Help Build the SQL Rally Selection Process.
Posted by Arie | Posted in Community | Posted on 29-07-2010
Tags: Community, Events, PASS, sql sever, SQLAndy, SQLRally
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SQLAndy blogged about the possible selection process which you can read about from the link below:
I like what PASS is trying to do with adding events and trying to make PASS more relevant to the DBAs that are out in the field. However, there are a couple of suggestions that seem to be off a little…..
Pre-Con/Post-Con Sessions
Paying the speakers is nice but limiting it to someone who has presented at PASS Summit before but has not done a Pre-Con/Post-Con at PASS and submitting only one seems too restrictive. I like that they want something of a more thorough abstract/lesson plan guide because I think it makes the speakers ‘think’ a little more about what they are going to do.
Main Sessions
- Require speakers to have spoken at the PASS Summit or a SQLSaturday in the past 24 months to be eligible.
Really? Only at PASS events…..Hmmm, like the CodeCamp that they have every year in South Florida doesn’t count or the Rocky Mountain Tri-Fecta in Colorado…
2. Must have presented the topic at least one time prior to submitting it
What about new releases? Guess when this comes around next year not to expect any 2011 talks
3. Must upload the deck (doesn’t have to be final) at time of submission.
I don’t like promoting uploading of decks. I myself don’t like decks. That’s why I think I am a good speaker in that I show people technology and teach them the ins and outs without inundating them with slides. People normally come to my sessions because they want to ‘see’ how they can incorporate a technology or a technique into their environment…..Maybe I get that from teaching too much Physics with lots of breaking stuff in demonstrations:)
4. Can submit a max of ?? (2? 4?) presentations
I guess this would be fine but it would need to be 4 instead of 2….Otherwise, the selection committee gets to see the other end of the spectrum….400 Reporting Services submissions…and 12 on other topics:)
Don’t get me wrong….I think what they are doing is a good thing…and good for Andy that he is pushing it! However, it is almost like they are playing things really safe and in order to create something vibrant and unique you have to take risks.
I remember the first time that I went to DevConnections, yes Virginia there are other events other than PASS events, there was a really lousy session on programming mobile applications….I mean GOD AWFUL! Yet, I don’t tell my friends about that session ….instead I tell them about Scott Guthrie’s awesomesauce session and how I got to talk directly with him and Matt Nunn afterwards….
So I really think that they need to start going out on a limb a little with these things because in the end, if a handful of sessions were bad then hopefully the truely outstanding ones will make up for it.
Does this mean that the SQLRally needs to become another version of a SQLSaturday free-for-all? Nope! You can do things to limit your downside. Maybe like….
- Submit Extended Abstracts for all presentations
- Abstract (good paragraph not the ‘I will demo SSRS’)
- Lesson Plan Outline – What will you cover and how
- Submit and Extended Speaker Form
- Regular speaker credentials – Name, Bio, Contact Stuff
- Session Presented with Events(how many attended) and also maybe contact info
- Links to other credible things (blogs, books, etc.)
Yeah, you may still get 1000 submissions but surely you could get a couple of people to go through the speakers to do a first pass and weed out the ‘weak cheese’. I know it laborous and probably a little boring once you hit the 100th SSRS intro ….But I remember specifically in one of my Physics classes that one student asked me why she got marked off for her experiment write-up, I told her, and her response was ‘You mean you actually read all this stuff’…..YES DAMNIT I DO.
Maybe we could use this as an excuse to come up with some sort of cool Silverlight application that the Selection Committee could use. Hmmmm…something like
1. Browse by Speaker
2. Browse by Topic
3. Browse by Track
4 Drag & Drop into Favs Folder
Sounds very intriguing to me
Anywho, Good Luck to Andy and the PASS group in getting this thing off the ground!
Cheers!
AJ
AJ, my goal isn’t to play it safe – for that we could just duplicate the current Summit process. Think you’ve got some good points here and we’ll be looking at them (and discussing them) more. Jack Corbett will have a follow up post in the next week or so that goes deeper into ideas for the selection process.
Interesting comments. I think you have some good ideas here, and perhaps it’s good to get people from outside of PASS, but I like the idea of this being a PASS event and wanting speakers to also support the free SQL Saturdays. I think presenting at a PASS event in the last 24 months isn’t too restrictive as this is a SQL Server event.
I think 2 submissions is a little light. One of my suggestions was to have people submit something basic, limited description, maybe up to 6, and then let the community vote for a few weeks. Then take more final submissions with the speakers seeing what was voted up and down.
I agree somewhat on the decks. The intent here is to not have vaporware abstracts submitted. I think I’d allow a “scheduled” presentation at this event. Something could be “tested” at a user group or other event (including non-PASS events) before this. You have until April to do this.
On the pre-cons, the idea is to get new speakers out there. Otherwise I think they might wind up with the same 8 people from the PASS Summit.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Jack Corbett and Andy Warren, Arie Jones. Arie Jones said: New blog posting, Help Build the SQL Rally Selection Process. – http://tinyurl.com/2fablj4 [...]
Andy, wasn’t specifically calling you out….more of a general overview of what I am observing of the organization. Keep up the good fight…you’re doing a great job!
AJ
Steve,
Good deal. Then let’s open it to SQLSaturdays and possibly PASS usergroups as well. Then at least the group would be able to say…Hmmm, they’ve spoken here and here…let me tag up that group President and see how it went. Maybe we could even have a rating database that is kept that the PASS groups update with their speaker info to make it even simpler as things move up the chain of command.
I think that at least making the speakers fill out a curriculum vitae along with a detailed lesson plan would definitely help to discern which presentation and speakers deserve attention. Cannot agree more with the vaporware stuff and that is why I thought a lesson outline would be warranted.
Lastly, love the idea of the community voting piece……no wonder you’re running for the BOD this year:)
AJ
AJ,
You definitely have some good ideas here. I especially like the idea of an extended abstract, which could replace requiring the deck. It is certainly hard to submit a deck when you don’t use one. I just went to a session by Brent Ozar at SQLSaturday #40 where he didn’t have a deck, just code. It was a great session, but I don’t know that everyone can pull that off.
As far as mentioning only PASS events for qualification. Most SQL Server speakers are speaking at these events and then do Code Camps on the side. And part of the reason for this is to encourage a path of growth through the PASS events. If you want to speak at the SUMMIT, then work your way through the “lower” levels.
I also think it is definitely possible to present the on new releases prior to the event. There are multiple virtual chapter events each month, regular user group meetings (some of which will allow you to present remotely), and there are multiple SQLSaturdays most months now.
I love the fact that the transparency is getting us more ideas that we can possibly incorporate into the process.