Rix Bits

Well, after quite a long wait, my HP Slate 500 has finally arrived.  As I’m sure you already know, I’ve been a tablet PC user & evangelist for years.  But this latest incarnation for me represents a form factor and price point that I’ve been waiting for a long time.

Expect to see many posts in the near future regarding my Slate 500 experiences.  For now, you can start to do your research on just what the Slate 500 is by checking out HP’s promotional video.  I’ll say for now, tho, that this device is targeted at business users, and not the consumer market.  Thus, it shouldn’t be compared to the iPad or any of the other tablet ‘appliances’ coming out these days.  Nevertheless, I’ll be sure to point out some of the advantages of a Windows 7 tablet ‘PC’ over devices like the iPad, simply because I love to expose the smoke-n-mirrors marketing that has everyone convinced that Apple products are the best. :)

More to come.

(Hanging out at B&N with my tablet and a Mocha)

I was reflecting on the presentations I’ve given over the last 12 months, and thought it might be helpful to list them all in one place, including links to the slidedecks.  I think I’ll also keep this particular post updated with future presentations as well.

Now you can’t say I never did anything nice for you… : )

I had a great time hanging with the members of the Dayton SharePoint User Group this past Tuesday.  We discussed “Business Process Automation with SharePoint and Workflow – The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly”.  I talked about how the tools and development experience of automating process using SharePoint have improved in SharePoint 2010 (the Good) versus SharePoint 2007 (the Bad, the Ugly).  [I gave them the disclaimer that the “Bad” and “Ugly” bit was just for effect – MOSS 2007 is still awesome] :)

I was asked by Microsoft to speak this morning to a group of customers interested in some of the ISV products built on top of SharePoint, like K2 and BA Insight.  I gave a 1-hour introduction to SharePoint 2010, to help the audience get a good foundation in preparation for product demonstrations they would later see during the day.

On Tuesday, I’ll be the guest speaker at the Dayton SharePoint User Group (www.dayspug.org).  I’ll be speaking on Business Process Management/Automation using SharePoint and Workflow.

As I consider this topic, I thought I might share some guidance on the process of automating your organization’s business processes, regardless of whether you use SharePoint or any other automation technology.  Anyone who has endured the fun of auditing, documenting, and ultimately automating the way in which their company does things will tell you that the planning side of it is just as significant, if not more so, than the technical implementation.

Here are some tips that could help you and your team have a smoother and less frustrating experience:

Conference Theme: Transforming Your Business with SharePoint 2010

Disclaimer: The pictures that reference SharePoint 2007 are for effect only – SharePoint is still awesome no matter what the version!  (well… maybe not version 2003) : )

Although the dreaded snow storm is approaching, I’m told the Microsoft Heartland Conference here in Columbus, Ohio is still scheduled to continue tomorrow.  So, you still have a chance to hear from the likes of SharePoint Evangelist Joel Oleson, SharePoint Master-Certified Mario Fulan… and even me! :)  It’ll take more than a few snowflakes and some ominous-looking clouds to keep us from geeking out on SharePoint.

Speaking of clouds, I wrote in a previous post about the impact that I think Microsoft’s cloud-based offering, Office365, will have on SharePoint developers.  I’ll be talking more about this topic during my presentation, and mentioning how certain aspects of developing for SharePoint Online present both advantages as well as challenges.

Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow – be sure to tell ‘em that Rix Bits sent ya! :)