Canadian User Experience : TechNet

OPML File of Microsoft Canada Bloggers

Mark Relph — Sat, 26 Nov 2005 00:25:49 GMT

We have posted an OPML file you can download to get a list of all the blogs from our team. Enjoy!

http://geeksuave.com/MSDNCanadaBloggers.xml

Too Quiet On The Blogging Front - News From The Road

Mark Relph — Fri, 25 Nov 2005 14:16:00 GMT

It has been a busy few weeks since we left Toronto and the first event on the tour. Since then we have been to Ottawa, Edmonton, Calgary, Victoria and Vancouver.

The team has been keeping the blogsphere up-to-date and we wanted to point you to some of what they have had to say.

Jerome tells us that "Some have reported trouble in finding the source files for the Web and Smart Client session for the launch 2005 event DVDs. They should be in a folder entitled WhidbeyRocks" (http://blogs.msdn.com/jcarron/archive/2005/11/14/492455.aspx)

He also has a list of some of the questions they have received while in the various cities. Check it out as they might answer a question of yours!

Thank-You Toronto!

Mark Relph — Wed, 09 Nov 2005 23:06:00 GMT

Yesterday the Launch Tour kicked off in Toronto. On behalf of the entire team here at Microsoft we want to thank everyone who attended for spending their day with us.

It was a great day and we hope everyone got something out of the presentations, the expert talks and the partner booths. We listened to your feedback and we will make some minor changes in the other cities. Let us know what you thought if you haven't already.

John, Jerome, Barry, Barnaby and Damir had so much fun on stage. If you had a question for them, please do contact them via their blogs.

Many have asked about the presentations. Watch your inbox for an email pointing you to the location of the downloads.

Many people didn't take full advantage of the experts area. For those of you coming to the other cities - be sure to stop by the cabana to ask you questions and to have those deeper conversations with the experts.

Some pictures from the day:

All the photos are here - http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/launch2005/

Blog Reviews (So Far):

Rob Windsor - The Toronto Visual Studio 2005 Launch Rocked! http://msmvps.com/windsor/archive/2005/11/09/74959.aspx
Dennis Forbes - Multi-Part Review - http://www.yafla.com/dforbes/ (he makes a good point about the Q&A)
Joel and what the launch means to him - http://weblogs.asp.net/jsemeniuk/archive/2005/11/05/429655.aspx
Barry - Hello 2.0 - http://objectsharp.com/blogs/barry/archive/2005/11/06/3570.aspx
John Bristowe - http://blogs.msdn.com/jbristowe/archive/2005/11/08/490662.aspx
Jerome Carron - http://blogs.msdn.com/jcarron/archive/2005/11/09/490771.aspx
Mark will be posting soon at http://blogs.msdn.com/mark_relph

Get the picture feed - http://www.flickr.com/groups/launch2005/pool/feed/?format=rss_200

Be sure to tag your post - http://www.technorati.com/blogs/Launch2005

The team is on the way to Ottawa as we speak! 1 city down, 9 to go!!!

Thanks Toronto!

Sneak Peak @ The Software

Mark Relph — Fri, 04 Nov 2005 18:46:00 GMT

Mark has posted some sneak-peak photos on his blog! :-)

http://blogs.msdn.com/mark_relph/archive/2005/11/04/489083.aspx

Launch2005

We want to hear from you! Blog about the tour you may win a prize!

Mark Relph — Fri, 04 Nov 2005 17:02:00 GMT

Previously, Barnaby posted asking if anyone out there is going to blog about the Canadian Tour - http://blogs.technet.com/barnaby_jeans/archive/2005/10/28/413240.aspx

We really want to see what the blogsphere thinks of the launch. Blog about your experience during the Canadian Tour and about any of the products we are launching and you may win a prize (whether your post is positive or not is completely up to you!)

All you have to do is reply to this post with a link to your blog entry. We will head over and check it out. We will then select a few winners to receive a prize. Most of all, we will be listening to your comments and feedback.

Launch2005

Launch Tour Contest - Wear Your Old Swag And Win A Prize!

Mark Relph — Fri, 04 Nov 2005 16:52:00 GMT

With just 4 days to go before the kick-off of the cross-Canada tour we have come up with a contest for our faithful blog readers! Our theme this year is "Ready To Rock" and while we don't want to give away any surprises, you can just imagine what we might have in store for you at the event. So, just as people wear their favorite band t-shirt to a rock concert, we want to see you in your favorite gear from previous Microsoft launches. So - reach back into the closet and dust off that old VB4 t-shirt, your NT3.5 hat or your Windows 95 "start me up" swag and wear it to your local event.

The blogging crew will be on the lookout for the best (and oldest!) Microsoft gear in the crowd! If you get spotted we will award you with a fabulous prize (and we have some good stuff to give away, trust us).

See you in 4 days at the kick-off in Toronto!

Launch2005

Toronto Registration Has Been Extended!

Mark Relph — Wed, 26 Oct 2005 05:19:26 GMT

As a result of the great interest in the Nov 8^th Toronto Ready Launch Tour event, we have extended our capacity so that you have the opportunity to join us. Don’t miss out, register now!

www.microsoft.ca/launch2005/

Now Available - ReadyBuzz Audio!

Mark Relph — Tue, 25 Oct 2005 17:56:00 GMT

ReadyBuzz is here! The Launch Crew have created a series of short audio/video shows to give you a behind the scenes view to the all of the Launch activities. We will introduce you to the speakers, give you an preview of the content and let you know how the preparations are going!

Subscribe to the RSS for the ReadyBuzz shows - http://feeds.feedburner.com/Readybuzz

We will also publish entries on the main launch blog each time we update the content.

Damir - Getting closer to the SQL Server 2005 Launch Event

Mark Relph — Mon, 24 Oct 2005 20:43:00 GMT

Check out Damir's latest post - Getting closer to the SQL Server 2005 Launch Event

"Today I spent the morning with a few key individuals reviewing the content we will be presenting at the SQL Server 2005 Launch Event starting in Toronto on November 8. It is always great to get input on how what we will be presenting will resonate with you, the audience. Being inside Microsoft I know that there are many things that I would love to show you and talk about when it comes to SQL Server. I live this stuff and I love doing it!! "

The Microsoft Canada Ready Launch Tour is over 80% Full!

Mark Relph — Wed, 19 Oct 2005 08:24:27 GMT

Registration for this event is filling up fast, and we are already 80% full. Don’t miss your opportunity to attend. Get Ready. Register today.

So what does SQL 2005 mean to an ISV? Part 1

Mark Relph — Wed, 19 Oct 2005 08:08:20 GMT

Ryan Storgaard, one of our ISV Platform Advisors, discusses what SQL Server 2005 means to Canadian ISVs.

"What I'd like to do, in a series of posts over the next little while, is to take a different approach to discussing the features of these products. I'm sure you'd love to hear how "super excited" I am about them but I have a feeling you'd rather understand the features from the perspective of "how can I make a more powerful product leveraging these Microsoft products so that as an ISV I can make more money!!"

Check out his blog for the full post - http://blogs.msdn.com/stoey/archive/2005/10/14/481345.aspx

John Oxley - SQL Developments Grow In Size And Amount

Mark Relph — Wed, 19 Oct 2005 08:02:09 GMT

John writes about the size and complexity of projects built on SQL Server being deployed by customers on his blog - http://blogs.technet.com/cdnitmanagers/archive/2005/10/13/412455.aspx

Are you blogging about the launch?

Barnaby_Jeans — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 19:42:00 GMT

Are you planning on, or already, blogging about the upcoming SQL/VS/BizTalk launch? Do you plan to take any photos at the launch events? If you answered yes to any of these, take a look at my blog post http://blogs.technet.com/barnaby_jeans/archive/2005/10/17/Tag_the_Launch.aspx on how you can tag your posts so we can see what the community as a whole is doing.

To see what has already been posted and tagged check out the following sites:

Technorati's Tag page for Launch2005: http://technorati.com/tag/Launch2005
Technorati's Blog page for Launch2005: http://technorati.com/blogs/Launch2005
Flickr's page for Launch2005: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/launch2005
The Flickr Group for Launch2005: http://www.flickr.com/groups/launch2005

Enjoy, and I hope to see you at the launch.

Tags: [Microsoft] [Launch2005] [SQLServer] [VisualStudio] [BizTalk]

The Momentum Continues - Toronto is now accepting waitlist registrations only…

Mark Relph — Fri, 14 Oct 2005 21:46:07 GMT

Wow! The excitement around the tour continues. The Toronto event is now accepting waitlist registrations only.

Don't miss your chance to attend your local event. Visit the Launch page - www.microsoft.com/canada/launch2005

Tag: [Launch2005]

Edmonton TechNet Waitlist!

Mark Relph — Wed, 12 Oct 2005 19:23:00 GMT

The tour events are really beginning to fill up. We have just had word that the Edmonton Technet event (the morning session) is now officially full and anyone registering will be placed on the waitlist. The afternoon still has space, as do most of the other cities. Don't miss your chance to attend - register today. www.microsoft.com/canada/launch2005