Category: SAS

I’m an outgoing person. Those of you who have met me at a user group meeting know that I love to talk to people, but I find talking to cyberspace really difficult. It gives me writers block like you can’t imagine. Once I realize that anybody in the world could read what I’m writing, my inner voice starts to shout things at me like: “Who cares what you are thinking? If you are going to say it, be concise. Be clear. Be interesting!” I don’t know about you, but that is a lot of pressure. Of course the truth is that you have the opportunity to leave my page anytime you want. So, why is my writer’s block so great when I start to blog? Does anyone else find it intimidating to put themselves out for the world to meet? Are you afraid of social media?

At SAS, we continue to talk about social media and Web 2.0. We’re trying to decide what to embrace and where. (I’ve included some references at the end of this post for those of you who want to read more. This is not a complete reference list, just some of the places I look to get a handle on these issues.) For our purposes here, let’s sum the definition of the two terms up as “collaboration among people who know about SAS software and solutions, and the technology needed to encourage that collaboration.” As a SAS user, you have lots of opportunity to exchange ideas and help each other use SAS. Are you taking advantage of these opportunities? Do you read blogs and forums? Do you post answers to questions on SAS-L? Have you contributed to the SAS knowledge on sasCommunity.org?

My challenge to you is that you try something new at least once this week. I know it can be tough to put yourself out there, but try it. Share your knowledge and your questions with others. I am always so happy to find that some brave soul has already asked the very question bouncing around in my head. So remember that asking a question can be just as helpful as providing the answer.
Accept the challenge and participate in one of the following locations. Then come back here and let’s talk about how you liked it. We at SAS will be asking more questions about communication and collaboration ideas and opportunities. Be prepared to answer; participate now!

You can start your collaborative efforts by:

• Posting to the SAS Discussion Forums on support.sas.com
• Creating or registering a blog on sasCommunity.org
• Finding an answer on SAS-L (a listsrv)
• Adding content to social bookmarking sites like del.icio.us or digg
• Investigating other SAS blogs

And don’t forget to come back here and let us all know what you tried and what you thought of the experience.

Learn more about social media and Web 2.0 by visiting a few of my favorite reference sites. Do you have one to recommend?

• Web 2.0 According to Tim O’Reilly
• Wikipedia, Web 2.0
• Social Media on Technorati
• Web 2.0: Beyond the buzz words, ComputerWeekly.com
• bokardo.com: Social Web Design

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