Wide-Eyed & Wo(a)ndering at SAS HQ in Cary, NC

Hi Everyone.

Well.

It's been a little while since I've committed word to paper and pushed out the thoughts burning at the edges of my brain... or perhaps its just the extreme heat here in Cary, NC, which is giving me that impression! I can practically see my colleague Martha Casanova rolling her eyes: she generally doesn't get out of bed for any temperatures under 100F... Martha, I have new respect for you - and a little fear (you have to be a little crazy to thrive under these conditions!)

I've just completed three days of meetings and events here at the SAS head offices in Cary, and for those who haven't been before, I thought I'd try and capture a few shots of some interesting sights. Please forgive this, my first pass at 'in the field' video recording/editing! Normally I have a tripod, a microphone, and wonderful support through Kerry Blanchard at SAS Canada... but it's a small taste of Cary life that I wanted to share.

So what were my meetings about? Well, in a nutshell, social media. I now have some great insight into what my colleagues at SAS USA are doing, where they plan on taking things, and what resources they're leveraging to give as much support as possible to their SAS user community. This is extremely relevant as I continue searching for that 'magic bullet': what can I, and SAS Canada, provide to you, the SAS user, to make your life a little easier through social media? There are LOTS of resources for tech support, training, and beyond... so what can little ol' me do to add to these resources?? Where's the value for the SAS user within social media?

I can honestly say, the last few days have been enlightening and inspiring. I'm armed with fresh ideas, new energy, and a whole lot of excitement. For those of you who know me, this is perhaps not a good thing: I'm generally more excited that an unstable molecule in a cappucino... I'll be sure to report back on what I've learned once I've had a chance to digest it all, but for now, here's some quick hand-held shots of Campus Cary. Federico Fellini, I'm not... but with a little practice, I'll get better, I promise!

More soon...