March 2024 Content Wrap-Up

Well, THAT was a packed month. While it only included one in-person event, it was one of those events that sucks up all of your energy and leaves you exhausted…in a good way. I’m talking about the annual Microsoft MVP Summit, held at Microsoft HQ in Redmond, Washington. I had planned to write a blog post on some of my summit takeaways but just haven’t had the time (or the editorial calendar opportunity) this past month. Plus, I’m always wary of talking too much about what I’ve learned since so much of it is still under NDA. But it was a jam-packed week with Microsoft leadership and product teams, and getting to hang out with my fellow MVPs and Regional Directors. I should also point out that at the end of the week, the RDs gathered for a full-day event, as well. With just over 200 of us worldwide, it was great to see so many faces this year:

Adding to the month’s activities were a post-summit panel discussion with DotNetDave on the benefits of in-person events, my monthly Guardians of M365 Governance show with Ragnar Heil, and the several recording sessions with fellow MVPs for the #M365AMA series. When not on client calls or the occasional PGI call with Microsoft, I’ve also been hunkered (sp?) down preparing content for an incredibly busy April and May event season. In fact, there is something happening each week during April, including our own CollabDays Utah event on the 19th. Busy busy, and fun fun. Oh, and I’m writing a book with Sharon Weaver….because there’s not enough content in my life.

I’ll be blogging tomorrow about my upcoming events, so be sure to check back for those details. As for the previous month’s content, here is what I generated in March 2024:

More AMAs

I feel like I’ve been slacking on the AMAs these past 2 months, with only 8 new questions answered in March. Don’t you worry your pretty little head – lots more coming in April and May. In fact, I have a couple of recording sessions scheduled for this week. Please be sure to follow my YouTube channel for this great content!

• Can Teams EDU track who mutes or bumps others? #M365AMA [blog | YouTube]
• Can I use Teams as a project management hub? #M365AMA [blog | YouTube]
• Can I set an external guest as an Outlook delegate? #M365AMA [blog | YouTube]
• Can I create a Teams site with OneNote and Excel templates? #M365AMA [blog | YouTube]
• How do I display the calendar for a meeting room? #M365AMA [blog | YouTube]
• How do I create custom subject lines in Mail Merge? #M365AMA [blog | YouTube]
• Why can’t I see my calendar and create meetings in Teams? #M365AMA [blog | YouTube]
• Are pictures in SharePoint easily searchable? #M365AMA [blog | YouTube]

Interviews

In addition to my weekly MVP interviews and weekly CollabTalk Podcast recordings, I participated in the ‘Rockin’ the Code World’ live stream, and co-hosted the monthly Guardians of M365 Governance (#GoM365gov) live stream. I thoroughly enjoy creating this kind of content and getting to know the members of this community. If you’d like to appear on either series, please reach out to me.

• Guardians of M365 Governance: Understanding the Management Implications of Microsoft Loop with Christoph Twiehaus [TekkiGurus]
• Rockin’ The Code World Panel with dotNetDave [blog | YouTube]
• CollabTalk Podcast | Episode 120 with Sean McDonough and Geoff Varosky [blog | YouTube | podcast]
• CollabTalk Podcast | Episode 119 with Matt Genovese [blog | podcast]
• CollabTalk Podcast | Episode 118 with Melanie Hohertz [blog | podcast]
• CollabTalk Podcast | Episode 117 with Ioanna Mantzouridou Onasi [blog | podcast]
• CollabTalk Podcast Extended Play – Episode 113 with Alex Doyle [blog | YouTube]
• #MVPbuzzChat with Andrew O’Young [blog | YouTube | podcast]
• #MVPbuzzChat with Nicholas Chang [blog | YouTube | podcast]
• #MVPbuzzChat with Massimo Crippa [blog | YouTube | podcast]
• #MVPbuzzChat with James Cook [blog | YouTube | podcast]

Articles

I’ve been trying to do more independent articles, sharing some thought-leadership on different topics….all within the collaboration space.

• Embracing AI: The Forthcoming Cultural Revolution in Business [LinkedIn]
• Cybersecurity Measures in Unified Communications [blog]
• Rethinking Internal Communications [blog]
• Navigating Digital Debt and Harnessing the Power of AI in the Workplace [blog]
• What Is Project Sophia? [blog]
• Unpacking Workplace Productivity in the Age of AI and Automation [blog]
• The Cost and Impact of Moving to Microsoft 365 Copilot [blog]

Music

With 5 weeks in this past month, it was an opportunity to share some of my favorite tracks from some of my favorite bands. I don’t know if anyone is reading these posts, but I’ve enjoyed going back to these posts and watching/listening to the selected tunes. I’ve always been a fan of the music discovery process, and appreciate it when I run across others blogging about bands they love, so if you have any questions about these selections or have recommendations of your own, please let me know.

• Blue Plate Special: LCD Soundsystem [blog]
• Blue Plate Special: slowdive [blog]
• Blue Plate Special: Killing Joke [blog]
• Blue Plate Special: Prick [blog]
• Blue Plate Special: Snow Patrol [blog]

Blatant Self-Promotion

And, as always, I wrap things up with some self-promotion posts. Enjoy.

• February 2024 Content Wrap-Up [blog]
• Preparing for MVP Summit [blog]

And that is a wrap for March 2024. As I’ll write about in tomorrow’s post, April is going to be incredibly busy, with SQL Saturday Utah happening on April 5th (yes, its on a Friday, I know) and late that evening, a keynote for a Copilot and Viva event in India. And then I’m on the road to Dallas/Ft. Worth for the eclipse and the North American Cloud & Collaboration Summit. Hope to see you there!