The Microsoft Community Demo Comp is making a splash within the community with several demo's already registered for the competition.

There are some fantastic prizes to be won including a ticket to TechEd 2009 in Los Angeles and the opportunity to present your demo LIVE at TechEd 2008 in Sydney.

We've already seen some great demo's submitted covering each of the launch technologies (Windows Server, SQL Server and Visual Studio 2008) - all of which can be viewed on the Heroes Happen 2008 site

You can also check out Microsoft's Evangelist Manager, Rog42 as he goes through some tips on how to load your demo onto the site and register it online.

Entries close July 31st so start preparing your demo today and present it to your community group - it's easy - and you will be in the running for some amazing prizes!

For a full list of entry details, prizes and demos submitted, click here

 International Social Media Research Wave 3

I found this a is a pretty interesting study by Universal McCann on the Social Media Landscape. It takes a global view and highlights some key variances in the social media participation and awareness rate over the past few years.

So lately I have been doing some research into the so called 'truth' about Gen Y's and the incredible way they (I guess i should say 'we') are impacting so many facets of the world today. In some respects i was overwhelmed with just how much discussion was out there, more often than not, complaining about the challenges faced with this so called lazy, self-concerned generation. Numerous times the words, challenge, deal, brats, lazy, demanding, restless (just to name a few) were evident. So what is framing these ideas of Gen Y's, and why we seen by so many as difficult to embrace?

There is much consensus that Gen Y have a very different expectation of work than their baby boomer friends. If you consider this list  of 'how to keep Gen Y happy' i guess i can understand why Baby Boomers find us so difficult to adapt to...(or could it be they are just jealous of the flexibility that Gen Y's now demand :) )

• Flexible work schedules
• Work/life balance
• Fun team culture
• Inspiring leadership and mentoring
• Regular, constructive leadership
• Cutting edge technology
• State of the art training
• Info about the big picture

For me, i think that is a great list and represents a good step forward in organisational structure. However I do think it is very important not to pigeon hole Gen Y's into certain Gen Y characteristics. When i look at myself and my friends, whilst ambitious and energetic to achieve, we don't expect to get to the top overnight - we are willing to put in the hard yards to get there, nor do we completely remove ourselves from traditional methods of communication. We just choose to embrace wider range of mediums and keep ourselves up to date with the latest and greatest of information. We get ahead by making the right informed decisions and staying well connected.

I found this to be a really interesting post on ReadWriteWeb 'Why Gen Y is going to change the web', focusing on Gen Y characteristics, without a negative approach. It drills down into the main things Gen Y's value, and how this will affect the way companies market to and attract this younger generation who have grown up in a life of technological innovation. No longer are Gen Y spending hours in front of the TV watching the latest episodes of their favourite soap - they now download and watch online, play video games, surf the new, or update their profiles on facebook and myspace.

Gen Y's challenge the traditional structure of work and have varying expectations and attitudes towards work. It seems to me that the very things that many baby boomers today complain about, could be the very things that make Gen Y's successful today. I found this article 'Gen Y. The Innovative Generation' which states that Gen Y are the most entrepreneurial in history.  Gen Y's are starting successful businesses earlier than ever, and have a distinct appetite for risk. Given the ever changing technological world of work that is upon us, Gen Y's ability to take risks and embrace change may be just the ticket for organisations to meet the demands of becoming and remaining successful companies in the future.

This is why it is so important for organisations today to be pro-active in their approach to attracting and cultivating talented young people and then take advantage of being able to mould them into the company culture very quickly. Gen Y's represent the next main consumers and will be the future leaders of tomorrow. Its a war of talent out there, and being at the forefront of attracting talented Gen Y's will be the differentiater between organisational longevity and being left behind.

Last night myself and another friend from Microsoft, Michelle, volunteered to help with the Stillbirth Ball. This was held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Sydney. When we arrived the ballroom looked absolutely amazing, with a live band and Jay Laga'aia on stage to MC the night.

We volunteered without really knowing what to expect or what we would be required to do, but when we arrived at the event, we knew that it was going to be a fun and enjoyable night. Michelle and i were 'Stillbirth Stars' for the evening - responsible for driving raffle ticket sales, helping out with the live auction and selling 'Stella' Bears. The Stella Bears were adorable, and guests had the option of purchasing one to take home or give as a gift, or donating them to hospitals around Australia. All Stella Bears that were donated will be given to grieving families who have lost a baby to ensure they have something to take home from the hospital.

The guests had a great time, and happily loosened the load in their wallets to support the foundation in their research into the cause of  Stillbirth. Many of the guests had been through the unfortunate event of loosing a baby, and so whilst there were a few tears, everyone knew that it was a time to celebrate and work together to reach the target donation amount.

It really was a fantastic evening and great event to be apart of. We raised $105,000 on the night, which meant that the foundation had met the half million dollar mark since its conception in 2005.

What was also interesting was the latest Stillbirth Newsletter which had an article on how the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation donated US$1Million towards research into Stillbirth and premature deaths. So for Michelle and i, it was a nice feeling to see that Microsoft had supported the event and foundation as well.

So i know i have been fairly quiet on my blog recently.....i feel like i've been around the world and back again (well to NZ but it's in the right direction :) ). I have been spending some time seriously thinking about what experiences i want to gain over the next few months, and planning for when my internship ends in November this year. Six months has already flown by so quickly, so i know i need to make the most of the remaining few months.

My NZ Experience

I recently went over to the New Zealand Microsoft sub, in pursuit of securing a graduate role in product marketing. I had the most amazing experience, and whilst things didn't exactly go to plan, i made some valuable connections with the marketing team and developed some much needed interview/application skills. I dragged my brother along with me and we had a lovely few days exploring Auckland. We also hired a car and managed to navigate our way  for three hours to Rotorua to check out the thermal springs and 'geothermal earth forces'. We also ventured across to Waiheke Island via ferry for a vineyard tour - this was a great opportunity to cover a large area of the Island, and sample some NZ wines of course :)

In Auckland                                           Microsoft NZ                                                  At Rotorua

Back to reality and I have been working on some great projects the past few weeks, which have provided opportunity to really develop my product marketing skills, and take a more holistic view of the business. Of course, there is still a LONG way to go, but my Microsoft journey is definitely opening my eyes to some amazing learning's and experiences. I've been focusing on our Security, Windows Server and SQL Server products, so that represents pretty good coverage of the Server and Tools business group.

First DEMO Submitted!!!

We also received our first Demo submission for the Community Demo Comp. This will be the first of many more to come! Check out Microsoft Community Clips - just download it and you could be starting your Demo Comp entry today. You can use this screencast technology to capture and record your demo and then all you need to do is upload it to Silverlight and then register it on the Heroes Community Launch site

The National Community Demo Comp is now LIVE. This is an exciting time to be a part of the community, and there are some unbelievable prizes to be won (the national prize is a trip to Tech.Ed 09 in LA!!)

The Comp runs from 1st April - 31st July, after this, you could make it to the state finals through a community group nomination OR a wildcard prize.

What you need to do:

Prepare a demo and present it to a community group. You just need to meet each of these criteria and you could be on your way to the state finals.

• Showcase a Launch technology – Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008 and/or Visual Studio 2008
• Maximum duration: 10 minutes
• Video the demonstration, either using a recorder (video camera or webcam) or through screen capture technologies, such as DemoMate™ or Camtasia™
• Post the video online at silverlight.live.com
• Complete the registration form, available here
• Meet the terms and conditions of entry

All details are on the Heroes Happen {2008} Community site

If you have any questions, just let me know, or you can email ozhero

You can also check out Rog42 for more insights into the demo comp. Roger Lawrence is our Developer and Platform Evangelist manager.

Well the interns are hitting the papers this week, appearing in The Australian newspaper. The article acknowledges the shortage of IT graduates, making reference to the wide range of possibilities and competition for those who do complete university with an IT degree.

One of our fellow interns, Karo Esmali,  outlined the opportunities that present themselves when you take on employment at Microsoft. He mentions how we are encouraged to develop our skills through internal training courses and how, after only being with the company a few weeks, has already absorbed huge amounts of knowledge.

The best thing is that you don't have to have high levels of technical knowledge to apply for an internship, although once you're in, you can't help but develop a deep passion for technology and how it enables everyone around the world to reach their potential. Most importantly, you need to posses the Microsoft values and fit with the culture of the organisation.

Internships are offered across a range of divisions, including marketing - communications, product, segment, audience and partner, technical roles and sales roles. In fact, positions are now open for sales graduates. The Microsoft Academy for University Hires (MACH) Sales Academy is a two year program designed to take passionate graduates and set them on an accelerated career path in EPG, Public Sector or SMS&P. Ideal candidates would have exceptional communication skills and a passion for sales, high levels of academic achievement, 0-2 years of post graduation (sales) experience and the desire to succeed. Positions are available in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and applications close 14 April.

Check out the article here.

One of the great things about being an intern at Microsoft is the level of involvement you get to have in the planning and development of various events. One such event i have been lucky enough to be involved with is the Heroes Happen 2008 Launch - the launch of Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008. Many months of planning and a dedicated team has brought this launch to life, so it's great to see customers and partners getting excited about Microsoft's innovation in the Server and Tools space. So far we have had positive feedback from customers, partners and even impressed competitors at the Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth events.....

I have just returned from another fun-filled day at the Heroes Happen {2008} Launch Event in Brisbane. Brisbane inspired us with a beautiful autumn day, a great turn out of delegates and lots of smiling and satisfied faces.

Dan Neault, SQL Server Product Management and Marketing lead, started off the day with an inspirational insight into the changing nature of IT in the workplace and how these products will address - Secure and Trusted Platform, Virtualisation, Web and Developer Productivity and Business Intelligence.

I was able to listen in on the Security and Management track which was great as i am taking on some work within this area as part of my internship. There were some fantastic presentations on where security sits in organisations today and the real threat at hand for those not taking action to deploy security programs.

At the end of the customer day, we held a Partner evening before heading back to the hotel for some rest and relaxation - it had been a long day with the daylight savings time difference!

Just Canberra NT and Tas left to go :)

Check out the Heroes Happen twitter updates here

Want to see some photos? - click here

Check out the Heroes Happen twitter updates here

Want to see some photos - click here

On March 18th and 19th i attended the Gartner BI Summit at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre. I had been working on the lead up to the event with our events agency, so it was great to be able to participate on the day and gain some real customer insights into BI.

It was an early start, a 5am wake up call, for the drive into the city, but i was well rewarded with the awesome cocktail juices the bar staff were making :)

Gartner has recognised Microsoft as one of the leading providers of Business Intelligence platforms, so it was as expected that delegates would be wanting to find out some more into what we have to offer.

Guy Weismantel, Director of Marketing in Microsoft's Office Business Applications Division gave delegates an informative presentation on Business Intelligence and where Microsoft is headed in offering full scale solutions for business success. After this session everyone converged on the Microsoft stand to get some demo's on Performance Point, and applications in mobility.

Microsoft was supported at the event by partners B(iQ) and Calumo. Nick Barclay from, B(iQ),  gave some great demonstrations on Performance Point, even teaching me a thing or to on its applications. Overall it was a great experience for me to learn about specific customer pain points in their organisation and understand how Microsoft can accommodate these concerns and offer solutions with pretty much the click of a button.

There are some great resources available, in particular two books by Adrian Downes and Nick Barclay on planning with Performance Point Server, and Monitoring and Analysing with performance Point Server. You can check these, and other resources out online here

Til next time........