March 26, 2008 at 2:34 pm
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Social Software
March 26, 2008 at 11:22 pm
I don't like participating too much because I feel everyone in the world is a much better DBA than I am. If I do participate I risk exposing myself as the dead beat administrator.
The few times I have participated is usually to complain an answer is flawed on that daily quiz, or to complain Steve Jones advocates nuclear power production - which is a big no no in my book.
Tim Brimelow
March 26, 2008 at 11:53 pm
I am an avid reader of articles and the editorial of the News letter and have gained lots of insights and ideas that has improved my programming.
I sometimes feel like doing something to Socialize, use forums and contribute but shy away from the thought, mainly because of lack of time and my feeling that my skills are still inadequate. I hope to start contributing soon.
I love to watch people and listen to / read what they say. but if i am compelled to participate, I always think again before participating. Maybe I am not a very good talker!!!
March 27, 2008 at 3:24 am
HI Steve,
I agree with Tim and Edward. I follow the postings and sometimes I find something to use in my work. I am Dutch and my native language is not English, but I think that someone who wants to know what I am telling accept that my English is not the English from a native speaker.
In private I am on Hyves for a few days and I like that. But I am there because I hope to find there more contribution for private things I do for a school in DRCongo. I want to make it known to others.
I think that persons who publish on Sqlservercentral want to do the same thing: help another and sometimes find a solution for themselves.
Dewes.
Dewes van Lohuizen,
DBA at CSC Netherlands
Private interest: www.mikondo.nl
March 27, 2008 at 4:34 am
Social software such as Facebook certainly has its benefits in establishing and maintaining an expanded network of peers; but I seem to get much more benefit from the ol' e-mail system for this purpose. If the social network reaches a certain level of organization (such as a user group) a website dedicated for its purpose usually is more effective/flexible than using Facebook.
Forums are useful and often good sources of information in regard to how other people are struggling with issues as well as how other people are attempting to resolve these issues. It also provides a good insight into the hot topics in our industry. (Such as this very topic) I often participated in forums early on in my career for issue resolution; but found once again that the peer network that I had established via e-mail/phone was more reliable and responsive for my specific issues.
Blogs are great if they are maintained regularly. This is the one social software that I feel should be something that is strongly encouraged (not required) by employers. I will use my own experience with my blog as justification for my opinion:
I started blogging with the intent to simply share thoughts and ideas with my peers. Now, nine months later, I have discovered that my blog has become not only a medium to provide some educational content to my peers it has become a catalyst for me to further sharpen my skills. The pressure of attempting to avoid the "You idiot" response to my blog entries has forced me to research the topics prior to posting them. This research has in turn increased the depth of my knowledge.
March 27, 2008 at 5:58 am
I am currently in the situation where I have been explicitly asked (and contractually forced) not to post or blog any SQL Server information that may be considered intellectual property in regard to the work I am doing. Therefore I have erred on the cautious side and not contributed to any posts, blogs or presented at User Groups to protect myself. What do you do when the people who pay the bills, lay down strict ground rules?
March 27, 2008 at 6:06 am
For those that think they aren't quite ready to join the debate I'd suggest a couple earlier steps:
- Rate each article you read. Authors like feedback, and it helps others in the community decide if they should read it or not. Only takes a second and start to build the habit of evaluating and commenting on what you read
- Discuss an article you read with a peer, even if you think it might make you "look dumb". I bet it won't and it's another chance to evaluate and comment in a more comfortable setting.
- Reward really well written articles that you found useful by just posting "Nice article" or something similar, the author will appreciate it!
Don't think of it as an obligation, just build your own rule set about when you'll participate. For me for example, I know Steve works hard at writing the editorial and enjoys seeing a few different view points in the replies. I don't post to each editorial (not all of them are interesting to me!) but I post on a lot of them, because I know that he views it as a conversation between many peers with different views/experiences, not as him evangelizing as the Super DBA.
March 27, 2008 at 6:52 am
First off let me say I function as a developer not as a DBA. I found this site when using google in an attempt to answer a specific SQL question. As I became more and more familiar with the sites content and with the willingness to help others of a surprisingly large group of very knowledgeable people I was to say the least awed. As my knowledge of SQL increased I found that I could answer some of the less complex question posted to the forums and did so as my way of pay back for what I had learned. Following the aphorism of "Do unto others what you would have them do unto you" Above all do not be shy nor afraid that what you post might be wrong, for if it is others will point out the errors and you will have learned.
March 27, 2008 at 8:19 am
I agree with Andy's comments to contribute to your level of ability while continually pushing your own boundaries. I forward SQL articles that I find from all over to employees in my organization whom I think would benefit the most. In doing this, I feel that I am contributing to the knowledge growth in my company and hopefully helping to get the job done faster. I don't contribute articles to this site because I don't feel that I am knowledgeable enough to do so but I do try to comment on posts when I can.
As for corporate blogs, I agree that blogs are a useful tool however, I do not believe that a company should require posts from everyone. Sometimes people do not know enough about a subject to give an informed comment and many times people are not comfortable enough with their level of knowledge to do so. Also, most people do not have the extra time in their day to contribute to a daily blog much less keep abreast of the blog topics and read all the responses. Blogs are a great way to reach out to bounce ideas off of a varied group of individuals but I think their use should remain strictly voluntary.
March 27, 2008 at 8:49 am
Woo Hoo! Thanks Steve! I just like reading, finding answers from people who've been there before and doing my job. Thanks again!
p.s. - Nice job on the sound for the daily podcast, it's really shaping up nicely.
March 27, 2008 at 8:51 am
It's nice to see new people participating and I appreciate the responses, comments, and criticisms. It's good to get a debate going on something.
I don't expect everyone to participate, though I do try to find new topics and subjects to draw you out or speak to you and strike you. I also know the authors like even a "Good job" in the article as well as a "Needs more detail", or "wish you'd written more about xx".
There are huge benefits to us sharing our knowledge with each other and the power of the digital world to push that quickly, cheaply, and easily to others and I like seeing employers (and sites like this), helping that to happen. I just don't want to force people to jump in if they don't want to.
Great comments and I'm still pushing for more nuclear power, Tim. But I welcome the disagreement. That's what keeps things from getting too out of control.
March 27, 2008 at 9:21 am
To me, the need to log in to the site is a barrier that blocks participation. I always read the daily emails, but whenever I click a link, up comes the username/password page. Which email address did I use to sign up? Which of my (too many) passwords did I use? etc. etc.
Perfect world, the links in the emails you send would include (encrypted) credentials that would log us directly in. You sent us the emails, you know who we are, don't make us tell you again who we are.
PS: Every social network system has the same participation curve... a small number of frequent posters, and a "long tail".
March 27, 2008 at 10:00 am
Since I'm not a DBA and have no aspirations to become one, my knowledge is insufficient to write articles or join in on very many discussions. I work in higher ed and am a regular contributor on our listservs. So knowledge is very much a relative thing. But I have gained so much from lurking. I really enjoy the debates over different methods of achieving the same result set. They have opened my eyes to a much greater depth than I would have encountered on my own. I really appreciate all the people who have the time and inclination to contribute to SQL Server Central. Thanks so much!
March 27, 2008 at 10:32 am
I too am a developer that is often called upon to do DBA work. I find SQL server very scalable and have had customers who have no IT department using Express right up through folks running Wolf Pack and doing transaction log backups every 15 minutes. SQL is one of the tools that I use.
Many of you have heard (and are sick of it) that I've been in this business for over 30 years. During that time I've been helped a lot by forums, site searches (Goggle), and news groups. I feel morally obligated to give back in the same spirit through which I've received. My employer knows this. I've been very up front about it. I also act in such a way to protect my employer and our customers. I have lost count of the number of times people have asked me about the way we get SQL data onto and off of hand held devices. It's a trade secret that is so closely guarded that we won't even let the product namebe mentioned in our sales literature.
I understand (for reasons that I won't go into) security tight enough where you can't tell people what you are working on or even who your actual employer is. I can understand being shy and not wanting to take rejection. I'm known for telling jokes but don't have the nodes myself to go do an open mike stand up. Not yet, but I'm working on it.
It's community building. In a community there are those who are always giving out, those who only take, and those who do some of each. I have this same discussion in another setting: chruch. No kidding. Similar issues about participation come up. Long discussions about what is the nature of "community". Who is a member. What are the requirements to be a member.
If you don't think that there is a parallel between SQL and religion just submit one humorous post bashing Oracle and see what comes your way. :w00t:
ATBCharles Kincaid
March 27, 2008 at 10:44 am
Thanks for the complement on the podcasts. I'm working on it slowly. Enjoy next Tuesday's blooper reel 🙂
As far as the login, we push out a cookie, which is how many people log in. I never log in, and I click links and am on and off the site all day. I know some people don't save cookies, which I understand, but this is a low security site. We're not charing you money or putting anything in your account.
Sending the credentials out is something we've thought about, but then we'd lose the value of the viral marketing when you pass a link along. The credentials would move along and the site wouldn't grow as much. If you think about how many sites you've seen come and go over the last 7 years, you realize that "free" isn't necessarily sustainable without lots of annoyances. the founders worked hard over the years to minimize the advertisements and keep the site growing and Red Gate has continued that.
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