SQLServerPedia

Getting involved with the community pays off. Writing articles, blog posts, and presentations helps other database administrators who wish they knew what you know.  It helps your reputation with future employers, and it opens doors when you need help from other DBAs.  It’s the leg up you need in your career.

Now it pays off even bigger – with an all-expenses-paid trip to the PASS Summit! As the SQLServerPedia Editor-in-Chief, it gives me great pleasure to introduce our Community Contest.  The grand prize is an all-expenses-paid trip to the PASS Summit complete with airfare, 4 nights hotel, an AmEx gift card for incidental expenses, and a full pass to the PASS Summit 2009.  At the Summit, you’ll meet other bloggers, attend killer SQL Server presentations, and make connections that can last a lifetime.

Your community involvement doesn’t stop after you win, though: your responsibility is just beginning.  You’ll be part of a team that’s working to bring the PASS Summit to people who can’t attend.  Quest will give you a netbook with WiFi, and each day you’ll be responsible for posting at least one blog entry on SQLServerPedia about your experience at PASS.  You’ll be interviewed at the Quest Software booth on the vendor floor about your experiences, and we’ll talk SQL Server, community, and what it’s like to be a part of it all.

Here’s how to enter: first, only first-time attendees can win.  If you’ve been to a PASS Summit before, you know how fun and educational it is, but we’re trying to bring new folks into the fold.  Therefore, only people who have never been to the PASS Summit before are eligible.  For those folks, during the month of September, each and every time you do any one of these things, you’re entered into the contest:

• Make a significant contribution to two SQLServerPedia wiki articles (read about how to contribute to an existing article)
• Contribute an all-new SQLServerPedia wiki article (read about how to write an article)
• Syndicate at least 4 SQL blog posts at SQLServerPedia (read more about blog syndication)

Each time you do one of those things (contribute to two articles, write an all-new one, etc) and it’s approved by the SQLServerPedia Editors, you get another entry into the contest.  We’ll track the contest entries here.  On October 1st, we’ll draw a random name from the entries and announce the winner live on a webcast.  Register to watch me draw the winner.

Here’s the full contest rules.

SQLServerPedia is either going to bring you to the PASS Summit, or bring the Summit to you!

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is there a minimum length for wiki article contributions?

We’re always happy to get any contributions, but to be eligible for this contest, we’re looking for contributions of 250 words or more.

Q: Can I take one of my blog posts and convert it into a wiki article?

Yes, and we’ve got an article on how to convert blog posts into wiki articles.  You can also combine multiple blog posts into a single wiki article – for example, Gail Shaw’s excellent article about index sensitivity is a combination of multiple past blog posts.

Q: Are all blog posts eligible for the contest?

Only blog posts about SQL Server tips, techniques, news, etc qualify.  Only blog posts that meet the SQLServerPedia blog syndication guidelines will be accepted.

Q: I’m not syndicating my blog yet – how do I start?

Start by reading the blog syndication guidelines, which explain how to set up a feed and what kinds of posts we’re accepting for syndication.  In a nutshell, we’re looking for blog posts that focus on SQL Server itself, not third party products, and that help the reader accomplish tasks.

Q: Does the winner get to keep the netbook?

Yes, absolutely!

Q: When do we find out who won?

I’ll be drawing a winner live on my October 1st webcast, and you can register to watch.

Q: Got more questions?

We’ve got answers – post your comments here, or email them to Brent.Ozar@Quest.com, or check out the full contest rules.  Happy contributing, and good luck!