Getting in the Community State of Mind

Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind” came on my Google Play list this morning as I was working on finishing touches for my networking lounge sessions at next week’s TechEd event. In the song, Jay-Z describes the “Empire State of Mind,” which is a state of inspiration and refreshment that a person experiences when in the city of New York.

It got me thinking: what is our presence at this year’s TechEd about?  From my perspective, it’s time to rally around the city we love.

In particular, Alicia Keys’ riff in this song gets me thinking about the Community State of Mind:

In New York

Concrete jungle where dreams are made of

There’s nothing you can’t do

Now you’re in New York

These streets will make you feel brand new

Big lights will inspire you

Let’s hear it for New York

Not seeing the connection? Well, here, let me change it up a bit:

In Community

Tech jungle SAP dreams are made of

There’s nothing you can’t do

Now you’re in Community

These streets will make you feel brand new

Your connections will inspire you

Let’s hear it for Community

After all, this is what community is supposed to be all about, right? Building dreams, connecting people together, inspiring each of us to be better? At least, that’s what community means to me. Community empowers each of our members to stand out as an individual and to become a celebrity in the SAP world. To learn and grow, to reach out and make new connections, and to help others find their own celebrity.

Now, I may not be “cruising down 8th Street” in an “off-white Lexus” but maybe @bjoern.goerke will let me borrow his DeLorean for cruising the strip.  (Also, can we get a Jam band version of this song, @jason.cao?) For those who are not feeling particularly inspired these days, I hope to see you at TechEd Las Vegas next week, because I am very much looking forward to getting us all back into a Community State of Mind.

Let me tell you a little more about what I’ll be up to:

Session 1: From Observer to Leader: Lifecycle of an SAP Community Member
(Tuesday, 12:30-1p)

During this session, I’ll be talking through the journey a community member goes through as they progress from casual “lurker” all the way through to community moderator. This session should be particularly interesting for those members interested in becoming a moderator.

Session 2: Better Blogging on the SAP Community
(Wednesday, 10:30-11a)

In this discussion, we’ll talk through the different components of good blogs and review our blogging best practices. We’ll also review some examples of what makes a good blog post and what makes a blog post weak. (Note: we don’t do ghost-blogging, but we do goat-blogging…)

Even if you’re not able to fit these sessions into your agenda, I hope you’ll come visit us at the Community booth in the Community Clubhouse on the show floor.  I’d love to make some new connections, myself! Come see me and the rest of the gang to ask questions, share comments, and just to say hello.

Jamie Cantrell SAP Community Experience Community Manager, SAP Blogs

Audrey Stevenson; Brian Bernard;Brian Ellefritz;Gali Kling Schneider;Jerry Janda; Mynyna Chau