Tag: syndicated

A short while ago someone complained that some of the headlines on SSC were deceiving in terms of what they represented. A few people noted that webcasts or other headlines weren’t technical information, and they didn’t want to click through to find that out.

Made sense to me, though I do try to note things like events in the description. So in any case I went searching around for icons and images, and found an icon that I wanted to use for technical articles. I added some text and had this displayed next to some articles:

Not bad, I thought for a non-artist like myself. So I did a few more, one of which was my puzzle icon:

I did this one from scratch since Ii couldn’t find a puzzle piece. Admittedly I could have spent more time in Paint, but that was only slightly less horrifying than working on income taxes to me. I saw the icon this week on the site and thought it looked horrible. So I decided to dash a note off to the Red Gate designer. We have one (or two?) on staff, and they respond to requests sent to a specific email. I included my image, and a day later got this:

That’s why it pays to hire an artist once you have an idea of what is needed. I sent off the other icons I’d made, and while my $5 each investment in a few logos is likely lost, it did get something up on the site, and gave my artist a base from which to start.

I was excited to attend the networking session last year at the PASS Summit. Andy Warren and I had talked about it quite a bit and tried to promote it as a way to build your brand and perhaps get a better job. We were concerned that networking is a leap of faith, and you invest in it, without possibly getting a return. I think you can, and it will pay off in strange ways. It might be help with a new job. It might be someone that you help, or it might be just a feeling of comfort the next time you see someone at an event.

The networking seminar at the PASS Summit is back, with Don Gabor, and you can read more about it. I spent my own money on it last year, learned a few things, and enjoyed it. Am I using the techniques? Have they helped?

I’m not sure. I know that I think about some things I learned, like the technique for remembering people’s names, and there are times I’m at a SQL Saturday, or maybe a dinner party, and I use them. I think about touching my network a little more often, and I do look at ways to interact with people more, stopping to spend a few more minutes chatting with them, or getting contact information.

It hasn’t directly benefitted me, but I think it might at some point. I have some closer relationships in my network because I make a little more effort to touch base with them, share something or strengthen the bonds we have. On one hand it commits me slightly more at events to talk to people, but on the other, it means I have a few more friends that I can count on.

I had been hearing about Lil’ Buck and so when I finally caught up with Buck Woody (Blog | Twitter) at TechEd, he told me to wait a minute. Unwrapped, from a separate box in his bag, in bubble wrap, out came Lil’ Buck

Apparently Marketing at Microsoft had him made as a mini-Buck Woody. Kind of cool, and Buck posted a bunch of pictures from lots of people that had the privilege of holding him.

I wonder if Red Gate would do that for me……?

I gave the Modern Resume: Building Your Brand presentation last week at the SQL Saturday #22 – Pensacola event and had about 30-40 people come see it. I got some good responses, but there was one interesting thing that came up.

I have talked about how it helps to prove value to your manager when you attend training or a conference. You tie back something you learned/used to your job. You specifically show your boss where something matters.

I’d say that you ought to do the same thing for your brand. When you learn something at an event, from a book, from a blog, make a note of it. Give the person/event credit that helped you, and give your interpretation. Do that enough, and all of a sudden you look like a real go-getter that is worth hiring.