VMUG Mentoring – Putting the User Back in VMware User Group

helping-mentorBefore we begin I need to thank Scott Lowe for the post which inspired a great response (http://blog.scottlowe.org/2013/09/18/putting-the-user-back-in-vmware-user-group/). This is an amazing initiative to really put the concentration of effort into the attendees and what they wish to get out of it.

One of the best ways that we can promote community among these groups is to have community members provide the content. That seems ideal, but the challenge to many is that they may not feel that they have the right content for the group, or they may not be comfortable with presenting to a group.

Reaching Back Into The Community

I’ve been very lucky to have been able to enjoy the learning benefit of the technology communities, VMUG being one of the most prominent ones. The speakers, organizers and the attendees are an amazing bunch of people who share so much great information, and now it is our turn as speakers and advocates to be able to give back.

In the spirit of Scott’s post, I’d like to open up the opportunity for people in the VMUG community to be mentored on content sharing, presentations and blogging so that they, and our community, can get the most out of the VMUG experience.

The Business Part of VMUG

As a co-leader of the Toronto VMUG, I am getting exposed to the inner workings of how the events are put together, and although we are community driven, there is a fiscal responsibility. This can feel like it detracts from the community experience because we do have vendors who lead sessions and sponsor the events. That being said, we carefully work with our sponsors and presenters to be sure that the best possible content is being brought to the audience.

The content is king in our world, and as members and attendees, we encourage not only community presentations, but suggestions on vendors and solutions that you would like to see brought to the VMUG sessions.

How to Get Involved

I’m committing to mentoring up to 5 people to help to increase our community and the information sharing among our peers. This is a great opportunity for both you and I in this as we are in a constant learning process, and this is a fun and productive way to increase our personal network and our skill set.

sharing_community

No subject is too small to approach, so don’t feel that you aren’t ready for presenting to a group because of lack of content. This is the goal of this process. We want to increase your confidence in what you have to offer, and it becomes surprisingly easy to fill a 1 hour session once we find the subject that you are passionate about.
My goal is to bridge the gap between your knowledge today, and your confidence and love of sharing it with your peer group 🙂

Please fill in the form below and I will get in touch with you to plan how we can connect. We will use Google+ Hangouts, email and in person meetings (where possible) to help to bring you closer to your goal of being more involved in the community.

I look forward to the opportunity to connect and share the experience with you!

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