December 5th, 2011
Woop Woop, I have my first full Lotusphere session! I will be presenting a Show ‘n’ Tell entitled “Write Better Java Code: Debugging, Logging, and Unit Tests” with the great Julian Robichaux, the master of openlog (a tool I use on every Domino app I write)
Anyway, quickly onto the point of this blog entry: After every conference’s sessions are announced there is the usual “it’s only the same set of people that get them each year” grumbles. However, 4 years ago I was not part of the Lotus community at all and this year I get to present properly at IBM’s leading collaboration event and scare the living shit out of myself in front of hopefully not too many people, so how?
- I did my local LUG circuit (UKLUG & ILUG) which incuded rejections and one total cock up :( .
- I did LotusIdol last year (a year in which I purchased my own ticket).
- I followed Gab Turtle’s guidelines on writing abstracts, then passed my attempts round to a couple of peers.
This year I submitted 3 abstracts (2 joint) and got 1 session. Of the other 2, 1 had to be retracted due to time conflicts with my co-submitter, the other was a tad fringe and a bit of a gamble, but I may try it again on a LUG this year.
Soooo, Lotusphere is not a closed shop, new people present each year, and I’m one of that lucky number.
@joe and to a drink together after
Your session last year (LotusIdol) was great. Looking forward to your session at LS12!!
@David @Bruce thank you VERY much 
Mark - congratulations!!!!!!!! ROCK STAR
Congrats Mark! Looking forward to your session!
Congratulations!
Congratulations, well deserved and a great topic. Looking forward to it
Congratulations!I volunteer to check all of your “bad grammer” :) and I am sure you’ll do a great job because you’ll be speaking about a topic you know and that you feel passionate about. See you there. I volunteer to sit in first row and heckle you:)
Hard to believe its your first time. You’ll be great.
Well done Mark - I know Java is a subject close to your heart.
Congratulations old bean; LS won’t know what hit it! I wish I could be there to heckle.
thank you every one, im sure Julian will be gentle with me
@ben i wish you were there as well 
@Mark same goes for you, it would be awesome
Congrats Mark - look forward to attending!
thanks Chris, i better make it a good one
