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Congratulations to Melissa (@vmiss33) on winning the 2013 DiscoPosse Year-End Giveway and we look forward to hearing about how much awesomeness comes from this great prize pack.
I really need to thank all of you who participated and provided such great feedback on your goals and on the prizes. This community is an amazing one and I am so proud to be among all of you as we grow our knowledge together!
Big thanks to the authors of the books who kindly supported the campaign by spreading the word and I encourage all of you to reach out to them and make sure that you follow this excellent crew of folks who put together these two great titles. These are absolute must read books if you ask me which is why I chose these as great prizes to share!
The Phoenix Project
- Gene Kim (@RealGeneKim)
- Kevin Behr (@KevinBehr)
- George Spafford (@GSpaff)
Mastering vSphere 5.5
- Scott Lowe (@Scott_Lowe)
- Nick Marshall (@NickMarshall9)
- Forbes Guthrie (@ForbesGuthrie)
- Matt Liebowitz (@MattLiebowitz)
- Josh Atwell (@Josh_Atwell)
And just for fun, here is a little Neil DeGrasse Tyson for you that kind of reminds me of how I feel about community.
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This has been an incredible year for me, and it has been entirely powered by all of you who have supported me and the site. I’m so thankful for the great audience that has shared this year with me, and my peer community who have inspired me in so many ways. Thanks to you, and my amazing sponsors, we have reached a lot of great readers and this is just a start to what we will be seeing as we head into an even bigger year with 2014!
Community in Two Sentences
I like to use this phrase to describe what community means to me:
I am here for you. I am here because of you.
The IT community is a powerful, and wide-reaching group in every aspect of technology. Because I spend my time among many different groups, it is particularly exciting to see how all of my communities converge together like a big Venn diagram of awesomeness. I am truly humbled by it all, and respect the work that everybody is doing to further what we do as we share our experiences.
Let’s get to the giveaway!
This year I hope to share some great gifts with you because I have found great value in these things. What is more fun to me is the way that I want to be able to share it with you.
The prize pack includes the following very exciting items!
Mastering vSphere 5.5 (Kindle edition)
This great book by Scott Lowe, Nick Marshall and Forbes Guthrie, along with chapters contributed by Matt Liebowitz and Josh Atwell, is a phenomenal add to your personal library. You will get some great information on what’s new with vSphere 5.5 with insight into every aspect of how to deploy and manage your VMware vSphere 5.5 environment.
The Phoenix Project (Kindle edition)
I love this book, and I hope that you will to. This is an amazing story that brings the story of how DevOps changed the way that an organization worked, and it is a great way to show you how you too can be a part of it!
The authors Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, and George Spafford bring the DevOps concepts to the reader in a way that really lets you look at how it can apply to what you do. Even if you can’t fully enable DevOps, this is a way to start your journey in your own personal transformation to orchestration, efficiency and making IT better for you and your organization.
Starbucks $10 Gift Card
Because we are powered by caffeine, this is a great way to keep your energy up while you read through your Mastering vSphere 5.5 and The Phoenix Project and make yourself more awesome as you head into 2014!
How Do You Win This Awesomeness?
This is the fun part. I like the interactivity of our community, so I want to build on that for our contest. To enter this contest, you need to do the following:
- Add a comment to this post with the answer to 2 questions:
- Question 1: How will winning this prize pack make your life more awesome?
- Question 2: What is a goal in your IT learning that you have for 2014?
The contest will be open until December 20th for entries, and the winner will be randomly selected from the comment contributors. Please be sure to use an email address where I can reach you to arrange for delivery of your e-books and your Starbucks gift card.
Because these are all electronically delivered prizes, there are no limitations on where you can enter from.
So comment away, share the post, and most of all make your comment super fun because that makes it even more enjoyable! I look forward to seeing your comments, and thank you again for this amazing year!
Question 1: How can reading Mastering vSphere 5.5 not make you more awesome? Or the Phoenix Project, or caffeine to give you the energy to read more?
Question 2: Stop being afraid and get my VCAP-DCA done.
So true!! Killer goal Jonathan and I’m super proud to see you rock your way to the VCAP 🙂
Q1. I’m already working on mastering vSphere 5.5 and this will be the cape to my ‘S’ The Phoenix Project will be an awesome read after hard day’s work. I have Starbucks on IV so this will support my next bag 😉
Q2. First stop VCAP-DCA, like Jonathan, then dare I say it out loud!? VCDX!!
#GoForTheGold
I love it! Aim high Joe!
Question 1: How will winning this prize pack make your life more awesome?
By winning this prize pack, I will be one step closer to my VCAP-DCD exam with Mastering vSphere and the Phoenix Project is an interesting book to read about DevOps.
Question 2: What is a goal in your IT learning that you have for 2014?
My goal is to pass the VCAP-DCD or VCAP-CID. Have not decide which on to tackle first.
VCAP on either track is a phenomenal goal Anthony! It’s going to be a great 2014 with a target in mind 🙂
Well… since Eric told me to go for it…
I’d love to have the eBook of the vSphere 5.5 bible… I pre-ordered the dead tree version in September, but the eBook might be lighter in carry-on luggage. 🙂 If I win, someone else can have Phoenix Project.
My 2014 goal is to get something marketable and fresh on my resume. I’m thinking about some Cisco, VMware, Juniper, and Cloudera certifications, and get more consistent blogging going on in the coming year as well.
Great goals Robert! That’s just the kind of thing I like to see 🙂
1) I couldn’t help to make me more awesome, because I can always learn more, and I can always be better for myself, my customers, and my family.
2) My goals are to become a more rounded cloud architect particularly in the VCAP suite
Nicely said Matt! I see good things in your future with a goal set like that 🙂
Question 1: How will winning this prize pack make your life more awesome?
I need to upgrade ESXi to the current version, and support Windows Server 2012 R2, so this book is right in line with my current needs. If Robert wins the digital version, I would be happy with his dead tree version too 🙂
Question 2: What is a goal in your IT learning that you have for 2014?
To master ESXi and Server 2012R2 as well as the MRP software I’m currently starting to implement.
Great goals Shawn! Good luck with giveaway 🙂
1. Becoming a vSphere master.
2. Achieving at least one VMWare certification.
I like it! Good goals to have Scott 🙂
1) Winning the prize package would mean having more access to knowledge and that, in itself, makes you more awesome.
2) I need to finally get off my duff and start studying for the VCAP5-DCA exam. Ever since I did a few practice questions at our regional VMUG conference, I’ve decided that I do know enough to actually go for it. It’s just a matter of finding time between work and my new kiddo to fill in the gaps of overall knowledge needed that I don’t already get to practice day-to-day with my current work environment.
Excellent stuff Jon! These are great books that will certainly get you on your way to your goals. Good luck with the draw!
Q1: stop being a couch potato as I’d having something enjoyable to read.
Q2: At least 1 cert. around Cloud or DCD.
Less couch potato is always more awesome! Having a cert goal is a great target. I’ve got to do the same.
1: Knowledge and caffeine are awesome, how they not be?
2: Knock out the VCAPs and be prepping VCDX defense by the end of 2014 🙂
That sounds VCAP-tastic!! Amazing to see great goals like this 🙂 #Inspired
Question 1: Learning is always awesome
Question 2: Break out of where I am to something much more interesting!
Agreed Dan, learning really is always awesome. Nicely said!
Hi Eric,
I agree with the phrase, which perfectly suits you. As I always see you interacting and supporting everyone on community / twitter.
“I am here for you. I am here because of you.”
Answer 1: Books like Mastering vSphere / Phoenix Project are real treasure to any Virtualization enthusiast and getting these books from a awesome community member would be a real gift. People don’t need any additional consultation for their VMware environment if they thoroughly read and understand this book.
Answer 2: My first goal is to become vExpert 2014
Second goal – more and more VCAP certifications, currently earned only 2.
and learn more and more design concepts about all the VMware products.
Very cool Akmal! Happy to see the Virtual Design Master in the entry list 🙂
Question 1: As i’m actively rolling out vsphere 5.5, adding the learning material to my collection will only make me want to do things better by increasing my knowledge. (Coffee always comes in handy)
Question 2: Arrange a min of 4 VMUG meetings to share the knowlage and pass my VCAP5-DCD
Thanks for the great blog
Great stuff Johan! I especially like the VMUG content. The community promotion is one of the best ways to bring all of us together 🙂
Question 1: I am working to educate my sales team on the actual day to day of a virtualization expert and their challenges. This package would allow my team to more informed and increase their ability to help IT professional meets their goals.
Question 2: Become VCP certified and work to provide training and funding for my team to have a chance to get their certifications as well.
Nice work Bill! Sharing info is the best path to learning more. I find that teaching others makes me a much better architect. Kudos on bringing others up in your community 🙂
Question 1: I need to study VMWare in a serious way, not just play around in my VMWare lab
Question 2: Hopefully I regain employed status! Being unemployed sucks.
Good luck with the contest Tim, and sending all the karma I can to get you employed and putting your skills to work!
Question 1: Tech books and coffee, how could that NOT make life more awesome? Seriously though, the Mastering vSphere books are must-haves, and with a 5.5 upgrade looming I’m sure it would come in very handy.
Question 2: First is VCAP-DCA…told myself I’d try to get it in 2013 and missed that goal, so 2014 is a must. I also want to expand my automation skills so vCO is tops on that list.
Thanks for the contest, Eric! Hope I’m not too late. 🙂
Great stuff Dan! Let the #vBrownbag be your guide to VCAP goodness. You made it under the wire for the entries too 🙂
1. Mastering vSphere 5.5 would be a great tool to help guide me towards my VCP (and my wife would love the Starbucks gift card)
2. In 2014 I plan on continuing my quest to learn all of the things.
Sharing gifts is a big +1. Learning all the things is what I like to see 🙂
Sharing is what it is all about this time of year. It is a shame folks don’t act more like they do at Christmas all year. Hope you have a great holiday!
I like how you think CD! Happy Holidays all around 🙂