Leigh's space

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