It's about the melody of people connections...
- 80 degrees and clear skies - Where'd that come from - 2007-05-30 12:21:28-04
Frank Glass was blogging yesterday about the fabulous weather we have been enjoying for a while now in Seattle. I'm on the eastside and yesterday by Lake Sammamish it hit 85 degrees! The skies are so blue and the water reflects it so nicely. Most people don't know that Seattle and surrounds becomes a desert like environment in the summer, actually more like a Mediterranean climate. There is very little rain for about three to four months during the summer. 
My house is a mile from Marymoor Park and this year's concerts promise to be as varied as they are interesting. We also live a quarter mile from the Idylwood Park which is always filled with people and dogs. It is nestled on the banks of the Lake Sammamish and also has community concerts and plays. Then there are the free concerts at Crossroads at Bellevue every Thursday - Sunday. Jazz, Blues, and folk music strong, this venue provided some of the very same high-end musical experiences that many pay a lot of money for. Just a month or so ago, Suzy and I heard SWOJO and we thought there concert at Crossroads for free was better than the swanky, limited-ticket event we went to last year on Bainbridge Island.
With the cost of gas going up and my dislike of travel modes like the airplane, I'm thinking this summer is going to be all about exploring local parks, concerts and activities. What are you planning on doing this summer? Here's hoping you won't be computer deep in the Second Life virtual world on your computer. ;o)
- Windows Live Writer - Beta Two is out in the wild! - 2007-05-31 17:55:29-04
The latest version of Windows Live Writer is now available and I have to say for those of us with multiple blogs, this blog editor is soooo cool. The Space Craft blog has the definitive list of new features and tweaks. There is so much goodness I just had to share.
Enjoy!
- CRM Training - Redux - 2007-06-04 10:21:00-04
Whether you're just beginning to learn about Microsoft Dynamics or a related business product, or are a seasoned veteran in need of a quick refresher, Microsoft provides a wealth of training opportunities designed to increase your knowledge and productivity. From classroom to Internet-based learning, Microsoft and Microsoft Certified Partners for Learning Solutions provide high-quality training when you need it, and how you need it.
- TAGSPACE Will change the way you work - 2007-06-06 01:11:00-04
This from my friend Korby Parnell:
Tagspace is a Web-based "social bookmarking" service that will revolutionize the way you collect, organize, discover, consume, and share links to the sites that you find interesting or valuable on the World Wide Web.
If you're unfamiliar with the term "social bookmarking," you can think of Tagspace as a gigantic "Favorites folder" on the Web, which frees you from having to import and export your favorites from browser to browser and computer to computer. It also allows you to organize your links in a more intuitive way than you can just by using the bookmarking tools available in your browser.
We could rattle on for days about how social bookmarking is going to change your life for the better but frankly, we don't want to put you to sleep. Instead, we recommend that you find a friend who uses Tagspace or another social bookmarking service and ask them to describe how it has changed their life for the better. If you don't have any friends who match this description or if you'd simply like to make more friends, please join us for a blog party that never ends: see at right for a list of various team member blog posts, which will, naturally, take you directly to their blogs.
(Tip of the hat to Korby Parnell)
- Who Blogs? - 2007-06-06 10:06:00-04
I luv surveys, especially those with good numbers and presentations. I found this survey particularly interesting. So I thought I'd share it with you, my gentle readers."While you might think many bloggers are hoping to be the next millionaire on the blogging block, the majority make middle-income wages from a "real job" separate from blogging. Pew Internet research found that 85% of bloggers said they don't do it for money—and 52% said they do it just to express themselves creatively. The most common way for bloggers to make money is taking ads from Google AdSense; however, with the low traffic levels typical of most blogs, even several hundred visitors a day would generate less than a few dollars a day."
"The majority of bloggers come from four countries: the U.K., Germany, Japan and the U.S., according to Continental Research and Knots Research's International Convergence 2007 Report. Japan leads these technologically innovative and sophisticated countries, with 28% of early adopters creating blogs." - Advertising Age
- 15 years at Microsoft - My story - 2007-06-07 09:20:00-04
In March of 1992 I left active duty in the Corps of Engineers (Army) and moved my family back to Olympia, Washington. I was given a sizable check by the Army because they were in the process of cutting down the size of the military. I was very confident that the Puget Sound had a vital workforce and would glom onto yet another computer geek.
My shortlist of companies to interview with included some of the biggest corporations in the area including Microsoft, Boeing, Weyerhaeuser, and Paccar. I like big corporations because they are laid out to let you do what you do best. In smaller companies you can end up doing a lot of jobs because that is the nature of the business. I didn't want to do sales, finance, and such.
The next week I had an interview with Microsoft for a technical writer position. The Programmer Writer job title hadn't been coined by Microsoft yet. I met with a PM who wore a torn and stained t-shirt, jagged jean shorts, sandals without socks and long straggly hair. I liked the fellow who seemed like a can-do kind of fellow. But he hadn't even read my writing samples. I remember him saying, "Jim, you don't have any experience with device drivers." This was probably true for 99.99999 percent of all writers in the US. Rather than giving up, I told him that I was a quick learner and could hit the ground running. We talked some more and he decided he would "give me a chance". He said he would call me sometime the next week to set up my contract.
I told him that I had seen an empty office down the hall and could work with the admin to get started tomorrow. He kind of blinked and then said, "Sure." So that's how I started at Microsoft in a window office (usually reserved for for full-timers), with an full-timer's phone number that I have to this day.
I started working with a dev on the disk driver documentation. I met several times with the fellow, read the specs, and drafted an outline for the book. At this time there was no real style guide or big User Education organization to ensure standardization across the company. So I modeled my prose after the Window's SDK team who had a lot of writers and editors. At that time, I didn't even have an editor.
Through the next two months I provided iterative drafts of my chapters to the developer and PM. And soon it was time to publish. A week before the publish date I got called into the office and met another writer who was a full-time person on the team who had never talked with me. In front of the dev and PM she said that my documentation was completely wrong. The dev asked me where I got this stuff and I pointed out several specifications. (Like I could make this stuff up!) The dev said that he had many specs and those were old. I had visions of being fired on my first job outside of the military!
Just for the record, the dev didn't have anything against me... He is my brother. No seriously, my brother. But the full-time writer thought I had promise and she worked with me for the next two years. And I survived that horrible embarrassment. I was a contractor for 5 years because I thought I wanted the freedom to be able to pick up and go to Europe or somewhere on a moments notice. But, I just never got around to it. So in 1997 I became a full-time Microsoftie.
- "how i became a professional blogger" - via Yehuda - 2007-06-07 11:15:14-04
I was reading through my RSS blog list and came across this very interesting pointer at gapingvoid: "cartoons drawn on the back of business cards ". I added Hugh Macleod's blog because we both share a passion for art and even though Hugh is a 'marketing strategist' he is wickedly funny.I've even recently ordered some of Hugh' business cards with the cartoon on the back because in the music business, your card has to be memorable.
Today Hugh points to Yehuda's blog, "How I became a professional blogger" . I think this post should be required reading for anyone considering starting a new blog, especially items one and two:
"1. First of all, when I started blogging I knew I had something to offer. One of my strengths is the ability to come up with new and creative ideas. Sometimes what I come up with falls flat, but I always have another three or four ideas waiting as a follow up.
Everyone has something to offer about something. Whatever you are good at or know about, other people will be interested in it. Worst comes to worst, by blogging you'll be practicing your writing and organizational skills. Even if you just do it for fun, like most people.
2. I picked a subject that I'm passionate about to begin with. I really do play games, and I really do evangelize about them. And I really believe the things I write about (at least at the time that I write them)."
- Power cord - A thing of the past? - 2007-06-08 16:11:16-04
From NewsFactor Business - "Along with LPs, audio tape, and dial-up modems, children of the future might wonder what a "power cord" was. A team of researchers from MIT has demonstrated such a future, when they were recently able to light a 60-watt light bulb from an unconnected source about seven feet away."
- Beware of Fake microsoft security alerts - 2007-06-11 10:37:59-04
ComputerWorld, June 08, 2007
"With Microsoft Corp.'s monthly patch release expected on Tuesday, scammers are sending out fake security bulletins that attempt to install malicious software on victim's computers.
The e-mail messages claim to describe a "Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer" that fixes a critical security flaw in the browser. It comes with a link entitled "Download this update."
When users click on the link, they are taken to a server that attempts to install malicious software known as Trojan-Downloader.Win32.Agent.avk.
This Trojan software then attempts to reach out to other computers on the Internet in order to install more programs on the victim's computer."
- Have y'all looked at the CRM Dev Center on MSDN? - 2007-06-12 15:43:51-04
Our team has spent a lot of time rolling out the all-new Microsoft Dynamics CRM developer center on MSDN . This week it finally went live. Part of the story is that the user interface is very easy to parse, search, and use. But another interesting feature can be found in the CRM User Samples link on the Community page.
You will have to ignore the GotDotNet warning that "The GotDotNet site is being phased out by July 2007." This part of the GDN site will be around for the foreseeable future. And I've moved all the GDN CRM Sandbox downloads to this location except for those provided by non-Microsoft users. Those will have to be added to this new location by those providers.
Enjoy.
- Have You wanted to give Microsoft feedback? - 2007-06-14 13:32:36-04
I can't count the times that I've wanted to give Microsoft feedback but didn't because I'd have to figure out how to get it to the right person in the company. And I work here. However I ran across this site and LOVE it. I thought I'd share it with you.
Enjoy!
- Welcome to the Microsoft Visitor Center - 2007-06-15 11:18:43-04
Walk into the doors of the Microsoft Visitor Center and you will be surrounded by the sights, sounds, and declarations of the same thing: Microsoft believes that everyone in the world has potential and that great software can help you realize it.
Once inside, you can explore the vision, products, culture, and history of Microsoft. Our exhibits showcase everything from the latest mobile devices and gaming titles to the very first personal computer to some of today's most exciting technologies for home and business.
The Microsoft Visitor Center is open to all employees and visitors to the Microsoft campus. Come share in the excitement of our discoveries, explore some of our latest products, and meet some of the people whose ideas and creativity make Microsoft a world leader in computer and software technology.
Read more at the Glass House blog.
- Four technologies for growing your business - Entrepreneur.com - 2007-06-19 11:07:18-04
This is for your customers. Show it to them and discuss their options. Assuming they have set their business goals and objectives, this is what you can be talking to them about next.
Network-based technologies can help small businesses achieve goals
And don't gloss over this at the end of the piece:
Cheers."So what do you need to take advantage of these four innovative technologies?
- A single, intelligent IP network. Solutions such as video conferencing, extension mobility, CRM applications and unified messaging require the same foundation: a single, intelligent IP network capable of handling voice, video and data. Such networks are robust enough to handle today's applications, flexible enough to meet tomorrow's needs, and scalable enough to grow along with your company.
- Top-notch security. Security threats today are more widespread than ever. And they can spread quickly. The infamous Slammer virus infected 55 million hosts per second at its peak. A secure, easily adaptive network is especially important for smaller businesses that may not have the support of an in-house security resource.
- Proper planning. As always, discuss any technology plans with your trusted adviser before making an investment. A well-planned and executed technology investment gives your business a solid foundation for growth today, tomorrow and years to come."
- Make a suggestion/search for Solutions/Update your help - 2007-06-20 10:57:55-04
There is a specific page on Microsoft.com where you can request features for consideration in a future release of Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Please go to the following page and either add to or vote for this suggestion to be sure our product planning team has this information to consider for future releases:
There are also several Microsoft Partner and third-party solutions for Microsoft Dynamics CRM available for common customer feature requests. To search for available solutions and partners, click the link below to search for Microsoft Partner solutions designed for Dynamics and Microsoft Business Solutions products.
http://www.microsoft.com/dynamics/solutionfinder.mspx
Do you still have the online help that shipped when Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 was first released in 2005? We have updated the Help based on answers to commonly asked questions. Please ask your system administrator to install this update: Download the latest online Help update
- Answering your documentation And Product questions - 2007-06-21 16:48:12-04
While reading through the hundreds of answers this team has provided to those you using the 'provide documentation feedback' I was struck by how many of the questions are coming from places other than the United States! The link is at the bottom of every page of help in the product.
And even more amazing is that people on the team try to translate the question so that they can provide an answer or a pointer to the support that is available for the Microsoft Dynamics CRM product.
So some of the questions are in Polish, Japanese, Chinese, and French. There is such a diversity amongst Microsoft Dynamics CRM users, admins, and implementers. Don't forget to consider contacting our CRM MVPs too. We are adding these MVPs from many countries like South America, Turkey, and Spain.
Cheers.
- Seattle Times - Microsoft Parking structure to hold 5,000 vehicles - 2007-06-22 11:04:29-04
This is absolutely amazing to me. I putt past this new work on my scooter every morning and had no idea what the work was for!
By Benjamin J. Romano, Seattle Times technology reporter:
Microsoft is excavating what is billed as one of the largest underground parking garages in the U.S., which will hold some 5,000 vehicles on its Redmond campus. It's scheduled to be completed by mid-2008.
Microsoft is digging for a solution to the parking crunch on its growing Redmond campus.
The software giant is excavating a giant pit for an underground parking garage with the capacity for some 5,000 vehicles. That's nearly as many spots as Bellevue Square boasts and would make it one of the largest underground parking structures in the United States. It will cover the equivalent of six downtown city blocks and go four stories deep.
The underground garage, on the west side of Highway 520 near the Northeast 40th Street exit, is scheduled to be completed by mid-2008. Microsoft now has nearly 29,000 parking spaces spread across its corporate campus, which straddles 520 and is growing on both sides — but particularly on the west side.
- New World Documentation - Scenario Topics? - 2007-06-26 11:19:25-04
A couple of friends of mine in the Microsoft Visual Studio Team System team are doing some ground breaking work to improve the customer experience with orientation topics. Instead of using them, they are proposing the use of something they call ' scenario topics' to both orient the reader and set the stage for what follows in the documentation set.
In David Chesnut's words, "To me, scenarios represent something fundamental. Documentation should map technology ( e.g. work item lists) into the problem space the user is working in (e.g. to track project progress). These serve the same purpose as an abstract in a lengthy technical document: Telling the reader succinctly the key points of the content section so they can decide if they need to read any further."
My feedback would encourage them to also consider, it they haven't already, integrating the CRM team's "Charts & Graphs program" to the scenario topics. This is discussed in Andrew Becraft's " Worth a thousand words? Let us know!" topic on the CRM Team blog. As Andrew says, "... we know that different people learn differently, and sometimes an illustration can help explain a concept or process much more easily."
Feel free to provide us with your feedback. This kind of work is all about making answers easier to find.
- What are your business Goals? Know that and then look at CRM toolsets. - 2007-06-27 15:30:38-04
Using any business toolsets effectively requires a real investment. You will want to base the purchase and implementation on the goals of your company and the needs of your customers. Does that surprise anyone?
"In a Bain & Co. study, 20 percent of the 451 senior executives polled said that their companies' CRM initiatives had failed to deliver profitable growth and had damaged long-term customer relationships."
Duh. Read it again, 'damaged long-term customer relationships'. For example, imagine buying computers and not training computer illiterate staff to use them. Or buying a jet and then letting it sit on the tarmac until you get 'around to it' by learning how to fly.
If you buy high-power instrumentation, marketing tools on steroids, and the like for your business, here's hoping someone remembered to study the toolset and match it to the job at hand. That of making your customers ecstatically happy and the company succeed.
- CRM and the Government - 2007-06-28 11:19:31-04
This from CRMBuyer's article " Government Customer Service: No Longer and Oxymoron?"
"Many government agencies have grasped the need to move beyond the first e-government initiatives they deployed, such as self-service or dynamic Web pages. "That is the one channel citizens expect the government to have mastered. Now it is recognized there is a need for the government to be flexible in its technology approach to meet peoples' needs," said Roberts."
All I can say is it is about time. Read more at...
- if you take All the CRM bloggers in the world... - 2007-06-29 11:41:03-04
I so appreciate a good blog. Ronald Lemmen has one such blog. But even more interesting he maintains the Microsoft Dynamics CRM blog world post which lists a plethora of lovely CRM blogs.So kudos to Ronald. And, if your CRM blog is not on Ronald's list, you might want to shoot him a quick note with a pointer to your fabulous site so that he can add it to the ever-growing list.
I also want to give a shout out to Aaron Elder for his Build Numbers post. Aaron has been very conscientious about keeping his CRM customers in the loop and providing a reference for the rest of us.
Both of these fellows are very active MVPs. If you want to find an MVP close to your company you might start look here: https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/communities/mvp.aspx?product=1&competency=Microsoft%20Dynamics%20CRM
Enjoy and have a great weekend.
Frank Glass
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