This is going to be the first of a series of blog posts introducing you to ways that you can participate in some way with DNN.  You don’t need to be technical, a programmer, or a graphic designer to participate.  You can be ANYONE.  Participation is the cornerstone to any community and our community is larger than most.  Our community is also geared around open source software, giving us numerous ways to participate.  Since the ways to participate have become so broad even over the last couple of years, I thought it might be worth pointing them all out for those of you that might like to do so.

You should already be aware, but there is an incredibly active and vibrant user group in Charlotte, North Carolina called Queen City DotNetNuke User Group or QCDUG.  These folks were also the masterminds behind the Day of DotNetNuke Charlotte last year.  When they agreed to do another event this year, I couldn’t even tell you how excited I was because last year was so awesome!  These gentlemen sure did not disappoint when they organized and held their second event, this time branded in a fun way as Southern Fried DNN!  What a great way to participate in our community!

There’s really nothing bad I could possibly say about any code camp in Florida. Community leaders like Dave Noderer make such a thing impossible. They are so amazing in their ability to organize a fantastic event. South Florida Code Camp 2013 was just as amazing as this code camp always has been. This is about my 3rd or 4th time presenting here. It just gets better and better! This blog post is mostly about the resources for my sessions though.

It’s been a while since I’ve been to South Florida Code Camp (#sflcc). If you’re not aware, it is the largest code camp in the State of Florida. They regularly have at least 700 attendees. People come from all over the state to attend this code camp, and if you’re reading this blog, you should too. Code camps are a one-day event that allows you to learn about all kinds of useful information. In fact, Day of DotNetNuke was modeled after the code camp model. If you want to meet and learn from some of the most passionate people dealing with Microsoft technologies… Go to a code camp!

It may surprise you to hear that in such a populated region such as London to hear that there has never been a DotNetNuke user group there. That’s right! There isn’t an area in the United Kingdom that is considered to be more metropolitan. It’s also considered to be a leading global city in numerous areas such as arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, research and development, and more. Yet DNN hasn’t reached their techie scene. That’s changing! The very first user group meeting that focuses on DNN will be held there in just a couple of short weeks.

First of all, if you haven’t already heard, there was a contest. The annual DotNetNuke SUPER Fan contest. There was voting. There were shenanigans. There was all kinds of friendly competition. And in the end, there was a winner. That winner was awarded at DNN World 2012 in Orlando, Florida. Not only was the contest a bunch of fun as usual, but the awards ceremony continues to be a blast since it’s held at the most prestigious and informative event about open source CMS in the world…

This blog post isn’t about another one of my presentations. Actually, I just wanted to let you know about a .Net user group that is having a DotNetNuke presentation given in the New York area on October 4, 2012. DNN is rampant across the east coast of the US, but it’s not often I hear about a DNN presentation in the New York area.

Well, it’s finally here. The DotNetNuke SUPER Fan Contest entries have been collected. They have been reviewed. They have been sorted. And they have been put together for you to view, share, comment, and VOTE on! Like last year, we have had some excellent entries. I was personally excited to see that most of the entries this year were videos. I don’t know about you, but I love videos! They are a lot of work, but they are so much more fun to look at. Without any further babbling, let’s get to the point…

I couldn’t believe it when I saw it, but the last official release of the Media Module for DotNetNuke was in January of this year!  That is way too long for this module to go without having a release.  Therefore, I am very excited to get this release out the door, and even more excited about the nature of the updates that can be found in this release.

If you weren’t aware, I just visited a few events in Florida to spread the word about DotNetNuke and DNN World 2012.  The events included Tampa#, FLA.Net West Palm Beach .Net, and the Southwest Florida Code Camp.  These events were all very cool.  The organizers did an outstanding job amidst a pending tropical storm and a hurricane, illness, and the always challenging logistics of a code camp.  There were 5 sessions in all, and in each of them, I promised resources from the session.  The wait is over…  Here are the resources from the sessions.