Will Strohl's Blog

Joe Brinkman and I have begun hosting a monthly show called DNNHangout. In each episode we will talk to you about recent DNN news, events, and anything else that might be useful to the DNN community. We also will be talking to and showcasing a speaker that will present an interesting topic that you can apply on your own DNN site.

The most common issues and questions that I come across on a daily basis are very often a result of not knowing the DNN Platform as well as it could be known.  Like with any tool, the better you know it, how to manipulate it, the best techniques behind it, and so on… The better that you will be at using that tool.  The faster you will be at accomplishing tasks with the right solution.  Every solution is only as good as the people that run it.  This is your opportunity to walk away with the critical knowledge that is foundational to you being the best DNN resource that you can be – and have a blast with others in the DNN community at the same time.

You should already be aware, but there is an incredibly active and vibrant user group in Charlotte, North Carolina called Queen City DotNetNuke User Group or QCDUG.  These folks were also the masterminds behind the Day of DotNetNuke Charlotte last year.  When they agreed to do another event this year, I couldn’t even tell you how excited I was because last year was so awesome!  These gentlemen sure did not disappoint when they organized and held their second event, this time branded in a fun way as Southern Fried DNN!  What a great way to participate in our community!

There’s really nothing bad I could possibly say about any code camp in Florida.  Community leaders like Dave Noderer make such a thing impossible.  They are so amazing in their ability to organize a fantastic event.  South Florida Code Camp 2013 was just as amazing as this code camp always has been.  This is about my 3rd or 4th time presenting here.  It just gets better and better!  This blog post is mostly about the resources for my sessions though.

It’s been a while since I’ve been to South Florida Code Camp (#sflcc).  If you’re not aware, it is the largest code camp in the State of Florida.  They regularly have at least 700 attendees.  People come from all over the state to attend this code camp, and if you’re reading this blog, you should too.  Code camps are a one-day event that allows you to learn about all kinds of useful information.  In fact, Day of DotNetNuke was modeled after the code camp model.  If you want to meet and learn from some of the most passionate people dealing with Microsoft technologies… Go to a code camp!

It may surprise you to hear that in such a populated region such as London to hear that there has never been a DotNetNuke user group there.  That’s right!  There isn’t an area in the United Kingdom that is considered to be more metropolitan.  It’s also considered to be a leading global city in numerous areas such as arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, research and development, and more.  Yet DNN hasn’t reached their techie scene.  That’s changing!  The very first user group meeting that focuses on DNN will be held there in just a couple of short weeks.

This blog post isn’t about another one of my presentations.  Actually, I just wanted to let you know about a .Net user group that is having a DotNetNuke presentation given in the New York area on October 4, 2012.  DNN is rampant across the east coast of the US, but it’s not often I hear about a DNN presentation in the New York area.

If you weren’t aware, I just visited a few events in Florida to spread the word about DotNetNuke and DNN World 2012.  The events included Tampa#, FLA.Net West Palm Beach .Net, and the Southwest Florida Code Camp.  These events were all very cool.  The organizers did an outstanding job amidst a pending tropical storm and a hurricane, illness, and the always challenging logistics of a code camp.  There were 5 sessions in all, and in each of them, I promised resources from the session.  The wait is over…  Here are the resources from the sessions.

I’ve been to and spoken at every code camp in the state of Florida.  Each one has it’s own unique touch.  Some are known for their sheer size, others for their night time events, and more.  They are all really incredible.  We have some great leaders in the Florida .Net community.  However, only one code camp in the state has John Dunagan leading the charge.  No disrespect to anyone else, but John really is a community machine! 

If you’ve never been there, you should know that Tampa Bay is an incredible city.  It may not look large depending on where you’re from, but it’s home to Busch Gardens, New York Yankees spring training, former Super Bowl Champion Buccaneers, NHL champion Lightning, the Rays, and it’s also where the best Punisher movie was filmed (in my opinion).  This city was also home to the first ever Day of DotNetNuke in 2009, which has since spread to Orlando, France, Canada, Chicago, and Charlotte.  I am very happy to be able to say that I am once again bringing DotNetNuke back to this great city in a meeting on August 23, 2012.