Category Archives: SQL Server Social

SQL Server Social No. 2 – Movember Edition

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SherlockHolmesInnLast Thursday saw the first of many regular SQL Server Social events.Held at the Sherlock Holmes Inn on Collins Street, it was a great event with around 25-30 people in attendance. A lot more than I imagined considering a last minute change to the date.

Stephen Few, renown educator and trainer in BI Visualisations and author, had been giving a BI Visualisation workshop earlier in the week. I was in attendance at the workshop and managed to persuade Stephen to attend our social event. He was only in Melbourne until Friday November 18th, hence the last minute change to the date.

 

It was a Movember themed event, but unfortunately not that many people took part. I was one of two Mo Bro’s of the evening. Angus Bell had quite the impressive Mo and walked away with a heap of Movember merchandise (which he later gave away at another Movember party), as well as bottle of wine. It was a great effort by Angus, check out his Mo below and donate to his cause here:

Angus Bell

 

Next month’s event is in the works and will be held, once again, at The Sherlock Holmes Inn. Dates and times will be communicated soon. Stay tuned for more on SQL Server Social!

SQL Server Social Update – Stephen Few to join us!

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7609782-wooden-barrelThat’s right. Stephen Few, the leading educator and author in data visualisation techniques, will be joining us for the November SQL Server Social event.

However, in order to have Stephen join us, it has meant that I have had to change the date of the event. So, SQL server Social will now be held THIS THURSDAY, 17th November 2011.

Stephen is an incredibly busy individual and travels all over the world enlightening people on data visualisation best practices, so I am privileged that he has agreed to join us.

I’ll be sending out updates to those of you who have already registered and will be apologising profusely. Don’t worry, if you can make it, your current registration will still stand. For those of you who can now make it, please head over to http://sqlserversocial.eventbrite.com to sign up. Don’t forget, this is a rare opportunity to come and meet, and chat to, one of the leading experts on data visualisation.

It’s Movember–Don’t forget about Men’s health!

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iPhone 1483

It’s Movember time again, and that means ridiculous facial hair for many men. Much to the disgust of their spouse. But it’s not about looking ridiculous, that’s just a by-product. It’s about awareness and education of men’s health.

Think about this:

  • On average men die five to six years younger than women.
  • The suicide rate is four times higher for men than women
  • More than five men die prematurely each hour from potentially preventable illnesses

Men’s health is all too easily forgotten or pushed by the wayside. Men are notoriously adverse to seeking medical help when they need it most; believing that they should ‘tough it out’.

The Movember campaign is all about raising awareness of men’s health issues that often get ignored; Prostate cancer and depression (in men).  There are two key charities:

And let’s not forget the Movember Global Action Plan that aims to accelerate prostate cancer outcomes through global research collaboration.

Some stats (Because data is cool right?)

The Movember campaign has been alive since 2003 and each year builds on the success of the last. It’ll be interesting to see how 2011 fares.

So what can YOU do?

 

Fancy a party?

I’m hosting an event later this month called SQL Server Social. It’s a great event. People meet, talk, drink, network and generally have a great time. This month we are turning the event into a Mo Party. It’ll be wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling Mos. There’ll be prizes and giveaways and even a free drink on your arrival. If you’re interested head on over to http://sqlserversocial.eventbrite.com and register. All the details about the event are listed there too. SQL Server Social has several online presences:

 

 

Do your bit. Grow a Mo!

SQL Server Social – Movember Edition!

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7609782-wooden-barrelIt’s back! After a very successful pilot event back in May this year, SQL Server Social has been confirmed for November, so it’s time to save a date in your diary so you don’t forget.

Event Details

Date 24th November 2011
Time 5:30pm onwards
Venue The Sherlock Holmes Inn,
415 Collins Street,
Melbourne,
Australia
Special Theme Movember!
Eventbrite link for registration http://sqlserversocial.eventbrite.com/

 

If you are not sure what SQL Server Social is all about, you can either read about the first event here, or check out the following recap:

What is SQL Server Social

SQL Server Social is a monthly event that has been created to provide SQL Server Professionals with a chance to network with industry peers, discuss predefined topics, have a little fun, have a beer and make some new friends.

What is the aim of SQL Server Social

SQL Server Social aims to build local SQL Server communities through regular social meetings, where database professionals can share their experiences and learn from their peers through open discussion.

Movember Edition

This month’s edition is a special one. It’s Movember and that means Mos! Here’s what the campaign is all about:

During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces in Australia and around the world. The aim of which is to raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and depression in men.

For all the guys planning on attending, let’s see who has the best Mo by the 24th of this month. There’ll still be 6 days remaining until the official end of the campaign, but it’ll be good to see how you are all faring by that stage. This will be my first year participating; you can follow my ‘progress’ on my Mo page – mobro.co/lukehayler. If you feel so inclined, I have also put together a team for SQL Server Social, so show your support for the cause and join in!

Facebook Page!

SQL Server Social now has it’s own Facebook page. This page will be used to keep all the fans in the loop with updates about future events, photos from past events, links to interesting SQL-related sites, and so-on and so-forth…So if you are on Facebook why not tag along and keep up-to-date. Check out the page here.

Twitter!

SQL Server Social is also all over twitter like a bad rash. Follow us for updates – @sqlserversocial

SQL Crosswords

One of the [optional] challenges for the event is to complete a SQL Server Crossword. The SQL Server Crosswords have been generously donated to our cause by John Sansom (blog | @JohnSansom). John is a DBA in the UK and is a frequent blogger at www.johnsansom.com. John has had several awards bestowed upon him including Microsoft’s Community Contributor 2011 and SQLServerPedia’s Professional Development 2010 Winner as well as being a Rock Star Blogger (in Tom La Rock’s rankings). John has a wealth of information on his blog, so do yourself a favour and go check it out.

See you there!

SQL Server Social! – #1

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I am very excited. Jim McLeod (blog | @Jim_McLeod) and I have been plotting for a few weeks now and can finally announce that a new event is about to start here in Melbourne, Australia.

Please give a warm welcome to SQL Server Social!

How SQL Server Social came about

For a while now I have been thinking of setting up an event where [SQL Server] database professionals can get together on a regular basis to network, exchange ideas, have a few drinks and make a few new friends. The mixers at the start of each User Group meeting are good, but they are just not long enough, and with the lecture style format of these meetings, it is can be quite difficult to get to know more people.

I was finally gearing up to doing something about this idea, when I got a call from my good friend Jim McLeod (blog | @Jim_McLeod). He had had the same idea and his aims for the meeting and the format it would take were so similar to mine that it just made sense to team up and organise it together.

What is SQL Server Social

SQL Server Social is a monthly event that has been created to provide SQL Server Professionals with a chance to network with industry peers, discuss predefined topics, have a little fun, have a beer and make some new friends.

What is the aim of SQL Server Social

SQL Server Social aims to build local SQL Server communities through regular social meetings, where database professionals can share their experiences and learn from their peers through open discussion.

What is the format of the event

  1. Meetings are to be held monthly on the last Thursday of the month.
  2. Meetings are to be informal events with a focus on networking and open discussions, rather than lecture-style sessions.
  3. Several themes/topics will be suggested for each meeting. These will form the initial topics of discussion and provide the icebreaker conversations for attendees.
  4. Each attendee should have something specific to discuss, whether this is a existing problem they need an answer to or a solution that they want to share.
  5. For now, events are not sponsored, so each attendee will be expected to pay their own way. We are hoping that this will change in the very near future. If you would like to sponsor this event please contact me or Jim using the details contained at the end of this post.
  6. Like local User Groups, these events are free to attend and are open to anyone who currently works with or is looking to start working with SQL Server.

The first SQL Server Social — Melbourne, Australia!

The first of these events is next week (Thursday, 26th May 2011). It is going to be held at Number Five (next to Freshwater Place) on Southbank, 6 Queens Bridge Road, Melbourne, Australia. Starting at around 5:15pm the agenda is as follows:

1. 5:15pm (~45 mins) Meet and greet
2. 6:00pm (+ 1 hour) Open discussion focussed on topics-of-the-month
3. 7:00pm (15 – 30 mins) SQL Server Crosswords!

Click here to register –> http://sqlserversocial.eventbrite.com

Please bring your contact/business cards with you – one of the main aims of the event is to network after all. If you don’t have a business/contact card go check out moo.com, they make premium business cards in different formats. They are highly recommended.

The SQL Server Crosswords have been generously donated to our cause by John Sansom (blog | @JohnSansom). John is a DBA in the UK and is a frequent blogger at www.johnsansom.com. John has had several awards bestowed upon him including Microsoft’s Community Contributor 2011 and SQLServerPedia’s Professional Development 2010 Winner as well as being a Rock Star Blogger (in Tom La Rock’s rankings). John has a wealth of information on his blog, so do yourself a favour and go check it out.

This promises to be a fun event. We already have a number of people attending, so let’s see if we can grow those numbers and make this inaugural event a success. Due to the fact that this is the first of the series, we are unsure as to how many people will be interested in attending. To manage this we are limiting the number of attendees, so please be quick if you want to come along!!

Contact Us

If you have any questions about the event please feel free to get hold of either myself or Jim McLeod: