If you travel in some of the same online circles that I do (and, since you’ve somehow found this post, you probably do), you’ve probably noticed the same thing I have: VWSVPS.
VWSVPS is VMworld Session Voting Plea Syndrome. Symptoms are indicated by any and all of your
- Twitter feeds
- RSS feeds
- Google+ stream
- normal blog reading
- email Inbox
all being overcome by pleas like:
- “Please vote for my VMworld 2012 session #XXXX!”
- “Please consider voting for VMworld sessions #XXXX, #YYYY, #ZZZZ, #AAAA, #BBBB, and #CCCC…”
- “I’ve never actually presented anything anywhere before, but please vote for my session because I’d really really like to”
- “We’re Vendor X — Vote for ALL of our 367 proposed sessions!”
- “A vote for my VMworld session, #XXXX, will help bring about World Peace”
Sadly, I can offer you no cure for VWSVPS. (The issue should clear itself up after the voting deadline of 8 June 2012.)
In fact, all I have for you is yet another VMworld Session Voting Plea (YAVWSVP).
This plea is a little different, however. I have nothing invested in how you vote — I’ve submitted no proposals of my own this year, nor has anyone at my employer (but look out next year!).
Instead, I’m just going to ask that you DO, in fact, vote.
Let’s face it: Ultimately this is VMware’s conference and they can do whatever they want with it (as they should), but they’re offering their user-base a chance to be heard and contribute to the decision process, and that’s an opportunity we shouldn’t miss out on.
So, please, sometime between now and the end of 8 June, set aside 20 minutes or so and go over to the VMworld 2012 Session Voting page and vote. What should you vote for? Whatever sessions and topics you would like to see presented.
Please, there are a lot of good proposals out there worthy of your attention, and if we keep participating, it’ll help encourage VMware to keep inviting our participation.
I would like to say that I personally am on the Content Committee and VMware/VMworld (separate entity) takes these events seriously, with over 65 content committee members, each spending 10-20 hours (if not more) going over the content conducting private voting (higher weight), also, after the public/private numbers are in, yet a third group, sits down and round table discuss the findings. They really pride themselves with trying to pick the appropriate topics, and specifically user contributions/success stories.
I have spent hours upon hours, to all end, at times going blind staring at the screen reading submissions, I have taken 3 days off from work just to ensure the utmost attention is given to this monumental task.
Voting is important, especially if you want a role.
Alex,
Thanks for doing that (and everything else you do for the community).
I’ve been pleased to see how seriously VMware takes VMworld. I’ve been impressed at the amount of participation VMware encourages in the user community and it’s great to get to have a voice in VMworld, too, by submitting session proposals and helping vote on them.
I agree — the voting is important.