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#IBMChampion / Community / IBM/Lotus / MWLUG

MWLUG 2017 – Be There!

This year's MWLUG conference will take place in Alexandria, VA. During the three day conference more than 50 sessions and two free workshops will be offered. All this for just $75. This year the conference starts a day earlier than usual, on a Tuesday. But everything you are used to from the previous years will be there. Keynotes, sessions, workshops, breakfast and lunch, receptions, networking events, access to experts, and much more. A new even for this year is Linuxfest, known from Lotusphere/IBM Connect. It is again hosted by Bill Malchisky together with a (as of now) secret guest speaker. You can register for MWLUG 2017 here.

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July 6, 2017
#IBMChampion / Community / IBM/Lotus / MWLUG / Notes/Domino

More time for your MWLUG abstract submission

Richard Moy, organizer of MWLUG, has extended the deadline for submission of abstract submission another week, until Friday, June 2. So if you haven't gotten around to submit an abstract yet, you have a few more days to come up with a good subject to present at this years MWLUG conference, taking place on August 8-10 in Washington, DC. Registration is also open. Don't miss out on a great conference!  

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May 28, 2017
#IBMChampion / Community / IBM/Lotus / MWLUG / Notes/Domino / Sametime / Verse

MWLUG Submssion Deadline

You have just over 3 days left to submit a session abstract for MWLUG 2017. The deadline is on Friday, May 26 at 5pm Central time. If you don't want to speak, registration is also open to this excellent conference. This year it takes place August 8-10 at Hilton Mark Center in Alexandria, VA. Expect a packed schedule with great sessions and speakers. This is one of the must-attend conferences in the US for anyone working with the ICS (IBM Collaborative Software) family of products.

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May 24, 2017
#IBMChampion / Community / Connect / IBM/Lotus / Lotusphere

IBM Connect – My thoughts and the future

There has been radio silence on this blog since right before IBM Connect in the end of February. I intended to write a recap of IBM Connect after I got back from the conference, but I have just been very busy. I haven't even had time to post the code from my presentation, but it will be up here shortly. There has already been several good overviews of IBM Connect, but I want to share how I experienced it, and how the first conference away from Orlando was. It was both good and bad. The bad part was just some minor things. Like everyone else I found San Francisco expensive, with a lot of homeless people. The venue also lacked some of the natural meeting spots we had in Orlando, when many of us were staying at the same hotel where the conference took place. The restrooms at the Moscone Center could also use a makeover. But none of these were things IBM really could do much about. What they could have done better would have been to server a warm breakfast and lunch, at least a couple of days. The food in Orlando was great, and at last years conference it was even outstanding, in my opinion. So the breakfasts of cereal and pastries and sandwiches for lunch was a bit of a disappointment. The conference itself was good. I enjoyed most of the sessions I attended, I learned about future enhancements to the Notes and Domino platform and ecosystem and I got to talk to a lot of people. I also met many of my friends in the community, but there however many faces missing. For the last few years more and more of the long-time Lotusphere/Connect attendees have moved away from the ICS platform into other technologies. It is just a natural progression. We all learn new things, try new technologies and broaden our horizons. I have done that myself, for the last several years I have moved more and more into pure web development, using tools like jQuery and Bootstrap to build front-ends to data often (but not always) located on a Domino server. But I have also been looking into other technologies. Lately I have been working with NetSuite, an ERP system recently acquired by Oracle. NetSuite is using Javascript both on the server and for the browser, so the skills I have aquired during my time as a Domino deverloper enabled me to quickly start working with this platform. Another area where I have been spending a lot of time is more traditional web design using Javascript, as well as frameworks and libraries like jQuery and Bootstrap. These tools can be integrated into Domino applications, and after you learn them it is not hard to branch out and use them with a different backend. One of the more exciting things that I brought back from Connect was the fact that Docker is a technology to watch. I attended a workshop that unfortunately had some technical problems,…

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May 6, 2017
#IBMChampion / Community / Connections / IBM/Lotus

IBM Champions for 2017 announced

A few hours ago IBM announced the 2017 IBM Champions for ICS during the Dominopoint conference in Italy. This year 123 were picked, including 44 new Champions. An IBM Champion is a non-IBMer who evangelize IBM solutions and share their knowledge at conferences, on blogs, in forums, and in other ways. Congratulations to everyone picked, and a special welcome to the new Champions! I was fortunate enough to be picked for a fourth year. It is a huge honor. Thank you Amanda, Libby and of course IBM. On a related note, Amanda Bauman last week described how she and the IBM team used IBM Connections as a tool to reduce the time needed by the selection committee from 6 weeks to just 3. This is interesting reading, as it shows how Connections can be used for collaboration all over the world and save a lot of time. This time, I pulled all of the unique nominees into an Ideation Blog in a dedicated IBM Champion selection community on Connections Cloud. Each nominee had their own entry in the Ideation blog, complete with all of the nomination data received for that nominee. Including twitter handles, blog links, YouTube, and a listing from various people about their contributions. Over 70 IBMers were invited to review, validate contributions, and post their comments to the Ideation Blog. Where an IBMer was listed as a reference, that IBMer was invited to vote, comment, and support your nomination. Connections is a really powerful tool, and I wish I could have convinced my old workplace to start using it. I pushed for it for years, but it was never adopted, for different reasons.t is a

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December 14, 2016
#IBMChampion / Community / Connect / IBM/Lotus / Lotusphere

IBM Connect 2017 – It’s that time of the year!

Registration for IBM Connect 2017 is open. The conference, in the past known and beloved as Lotusphere, has changed some. It takes place a month later than normaland has moved from Orlando where it did take place for the last 20+ years. The new location is the Moscone Center in San Francisco and the dates are February 20-23, 2017. Another change to the format is that the conference start Monday evening instead of Sunday. Otherwise the agenda looks very similar to what we got used to in the past. The list of session has not been published yet, the final selection of speakers will be made later this month. But I don't doubt there will be plenty of great sessions woth attending. I hope to be able to go, this is a great conference not only for learning but also for networking and socializing with other professionals who work with the IBM Collaborative and Watson products. I hope to see you in San Francisco in February!  

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December 5, 2016
#IBMChampion / Community / IBM/Lotus

IBM Champion nominations are now open

IBM has opened the nominations for IBM Champions for 2017. This is how they describe the program: The IBM Champion program recognizes innovative thought leaders in the technical community and rewards these contributors by amplifying their voice and increasing their sphere of influence. An IBM Champion is an IT professional, business leader, developer, or educator who influences and mentors others to help them make best use of IBM software, solutions, and services. https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/champion/index.html So if you know someone who have helped you or who deserve to be honored for their committment, go and nominate her or him! I have a list of people I plan to nominate myself.

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October 7, 2016
#IBMChampion / Community / HTML/CSS / IBM/Lotus / Javascript / jQuery / MWLUG / Notes/Domino / Web Development

My MWLUG presentation

I have been very busy ever since the MWLUG conference in Austin, but now you can finally view my presentation and download the sample code. Enjoy!   I will post the code for my Phonegap Demo next week. Reminder: you need to sign the database (or at least all the agents) with an ID who has the rights to run agents, or the Ajax calls will not return anything. If you are interested in having your Notes applications modernized and moved to the web, feel free to contact me at karl-henry@demandbettersolutions.com.

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September 2, 2016
Community / IBM/Lotus / MWLUG

MWLUG Schedule Announced

The session schedule for the upcoming MWLUG conference in Austin has been published. My session, AD114 - Think Outside the Box - Part 2, will be on Wednesday at 4.30pm. I am currently putting the finishing touches on the presentation and the demo database. I hope to see you in less than 2 weeks!

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August 4, 2016
#IBMChampion / Community / IBM/Lotus / MWLUG

Are you in Texas? Do you work with ICS products? Then you should read this!

If you are located in Texas and work with the IBM Collaboration Software products (Notes, Domino, Sametime, Connections and BlueMix) either on-premises or in the cloud, you now have a unique opportunity on August 17-19. MWLUG is coming to Austin. The conference is only $75 to attend, for 2 1/2 days of session and networking. There are 52 session scheduled, many of them presented by IBMers, top business partners and IBM Champions. So if you are local, take this opportunity to learn what is coming in the ICS area, and perhaps learn a few new things about the products you already use. There will also be vendors present showing tools and products as well, giving you a convenient overview of what tools are available on the market. I hope to see a number of fellow Texans in Austin in four weeks!

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July 21, 2016
Community / IBM/Lotus / MWLUG

MWLUG – Abstract submission deadline approaching

The deadline for session abstract submissions to MWLUG is this Friday,  May 27. You have until 5pm that day to submit any session you like to present at the conference, which takes place in Austin August 17-19. Even if you don't plan to present, you can of course register for the conference. There is a limited number of seats, so don't miss out on this conference!  

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May 25, 2016
Community / IBM/Lotus / MWLUG

Registration for MWLUG is open!

MWLUG ( Mid-West Lotus User Group) is a user group event that thakes place in different cities every year. They started in the Mid-west, hence the name, but in 2016 the conference will take place in Austin, TX on August 17-19. Registration is now open, and the fee for this 3-day conference is only $75. Yes, you read that right, the conference is practically free. You just pay for your travel and lodging. So go ahead and register! I was able to attend MWLUG for the first time 2015 in Atlanta, and Richard Moy and his team delivered a first rate event. I have no doubt that the 2016 conference will be at least as good. So if you can go, take this opportunity. I expect that there will be many excellent presentations again this year.

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April 26, 2016
Community / IBM/Lotus / MWLUG / Notes/Domino

Some upcoming conferences

IBM Connect is not the only conference that you should attend if you are interested in the IBM collaboration/social platforms, there are many other spread out over different continents, and many of them are even free. You just pay your travel and hotel. Next one up is Engage (formerly BLUG) arranged by Theo Heselmans and his team. This year it takes place in Eindhove, the Netherlands on March 23-24. There are less than 20 seats left for this free event with world class speakers, many of them are IBM Champions. Inhi Cho Suh, the new GM of IBM Collaboration Solutions, will be speaking at the Opening General Session together with Suzanne Livingston, Christ Crummey and Sarah Gibbons, all from IBM. There are five tracks with sessions, and if you look at the agenda I am sure you will find plenty to choose from. Theo always put on a great conference, I really wish I was able to attend! Update: there will be 43 IBM Champions attending, 33 of which will be presenting! On April 11-13 you have EntwicklerCamp in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. This conference, which has been taking place for many years and I have heard much good about, is arranged by Rudy Knegt and the cost is €1499 for the three day conference. If you look at the agenda, you will see that there are sessions not only in German but also in English. Many of the sessions are presented by IBM Champions. ICON US (formerly IamLUG) did not take place last year, but in 2016 Chris Miller and his team is back with a two day vertual conference. It takes place May 9-10 and you can register here. Seats (even if they are virtual) are limited. Social Connections 10 is taking place in Toronto, Canada this year, June 6-7. Keynote speakers are Luis Suarez and Alan Lepofsky. As the name indicates, this conference focuses on IBM Connections. Early bird registration ends on April 1, and the cost is CA$229.00 while the regular price is $CA269.00. Then there is MWLUG, this year taking place in Austin on August 17-19. Richard Moy and his team did a great job in Atlanta in 2015, and I am looking forward to this years conference. This is an "almost free"  conference, the fee is $75 but don't be fooled to think it is a cheap conference. Don't miss out on some excellent content! So go to some user conferences, be social and learn amazing new things!    

2 Comments
March 14, 2016
Bootstrap / Community / Connect / HTML/CSS / IBM/Lotus / jQuery / Lotusscript / Notes/Domino / Web Development

My Connect 2016 presentation & demo database

As I promised, I would post my IBM Connect 2016 presentation on my blog. Presentation (PDF): {link}  Demo database (ZIP): {link} You can also find the presentation on SlideShare.net. To the right you see the database design, you want to look in the Agent section for the agents and in the Pages section for the HTML pages. Note: You need to sign the database with an ID that have the proper rights. Otherwise the code will not work. Enjoy!  

6 Comments
February 17, 2016
Community / Connect / IBM/Lotus / Lotusphere

IBM Connect 2016 – Receptions and parties

Henning Schmidt have a great overview of the many social events going on at IBM Connect 2016, starting this Saturday with BALD (Bloggers Annual Lotusphere Dinner) at 3pm. If you are going to the conference, read the list here: http://www.schmhen.de/2016/01/26/ibm-connect-2016-reception-and-party-overview/. Hope to see you in Orlando, it is now only 24 hours until I head to the airport for my flight.

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January 28, 2016
Community / Connect / IBM/Lotus / Lotusphere / Travel

IBM Connect 2016 – Travel Tips

Many of you going to IBM Connect 2016 in Orlando in a just two weeks are coming from other countries. There are a few things you may want to be aware of. First of all, if you need a visa to enter the US you have hopefully already arranged that. If you are covered by the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) you don't need a visa but need to fill out an electronic ESTA application. Normally you find out at once if you are eligible. The ESTA application is valid for two (2) years, assuming you haven't changed passport, name or something has happend that makes you ineligible for ESTA (for example arrested for a drug related offense). You may want to look up your old ESTA to make sure it is still valid. I have been told that the ESTA form has changed and now requires more information than before. You also need a passport with a machine-readable zone on the biographic page and it must be an electronic passport with a digital chip containing biometric information about the passport owner in order to be allowed to use the VWP. It is also a good idea to make sure your passport is valid for at least six months after you intend to leave the US.  . After you get to Orlando and pick up your luggage, you need transportation to the hotel. Mears Shuttle is $33 for a round-trip ticket to Hilton Orlando, or $29.70 if you order on their website using the promo code WEB10. If you need a rental car I can recommend Turo (formerly RelayRides). It is a peer-to-peer car rental, usually much cheaper than a traditional rental car. You need to create an account ahead of time, since you must send copies of your drivers license to the site before you can rent. I have used the service several times, I rented two cars for 10 days in Hawaii in 2014, a SUV in Denver for an extended weekend and several times I rented a car locally for a day for some transportation. You can see it as Uber for car rentals. If you haven't got a hotel room yet, and if the Hilton is over your budget (perhaps you pay for the conference yourself), Days Inn across the street has much more reasonable rates. I got a room for $59/night. Hope to see you in Orlando!

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January 16, 2016
Community / Connect / IBM/Lotus / Lotusphere

Connect 2016 – People, not technology

For the 20th time I am heading to the conference previously known as Lotusphere. IBM has renamed it Connect, but to me it still is the same conference. The focus may have changed from Notes and Domino to Connections, Cloud and Mobile, but the people is largely the same: a mix of developers, administrators and managers who all are interested in or using the IBM collaboration products. As a wise man said: it's not about technology, it's about the people. And I am looking forward to the people. I have many good friends in the Yellowsphere community (I don't have a better name for the IBM Collaboration Software community), people I admire and have learned much from over the years. I hope that speaking at Connect 2016 (a first for me) will help others like I been helped in the past. That is why I enjoy helping people out in the forums and on Stack Overflow, and why I blog and share code: a way to give back to the community. Lotusphere/Connect is a way to connect with the community. Every year I leave the conference revitalized and energized. I have been hanging out with my peers, sharing a couple of adult beverages, having dinners with some of them and -- most of all -- getting ideas and inspiration. Working as the only Notes developer at a company gets lonely, and Lotusphere/Connect is the one of the few time of the year I get to "talk shop" with people that do the same thing as I do. No mater how understanding and technical my wife is, when I start talking about some cool Lotusscript class or the benefits of list over arrays her eyes glace over and she is gone... As I write this, my workplace is migrating from Notes to Outlook/Exchange for email. A pilot group (including me) was migrated last weekend, and the rest of the users will be migrated this coming weekend. Applications will stay in Notes for a long time, though. They are not going anywhere. Even if I would have switch to a different platform for development at work, I hope to still be involved in the Yellowsphere community. I am also working on some cool side projects where I use Domino as the data backend but where the browser based front-end is built using modern web technologies like Bootstrap and jQuery. So I hope to be doing things with Notes and Domino for many more years. So if you haven't registered for Connect 2016 yet, hurry up. We are getting close. I booked my flight and my room earlier today and for the first time since 1999 I will not be staying at the conference hotel. Instead I found a good rate at Days Inn across the street, about a 5 minutes walk away away and at 25% of the cost. Since I am once again paying out of my own pocket, I could not justify the cost of staying at Hilton where the conference takes place. If you want to listen to…

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December 15, 2015
Community / Connect / IBM/Lotus / Javascript / jQuery / Lotusphere / Notes/Domino / Web Development

IBM Connect 2016 coming up!

In the end of January it is once again time to head to Orlando for the yearly conference that for many years was known as Lotusphere. For the last few years it have been renamed IBM Connect (as well as ConnectED in 2014), and last year most people (including me) thought that 2015 was the end of this conference. But perhaps due to the popularity of the 2015 edition, IBM decided to have the conference again this year, but in a new location as the contract with Swan and Dolphin (where the conference had been held since the first one in 1993) had expired. The new venue is Hilton Orlando. It is closer to the airport and there are also more restaurants around than at Swan and Dolphin. It is close to SeaWorld as well as to the Universal Studios theme parks. Personally I am excited about the new venue. "Swolphin" (as Swan and Dolphin often was referred to) started to get old and worn down, despite a refresh of the rooms back in 2003-2005 some time. Yes, after this many years (18 in a row for me) Swolphin started feeling like a home away from home. You know where everything is, you know the staff and the shortcuts between hotels and sections within the hotel. So a new location makes Connect 2016 more exciting, it will feel like a new conference but hopefully with many of my old friends attending. I have already found several interesting sessions using the session tool. Philippe Riand and Jesse Gallagher will for example talk about the Darwino application development platform, which allows you to integrate your Domino applications with IBM Bluemix an IBM Connections. Another must-attend session is called IBM Domino App.Net and talks about how to utilize Bluemix to build XPages applications in the cloud. In addition we of course have all the sessions we have come to know and love: UserBlast with Mat Newman, Admin Tips Power Hour presented by Chris Miller, Spark Ideas, and of course the Opening General Session (OGS) with a secret guest speaker as the tradition requires. After the fiasco last year with the Tuesday evening special event the organizers went back to holding the event in one of the local theme parks. For the second time it will be held in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hogsmead, which is part of Universal's Islands of Adventure. Last time I had a blast, so much that last year I took a couple of vacation days to visit Hogsmead again as well as the then newly opened Diagon Alley extension over in the Universal Studios park next-door. You need a park-to-park admission pass to visit both parks, but that allows you to take the Hogwarts Express between the two parks. For me personally Connect 2016 is a milestone. It will be my 20th Lotusphere/Connect and for the first time I will present a session! This is not a full one hour session, but a new format called Lightning Talk. Those are shorter 20 minute sessions,…

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December 8, 2015
Community / IBM/Lotus

IBM Champion 2016

Yesterday I got the following email from IBM: For the third year in a row I have been honored as an IBM Champion for Social Business. There are 101 total IBM Champions for 2016, 39 newcomers and 64 returning ones. And the number of Swedish Champions doubled with the addition of Lars Samuelsson and Maria Enderstam. The final Swede is Fredrik Norling, already a multi-year Champion. So congratulations to all IBM Champions 2016, I am honored to be included in this group of brilliant people. You can find the announcement here.

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November 24, 2015

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