 4 Sunday, August 5 Monday, August 6 Tuesday, August 7 Wednesday, August 8 Thursday, August 9 Tuesday, August 14 Wednesday, August 15 Thursday, August 16 Friday, August 17 Saturday, August 18 Sunday, August 19 Monday, August 20 Tuesday, August 21 Friday, August 31 |
Time 7:05 7:05 7:05 1:05 7:05 7:05 7:05 7:05 7:05 7:05 7:05 7:05 7:05 1:05 7:05 7:05 7:05 |
Opponent Edmonton Edmonton Edmonton Edmonton Tacoma Tacoma Tacoma Tacoma Memphis Memphis Memphis Memphis Nashville Nashville Nashville Nashville Salt Lake |
Promotion Knothole Gang Fireworks TV Scout Sleepover TV Zooperstars Knothole Gang Knothole Gang Pro Wrestling / Fireworks Salute to Duck Tape / Fireworks / TV |
March 26, 2001
Just a couple of notes....
A big thanks to Doug Shreve from Pomeroy Computer Resources for coming
in to present on short notice and in bad weather. His presentation on
Wireless Networking was excellent. It provided many insights into the
many advantages and, more importantly, pitfalls of wireless installations.
opefully we can have him back when more of you can attend.
Novell has some information on their web site on the Buena Vista College
installation that Doug talked about at http://www.novell.com/success/bvu.html.
Check it out!
The NUI Leadership conference and BrainShare were excellent again this
year. More to come...
Speaking of BrainShare, John Bezy will be presenting on some of the most
popular topics on BrainShare at the University Park Holiday Inn tomorrow.
Sorry about the short notice, but I've been a little tied up since my
return. The details are here. I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you just
dropped in!
Thanks!
March 14, 2001
CINUG Update
I've been working hard the last few weeks to put together our meeting
schedule for the next year. Here is a preliminary list:
January 30, 2001
CINUG Update
Well I'm not sure if it was due to a lack of publicity or due to conflicts,
but the third Tuesday did not make a difference in attendance. So we
are going to try yet another different night for our monthly meeting.
Starting with the February meeting, we are going to try the third Thursday
of the month. So, the meeting will be Thursday February 15th. The topic
for the February meeting has not yet been determined. Our regular meeting
place will continue to be Help Desk.
We've finally completed our CINUG Forum! You can enter questions or messages
or respond to other messages. Click here to
try it out.
October 11, 2000
CINUG Update
Due to popular demand, we are going to try a different night for our monthly
meeting. There was no real consensus on a new day, so we are going to
take a shot with the third Tuesday of the month. So, the October meeting
will be Tuesday October 17th. The October Meeting will also be at a special
location. Colorfx Marketing services will be hosting the meeting at their
new facility at 5085 NE 17th Street. Our regular meeting place will continue
to be Help Desk.
August 16, 2000
CINUG Update
Well, here it is, the middle of August and still no special event. My
apologies.
It has been an even more hectic summer than I had expected. My company,
Devan Direct Marketing, moved into a new facility in late June, a good
month later than originally planned. That means many of the details I
had planned to have completed by mid-June are still undone. Oh well,
the best intentions...
You may also notice that one of our sponsors has changed. Devan Direct
Marketing was acquired in July by Colorfx and is now Colorfx Marketing
Services. So some more items have been added to my to-do list.
We'd still like to do some kind of social outing, so we'd like your input
again. A majority of the feedback we got the last time indicated an afternoon
Cubs game. There are only eight games left on their schedule, August 19th
to the 22nd and September 1st through the 4th. The only weekday afternoon
game left is Labor Day. I think that pretty much eliminates the Cubs for
this year. We'll get an early start on it next year though. So, what other
options do you want to explore? We really would like a good turnout, so
your input is essential. Give us some ideas on dates and times too. Send
us an email at info@cinug.net.
We've received alot of feedback that Wednesday is a bad night for our
meetings. So it's time to explore another day. In order to avoid conflicts
with other area users groups, the best days would be any Monday, the first
or third Tuesday, or the third or fourth Thursday. Send us an email at
info@cinug.net
with your preferences. If you'd like to change locations or have some
suggestions for meeting topics, send those along too. Remember, this is
your group and we want the meetings to be useful to you.
May 2, 2000
CINUG Update
The board has been considering cancelling the June, July and August meetings
in favor of a special event sometime in July. We currently are considering
a picnic, a golf outing or an I-Cubs game. We'd like your input. Do you think
this is a good idea? Do you like any of these options or do you have another
option? What day of the week and time-of-day would you prefer to have an event
like this? We really would like a good turnout if we do this, so your input
is essential. Send me an email at info@cinug.net.
Be sure to check out the IVNUA Conference Information and the NUI Benefits
Update links on the News page.
Apr. 12, 2000
NUI Leadership Summit
I had the opportunity to meet with over 120 other User Group presidents from
all over the world at the NUI Leadership Summit the weekend preceding BrainShare.
We were able to network and share our concerns and successes. I got some great
ideas on how to improve our organization and provide more benefits to our
membership. Some items I found particularly interesting were: organizing local
technical conferences, community service projects, developing affiliated high
school and college chapters, and social events.
Nationally, NUI will see some changes in the coming year. First, negotiations
with Novell are almost complete that will change NUI's name from NetWare Users
International to Novell Users International. NUI is also working to bring
additional benefits to its members in the coming year. In addition to the
long standing Netware Connection magazine, NUI will be adding education,
tools, evaluation software, and more webcasts to their offerings. Look for
a lot of great changes this year.
Several senior Novell executives made presentations and fielded questions
during the Summit. Included were Dave Shirk, Senior VP of Product Management
and Marketing (The Product Guy), Steve Adams, Senior VP of Worldwide Marketing
(The Marketing Guy), and CEO Eric Schmidt. It was a great opportunity to hear
what Novell's direction will be from the people making the decisions.
Steve noted that in the past Novell had been guilty of "random acts of marketing".
He said this will no longer be the case. Novell has developed a vision of
"One Net". In order to implement this vision, Steve and Dave have developed
a model that all new products and future marketing will revolve around. That
model is DENIM - Directory Enabled Net Infrastructure Model. They think DENIM
is appropriate as the "fabric of the net". It is strong, durable, flexible
and works in all environments.
Steve and Dave also noted that product cycles are now between six and nine
months. They feel that time frame is too short and are working to extend it
to around twelve months. They will continue to be responsive to the market's
needs, but they also realize it is important that networking professionals
be able to keep up with the changes. Dave also noted that product development
includes documentation and training along with the code. He said a product
will not be considered complete until the documentation and training are complete.
Eric spent very little time talking. Instead he listened and responded to the
group's questions and took notes. He said while Novell understands the importance
of television marketing, they are still not in a position to do much of it.
Instead they will be doing less product specific marketing and doing more
brand marketing. Ads will be directed at CEOs, CFOs, CIOs and CTOs. When they
do enter into TV marketing, it will be targeted at that audience as well,
probably utilizing the news and business cable networks.
It was a great two days! Lots of great information!
BrainShare 2000
This was my first trip to BrainShare. Wow! I'm both overwhelmed by all the
information and thirsting for more. It is a great opportunity to hear from
the experts in the field.
I'll definitely be going again next year! I definitely reccommend it.
Last Revised February 14, 2002. Site maintained by MG Consulting and Colorfx Marketing Services, sponsors of the Central Iowa Network Professionals.
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