Long ago, I wrote about my respect... no, really, admiration for one Mike Benkovich. So when I saw this post in his blog, I knew something was up.
Hello Microsoft? How could you let Mike get away?
Look, its not that the other Developer Community Champions aren't just as good as Mike. They are. But what Mike brought to the table was something intangible: creditability of having been there, done that and wrote the book on it. That's something that seems to painfully lacking when it comes to the SQL Server Developer community these days based on what I'm seeing and hearing. Time will tell of course, but this seems like a case where pinching pennies will cost you dollars in the long run. Makes no sense to me.
I know Mike will go on to do great things, that's just the cut of his cloth. But this hurts, and it cuts a little to close to the bone since Mike was our DCC. Community isn't commodity -- people build relationships with people not products.
No, I'm not dead. At least, not yet, whatever the lack of posts on this blog might lead you to think... Since the first of the year and as of the end of January, I've flown at least 13,944 miles "in the friendly skies," stayed at various Hilton properties for more than 42 nights and seen more rental cars, airports and new cities than I can remember. Its been fun, of course, since I've been getting to help some of the best developers around the US learn more about SQL Server 2005. It's been draining too, though: I'm never sure if Jack and Claire will known me when I get home. Janell is always glad to see me though. So next week, I'm getting a week in Omaha. But I'm not planning on staying in Omaha for the whole week. On Thursday night, I'll be giving a talk at the Kansas City SQL Server User's group on the "10 must know things about the XML type in SQL Server." This is similar to the talk I gave at PASS in Dallas last year, but cropped down so we can get through it in an hour. I really looking forward to getting back to my roots in community involvement too. It's been a long time since I've been to User Group meeting of any kind the way it seems. Getting to do it for the KCSQL folks is a really nice bonus since they've always been a great group to talk to.
And of course, I won't have to sit in Economy Plus to get there. Double Bonus.