Vergere: iThusiam!

COMMON’s Annual Meeting And Exposition 2014, held in Orlando, wrapped up about 2 weeks ago. My voice finally recovered early this week, and I am down to less than 500 emails I need to deal with. If I spend most of the holiday weekend doing laundry and sleeping my household should be back to about normal come Tuesday. While it would be impossible to keep up that level of activity, education, interaction, and going out for any more than a week I know I don’t want to let go of my experience.

While I was still in Florida I was getting connection requests via social media, finding new people and companies to follow on Twitter, looking into some of the great vendors who supported the event. I started organizing my notes and cards, favoriting articles, and all the while  certain comments kept resonating in my heart. I don’t want to wait until Indianapolis in the fall, or Anaheim next spring to connect with my new friends. I want some way to share the great materials that keep me engaged throughout the year.

Since I became involved with COMMON 2 years ago the most consistent comment people have made to me is they like my enthusiasm. They see, quickly, after meeting me, that I truly believe in this platform and community and I want to do everything I can to keep it strong.

iThusiasm!

From Merriam-Webster

Enthusiasm: Strong excitement about something: a strong feeling of active interest in something you like or enjoy

: something causing a feeling of excitement and active interest: a hobby that someone feels enthusiastic about

Full Definition

1a: belief in special revelations of the holy spirit

1b: religious fanaticism

[NOTE: pretty well sums up my reactions to Trevor Perry’s sessions…]

2a: strong excitement of feeling: ARDOR

2B: Something inspiring zeal or fervor

[NOTE: Ardor? Maybe a little much but I have come to care deeply for many of the friends I’ve made. And as a Quality Assurance professional my appreciation for the stability of the IBM i approaches fervor..]

iThusiam is my vehicle and brand to communicate my opinions and support for the IBM i on Power Systems, the professionals who support it and are supported by it, and the user groups (both local and large) that bring us together. It is a way for me to share the links that show up in my feeds and lead to great articles and opinions. It is a place to be honest about things like how cool it was to meet Amanda Blackburn after reading her posts on Facebook for well over a year. It is a way to share the energy we get from each other, and hopefully to attract and support the next generation. 

Mostly I want to champion the amazing community I have found myself in and share the efforts of so many bright and interesting individuals.

So please, join me and keep the conversation going –

FaceBook – LinkedIn – Twitter (@enselman) – #iThusiasm and groups are on FB and LinkedIn

Blogging under Vergere on Angus the IT Chap

http://blog.angustheitchap.com/?author=3

DISCLAIMER: all thoughts and opinions are solely that of Yvonne (Von) Enselman. There is no approval from any group I may serve or my employer. (Specifically COMMON a User Group, OMNI User Group, and Kronos)