Thanks to everyone who participated in the first-even International PowerShell User Group Day!

We hope you’re charged up with the power and opportunity that user groups offer, and that you’re already making plans for your next – or first! – local user group meeting.

Thanks to all of our presenters: Scripting Guy Ed Wilson, MVP Don Jones, podcaster Jonathan Walz, MVP Mike Pfeiffer, and Emcee Jason Helmick. Thanks to our prize sponsors, too, including SAPIEN Technologies, Idera, and Interface Technical Training.

Until next time!

Video links for IPUGD

part 1: http://youtu.be/c_qw6q-XbmI
part 2: http://youtu.be/WXOeP4nyEck
part 3: http://youtu.be/Uda4TuTNx_o

Hit this link to sign in by 6pm PDT! Don’t miss out on this last opportunity to be able to say… I WAS THERE!

Joining us: PowerShell MVP Don Jones, Microsoft “Scripting Guy” Ed Wilson, PowerScripting Podcast host Jonathan Walz, Exchange MVP (and PowerShell fan) Mike Pfeiffer, and PowerShell fan Jason Helmick.

Don will be reprising the announcement of his new PowerShell Video Training Library, outlining some of the new video updates that will be introduced into the Library over the next few days. IPUGD participants will have a chance to win a 1-year pass to the Library, and will be offered a 50% discount on monthly and annual passes. It’s the perfect way to nail PowerShell – and get ready for v3 (we’ll save those details for Don’s IPUGD presentation)!

The presentation is being hosted through Interface Technical Training’s RemoteLive technology, the same system that lets you attend Don Jones’ 5-day PowerShell MasterClass from almost anywhere in the world! Visit http://InterfaceTT.com for more information and class schedules.

They should.

A user group is a way to have local colleagues who can help you get through problems, learn new technologies, and connect with the larger community. A user group is a big part of the difference between having a job and a career. A user group helps you network, helps you get that new job, and helps you cement the one you have.

Don’t have a PowerShell user group in your area? Start one! Work with your local Microsoft office to identify other MS customers who might be interested. The local office can often provide meeting space, too, along with presentation tools like projectors and Internet connections. Check out http://powershellgroup.org to connect with other user group leaders and get suggestions and resources.

User groups also give you a bigger voice – kinda like a business association. You can speak to companies like Microsoft, to third-party vendors, and even to book publishers, with more authority. You’ll bring more attention to your shared problems, and get solutions and answers faster.

Developers are awash in user groups, but admins take relatively little advantage of them. PowerShell is a chance to change that. With its deep hooks into everything Microsoft, these days, PowerShell user groups bring you a greater cross-section of exposure, of influence, and of opportunity.

Yes, a user group is usually something you have to do in your precious free time, usually after work. That means time away from the family, and that’s a big sacrifice, no question. But the investment pays dividends: You’ll be better-informed, better-connected, better-educated, and better-prepared. You’ll start turning that job into a career, and becoming a true IT professional – not just the guy who clicks the buttons and reboots the servers.

The URL will only work for about 90 people – first come, first served. After that we’ll hit our connect limit and you’ll be denied . We ARE recording for later on-demand rebroadcast… but if you can get in live, DO IT!!!

The BEST way to participate is to get with a user group that’s joining us on the live call – only user groups will be eligible for prizes. But the individual access will let those bereft of a user group see our great speakers, including Jonathan Walz, Ed Wilson, and Don Jones!

Stay tuned: We’ll have the URL here, and Don will be tweeting it @concentrateddon as soon as we have the URL available. Again, that’ll be for our 6pm (PDT) show. Our Noon (PDT) and 3pm (PDT) shows will remain available only to user groups joining us live from their own meetings.

UPDATE: We’ve got it all set up. In order to ensure our participating user groups are able to connect, we’ll be posting the access URL just after 6pm PDT. So if you’re not with a user group, but would like to participate, set an alarm and check back here just after 6pm PDT. We’ll have a new post (not an update to this one) with the access URL. Thanks!

We will be giving out prizes during the event, and Sapien has generously added to the list. So, thanks to Sapien we will also have:

• Copies of PrimalScript and PrimalForms
• eBooks “Windows PowerShell 2.0 TFM” by Don Jones and Jeffery Hicks, “Managing Active Directory with Windows PowerShell 2.0” by Jeffery Hicks, “Managing VMware Infrastructure with Windows PowerShell” by Hal Rottenberg
• And discount codes to the Store!

If your a user group owner, register for the March 19th IPUGD event today!

Thanks Sapien!