The Lotusphere 2009 OGS video is live!

Make sure anyone in your organization that needs to see it, see's it! Even includes The Blue Men and Dan Aykroyd.
Click here to view it!

Lotusphere 2009 Report - Hightlights video from the Closing General Session

Lotusphere 2009 Report - My Lotusphere Idol Audition Video

In case you missed it, here's my Lotusphere Idol audition.

Lotusphere 2009 Report - The Inauguration

One of the cooler moments of Lotusphere 2009 was being able to watch the inauguration with many others. I decided to shoot some video to capture the moment.

Lotusphere2009 Reflections

I don't know if it's just me, but coming home from Lotusphere is much like a diver coming up from a deep sea expedition. You've seen it on the Discovery Channel or the movie, The Abyss. They have to get into an isolation chamber for several days and slowly acclimate themselves back to the normal atmosphere so their blood doesn't bubble, get the bends and go all crazy.
Well, I've had my time in the chamber and I'm ready to emerge. There was so much I wanted to do at Lotusphere this year. That included cutting daily video updates with my cool mini digital camera and posting them to YouTube. But after staying up late a couple night cutting video and trying to upload it, I gave up on that real quick. I have a few more videos to upload and will hopefully get those cut and uploaded this coming week.
Lotusphere 2009 was nothing short of excellent. What more can be said about this years meeting of the yellow minds that hasn't already been blogged be me last week or others? Well, I came up with a few

The Good:

• The message was clear and to the point. Notes/Domino is not dead. It never was. And now there is a new leader at the helm that is not going to allow any more of this nonsense continue to propagate any further because he gets it. Mr. Picciano immediately took command of the audience and the Yellow Bubble as it's leader. He gets us gang. Lets hope that more good things will come from it.
• Notes/Domino 8.5 and 8.5.1 looks to be the best release of the product yet. As soon as 8.5.1 hits the streets, I will be all over it for production. Until then, testing will commence hopefully soon on 8.5.
• Great selection of sessions this year. I still have yet to go through all of the slides from all of them.
  
• The community. Someone posed the question in their blog entry, "What other community actually wants to show up to conference early just so they can hang out with their friends?" That statement is so true about the Yellow Bubble.
  
• College kids were one of the winners from Lotusphere Idol. Is the next generation starting to take notice? I really think IBM/Lotus needs to come up with some sort of competition for college kids to do something innovative with the Lotus product line and then win a trip to Lotusphere to show it off. Get the local sales people involved to do the recruiting and see what happens. College kids are always looking for something free!
• Watching history at lunchtime on Tuesday with a bunch of other folks.
  

The Bad

• Is it just me, or is the food getting worse?
• No MP3's of sessions this year. Actually used those in the past.
• People getting all caught up in the numbers of who showed up. Face it peoples, the economy obviously sucks right now.
• Not enough hours in the day when you're at Lotusphere. I seriously wish I had Hermione's "Time Turner" so that I could have hit everything I wanted to while I was down there.

So that's it for my thoughts on Lotusphere2009. Now let's get to work!

Lotusphere 2009 Report Day 2 - My 5 minutes of fame

Today was the day of my Lotusphere Idol 5 minute audition. I had it all planned out in my head what I was going to say and incorporate suggestions that others had given me. But when it came time to stand up in front of everyone and present, my mind turned to mush. Grade A mush. I know I could have done better but I let my anxiety of speaking in front of people get the best of me this time. But, I'm not upset that I didn't win the session. The fact of knowing that my idea was heard by others and given a shot like this means the world to me and I had a great time doing it! Congratulations go out to Nate Lowry/Matt Rosno and Andrew Brew! That's right, there were two winning presentations that will give 30 minute sessions each on Thursday morning. The judges were deadlocked.
So my advice to anyone that submitted a session to Lotusphere and had it turned down, or to anyone that just wants to give it a shot, submit it for Lotusphere Idol! You never know what could happen. Just don't do what I did and choke ;-) It is a LOT of fun!

Lotusphere 2009 Report Day 2 - Basking in the resonance and Lotusphere Idol!

It's Tuesday night around 11:30 and I'm beat. My seventh Lotusphere to date and honestly I cannot recall another Lotusphere that has been this energized and alive with passion from this group of people, the Lotus faithful. The theme for Lotuphere 2009 is "Resonance". One of the definitions on dictionary.com for the word describes the following:

the state of a system in which an abnormally large vibration is produced in response to an external stimulus, occurring when the frequency of the stimulus is the same, or nearly the same, as the natural vibration frequency of the system.

Abnormally large vibration in response to an external stimulus. Lotusphere is that external stimulus that we, the faithful, need. When we leave here later this week, what are we going to do in our daily business that will make that vibration felt? What will we do that will show our management, our CIO's, the neighbors dog that this product line is not dead. It's alive, robust and hopefully with the this new leadership at the helm, ready to put up on hell of a fight. So far I have seen several things revolving around just the core functionality of the Domino 8.5 product that I know will be able to increase functionality and performance for all my users.
So, enjoy the final two days here at Lotusphere. Soak up as much as we can and let's take it back to our worlds and resonant it with those that we need to.

Lotusphere 2009 Report Day 2 - In case you missed the iPhone announcment

The ActiveSync technology will be added later this year to Lotus Notes Traveler, which provides real-time replication between mobile devices and Notes.

Good news for the iPhone lovers! I'm hoping that there will be support included for the iPod Touch as well! Read the full article on NetworkWorld.com here.

Lotusphere 2009 Report Day 1 - Video from the OGS

As promised, here is the video I shot during the OGS. Enjoy!


Sorry folks. Found out that I may have broken SEVERAL laws and copyright things, so in the interest of being a good boy, I pulled the video.

Lotusphere Report 2009 - Day 1:Blue Men, Beldar and Bob

What can be said about the opening general session of Lotusphere that hasn't already been written already by many others? This years Lotusphere OGS was one that was not to be missed! With many of the people I've spoken with today, they all were energize by a new excitment that had swept over the crowd this morning the instant Blue Man Group took the stage and began their performance. In the past there has been bands and orchestras to begin the days events, but Blue Man added a more renewed vibe to the room that has been missed in years past.
After playing an abbreviated "Rock Concert Movement" set, the new general manager of Lotus Software, Bob Picciano, took the stage and immediately took command of the mornings events. He came across right away as someone that "gets" what the Lotus software suite really is, (it helps that he's married to someone that works in the development area of Lotus, too), and I would even say after meeting him tonight, someone that "gets" the community in general as well. Bob then introduced the secret special guest of the day, Dan Aykroyd! Okay Lotus, you are forgiven for having Costas last year. Rather then me trying to rehash all of the fantastic information that was shared today, I highly recommend you take a look at PlanetLotus.org's site for the live blogging that was done by several of the Lotus blogging community.
My take on the event, Notes/Domino 8.5 can make your life and your companies bottom line both happy.
Hopefully at some point here I will get the video I took before my battery died edited and uploaded. But for now I have to go prepare for a little thing that I'm doing tomorrow afternoon. If you're around the Dolphin S. Hemisphere III at 3, stop in and cheer me on for Lotusphere Idol!

Lotusphere 2009 Report Day 1ish - Jumpstarts and more video goodness

Another brain filling day spent attending Jump Starts at Lotusphere. A lot of really good practical information! This evening promises plenty of shenanigans and hi-jinx at The Turtles session followed by the opening reception held out by the pool. Lot of rumors running around about announcements and who the special guest is at the OGS tomorrow morning, but I'll save that for later. For now, let's continue to bask in the "resonance" of Lotusphere 2009.

Lotusphere 2009 Report Day 0 - And so it begins again, with video!

Let's face it, travel days are usually hectic and non-stop, and today was no exception. The family dropped me off at the Akron-Canton Regional Airport for my flight to Lotusphere. At the airport I met up with Chris Blatnick and we began our venture south. Not much to report with the flight, generally smooth, but the Mears shuttle was a whole other story. From the time we got to the Mears counter and checked in until the time we got to the hotel, it was about the same amount of travel time as it was to fly from Akron to Orlando. At one point, we were unsure if the driver was going down some out of the way road to dump the bodies. Our bodies. But in the end we eventually arrived at The Dolphin. Alive. After checking and a quick change into shorts, it was off to BALD to meet up with old friends and new for a get together followed by the migration down the Boardwalk to ESPN. During BALD, the winning of the 1st annual PlanetLotus blogger of the year was announced. Congratulations to Ed Brill for being the first winner.
So tomorrow begins the Jump Starts and general Lotusphere goodness. Stay tuned, much, much more to come! For now, here is today's video highlights, including video of the PlanetLotus award!

Getting ready for Lotusphere 2009

So instead of packing, I'm playing with my Christmas present.

See ya all tomorrow!

Hey, I'm on The Taking Notes Podcast #94!

Just got finished being interviewed by Bruce Elgort this evening for episode 94 of The Taking Notes Podcast! Bruce interviewed me about the excitement and fear of being a Lotusphere Idol! contestant.

Thanks, Bruce!

Yes, I should be working on my Lotusphere Idol! slides..

But I had to go out and film the kids attempt to sled down our somewhat hill in the backyard.

I was honored to receive an email yesterday saying that my abstract for Lotusphere Idol! has been accepted! Then, the anxiety set it. So if you have time on Tuesday, January 20, at 3 PM in the Dolphin Hotel Southern Hemisphere III, stop by and cheer me and the other contestants on! From what I've heard, it should be a good time!

So my wife got me a new outfit for Lotusphere

What do you think? Is it me?

See ya'll late next week!

Andy's Guide to Lotusphere - 2009 edition. Now in 3D!

Here we go true believers! It’s 30-some days until Lotusphere 2009 starts so that means it’s time for:

Andy’s Guide to Lotusphere – 2009 edition!
Insert trumpets, let loose the pigeons!

For the past couple of years, I have put together this guide to be a helpful resource for the wary Lotusphere first timer that may not know what to expect out of this pagan-like midwinter fest. If you follow the banter on Planetlotus.org, Facebook or Twitter, you notice that once you get hooked on Lotusphere, it is a hard habit to break and something that everyone in the Lotus community looks forward to!
What you will not find here is who the special guest speaker at the OGS . (As always, my money is on "The Shat", but that's just a guess. I've been guessing that for several years now and have never been right.)
What you will find is what I've learned from making the pilgrimage south each January. So here goes!

1. There are several web resources I recommend you check out ahead of time:

• The official Lotusphere website. 'Nuff said.
• The Taking Notes podcast. Just like last year, Bruce and Julian have had a chance to talk with Sandra Marcus, the Queen of Lotusphere. Her job is to make sure that this goes off without a hitch each year and they are a really interesting look behind the scenes.
  
• Also, stop by Chris Miller's blog for his series of podcasts with the track managers from Lotusphere.
• The Turtle - What can be said about the original, no hold barred, anti-establishment website run by Scott "The Turtle" Wenzel that hasn't already been said. This year, Scott has also created a Gonzo Wiki along with the Gonzo Lotusphere 2009 Page. Between these two sites, if you can't find out what you need to know about Lotusphere, then you may not be asking the right questions.
• The Power of the Lotusphere Community - The Lotusphere blog! New this year is another great center for information from the four corners of the web regarding Lotusphere.
  
• Planetlotus.org - The list of lists for the Lotus blogsphere. If you have not yet dipped your toes into the vast ocean of knowledge that is there for the taking on this site, then you don't know what you're missing. As Lotusphere grows closer, I'm sure that the site will come alive with Lotusphere related rhetoric and information.
  

2. Go and get yourself a new pair of tennis/walking shoes NOW. Wear them and break them in. This will save your feet some pain after the first day of walking around the conference. And you will do a LOT of walking around while you are there. You may also want to get a new pack of white socks at Wal-Mart or Target. The real cushy kind. Those help a lot too.

3. Before you leave on your adventure, stop by that section in cosmetics at the Wal-Mart or Target that has all the neat little travel sized stuff and pick up anything you can think of that you may need! Aspirin, Advil, Tylenol, Nyquil, baby powder, Qtips, etc, etc. But most importantly PEPTO-BISMOL. I got REALLY ill last year at Lotusphere 08 and had to dish out a lot of money at the little store in the Dolphin for supplies. Bringing a small drug store with you can really save you some bucks. It's usually 3-4 times more on site. And yes, I am still bitter about getting sick down there last year.

4. Your conference badge is your life. DO NOT LOSE IT! Pretend you're Gollum and the badge is your "precious". If you lose it, you're out of luck!

5. Go to Genii Software's website and download the Lotusphere Agenda Database for 2009. It's a Notes Journal database that contains the sessions, their descriptions, location and times. It has a handy add to calendar button. Very useful when planning your time. Especially great if you sync Notes with a mobile device like a BlackBerry, Palm and new this year, support for the iPhone! Ben Langhinrichs and the Turtle Partnership do a great job every year making this available to all. Thanks, guys! Also, don't be afraid to double-book your time. Let's say you're in one session and it's not exactly what you are hoping for. With enough planning, you can look at your schedule and jump into another session at the same time that may be more of what you are looking for. And that happens a lot!

6. If you need to, order more business cards now. You will go through a lot of them. Downside - Your phone will ring for a couple of weeks afterward. Upside - You use them to win cool stuff like iPods!

7. Meet people and make contacts. Very useful and fun. Sitting in your hotel room at night is no fun. Get out and mingle, network and collaborate! If you arrive on Saturday and have nothing to do, wander on down to the Boardwalk area and stop in to the Big River Grille & Brewing Works. On Saturday afternoon, the Bloggers -and friends- Annual Lotusphere Dinner, BALD, takes place. It's nothing more then a bunch of Lotus geeks hanging out for a few adult soda pops and enjoying each others company. Then later in the evening on Saturday, wander on down to the ESPN bar for The Turtles get together. Always a fun time!

8. While we're on the topic of getting out and having fun, go to the vendor sponsored events at night. They are always a lot of fun! (And saves you from having to find something for dinner that fits your expense account.)

9. Your first time at Lotusphere is like your first day at college. You will be wandering around wondering where in the hell SW10 is. Ask people! Or if you look lost enough, (like I did my first year), someone will help you out.

10. If you are certified take advantage of the Certification Lounge. Hang out, get some eats, and get a chair message.

11. Stop by the Jamfest. The name says it all. After the product showcase reception Monday night, it's over at the Atlantic Dance Hall on the Boardwalk.

12. Pay attention to the weather forecasts leading up to Lotusphere. Orlando can be really nice and warm in January but it can also get downright cold at night. Pack appropriately.

13. Dress for Lotusphere is casual. Jeans, shorts, polos and t shirts seem to be the norm. Even kilts for some!

14. Don't miss breakfast and lunch. I've really enjoyed the food that the catering folks put out for us. Especially at breakfast. Drink lots of OJ, eat a bran muffin or two and have a bowl of cereal. Really pays off for the rest of the day. Also, be sure to thank the nice folks that are there taking care of us. They are always real nice people and seem to appreciate someone thanking them.

15. Bring a plug strip with you. Most hotel rooms are limited on power outlets and having several outlets extra can always come in handy.

16. And don't forget all of your accessories power cords for charger! You don't want to show up Saturday and realize that you are short a power cord for your BlackBerry. Not that I've ever done something like that, ever.

17. Stop into the developer labs and have all your burning questions answered! All of the top folks from IBM are there to help you through all of those tough questions you've been meaning to ask! Also, if they have the User Experience lab again this year, it's really cool! Check them out!

18. Take Visio's with you of your environment. What better way to explain the layout of your environment than to have the graphical representations of it with you.

19. When Lotusphere is over and you're getting ready to jump a plane home, be sure to check your receipt from the hotel. The Swan and Dolphin are notorious for charging you for things you didn't use, like the mini-bar in the hotel room. They almost got me one year. I'm sorry, $3 for a Snickers bar is just insane!

20. The most important point to take away from this is have fun! Lotusphere is what YOU make of it! Take advantage of everything that you can, but pace yourself. You will be drinking from the fire hose of knowledge and sometimes by Wednesday, you may start burning out. Take it easy, take care of yourself, but just have fun!

Addendum: One thing I keep forgetting to add into this list is the importance of water. During the breaks in the morning and afternoon along with coffee, there is a larger selection of Lotusphere water bottles. Get one to drink and a couple to store in your bag. Hydration is always important since you are constantly on the go. At the end of the week, you may have a few extra lying around your hotel room, but that's the purpose of hoarding it. It's there when you need it. I'm not much of a fan of drinking from the tap in the hotel room and it's nice to know that I have an ample supply around for morning cotton mouth. Who are we kidding here people, you are likely at some point having a beer or other grown up drink at one of the events in the evening which leads to morning ugliness in your mouth. A refreshing, albeit room temperature bottle or two of water lying around is a good thing to have!

So there you have it! These are the most important points that I have to offer about making the most of your Lotusphere experience. If you have anything to add, PLEASE feel free to leave comments to add to the list.

It's registration time!

Quickly, go now to http://www-01.ibm.com/software/lotus/events/lotusphere2009/ and register for the annual Lotus-love fest that we all know and love!

Opening band at the Lotusphere2009 OGS...

Or this..thing singing Amy Winehouse Karaoke?








I think we can all agree that the band would be much better ;-)

The Lotusphere 2009 Banter Has Begun!

First, Gregg. Then Bob. With the first day of August slowly coming to an end, the Lotusphere banter and excitement is beginning! Over the past couple of years, mid-August has been the time frame when registration has opened for our Lotus-lovefest. Will this year be different? The official Lotusphere website states:

Lotusphere 2009 will take place from Sunday, January 18 thru Thursday, January 22, 2009 at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort and Disney's Yacht and Beach Club Resort in Orlando, Florida, USA.

The team is busy getting ready and will have details to share with you on September 3, 2008. In the meantime, mark your calendar with the dates. It's been a busy year for the IBM Lotus and WebSphere Portal brand; we have lots in store and we're excited to welcome you back as part of the community that defined community . . . Lotusphere!

September 3rd? Another month? My money is on mid-August registration open and full blown info will be released on 9/3. And, I'll also start my yearly rumor early that William Shatner will be the guest speaker at the OGS. But, I've been wrong before.
I also plan on updating my own guide to all things Lotusphere, but I'll save that for further on down the road. There's plenty of time for that stuff later.