Judging by the lack of frantic emails, we must have done a good job letting everyone know about this week's launch of the new SolidWorks discussion forums.  As of early yesterday morning, the current forums were set to read-only while we prepare for Wednesday morning's re-launch of the new and (much) improved forum site.

Everyone's going to like the new site.  We've made tons of enhancements based on feedback from our community members, and we've had several of our top forum particpants banging away at it for a couple of weeks now.  So far the response from these "beta" testers has been very positive.

9:00am EDT Wednesday is the target.  The URL will remain the same as it is today, so you won't even have to change your bookmarks.

See you on the new site soon!

UPDATE: The new forums have launched!!

"It's right around the corner" - "It snuck up fast" - "What??  We just got back from SWW."

Okay, so it's still more than six months until SolidWorks World 2010 opens in Anaheim, California.  It's a big deal though, and a lot of effort, planning, and people are required to produce the best CAD conference on the planet.  We all know that Kerri and her team have been working on this since the fifties, but for the rest of us, our work starts now.

The official call-for-papers has gone out, so it's time for you to start thinking about the session you will be doing this year.  The CFP site provides a comprehensive list of topics, a few requirements, and the same phrase in CAPITAL letters twice (hint...it has to do with not selling stuff).  Here are a couple of other hints to get your proposed session to the top of the list:

Present at a local SolidWorks User Group meeting
This one tops my list for one reason - it's the first question you'll have to answer when you submit your proposal.  Local user group meetings (or SWUGN Summit events) are a great way to practice, refine, and get input on your session.  If you're not yet a member of a local user group, check the SWUGN website for one in your area.  Any presentation that has been seen by user group members gets special consideration.

Have a clever title (and don't be surprised if you're asked to change it)
There are hundreds of abstracts submitted each year, and we look at each and every one of them.  But sometimes a catchy title will draw immediate attention to yours.  One of last year's submissions came through with the words "duct tape" and "bailing wire" - straight to the top.

Fill out the submission form completely
You would be amazed at the number of proposals that have incomplete information.  There are a lot of boxes to fill out, but it's all critical information.  Remember - your proposal will be seen by a bunch of folks that may or may not know that you're the best - use the submission form to convince them.

Use "Beginner", Intermediate" or "Advanced" wisely
Nothing frustrates SolidWorks World attendees like sitting in on an advanced session that isn't so advanced.  Make sure that the presentation level you have indicated is accurate.

Talk to someone who has been there before
The SolidWorks Community is full of past and present SolidWorks World speakers, and they're easy to find.  Use the SolidWorks Discussion forums, or your favorite SolidWorks information outlet to ask questions of former presenters.  I know that most of them will be glad to help.

It's not too early to get started.  We will be looking at and approving sessions in the coming weeks.  There's usually room for late entries, but you never know.  Better safe than sorry.

While I'm not a huge fan of Twitter, I do take a daily look at it just to see if there are any interesting tidbits from the SolidWorks Community.  There are the occasional UG meeting announcements (@housug), links to interesting projects (@KsMason71), blog post notices (@avephoenix, @gol10dr, @SolidSmack), and a lot of morning coffee updates (@everyonedoesthis).

This morning when I checked Twitter, I ran across a long list of posts from Christie Jordan, North Alabama SolidWorks User Group leader Ricky Jordan's better half.  I had added Christie (@SouthernPlate) to my following list after she posted this on her blog (read the part about engineers).  Seems Ricky and his family are on a little road trip, and he's trying out a new GPS App for his iPhone.  Here are a couple of teasers from the "conversation":

 
and then this one....

 
it gets even better now....

 
and perhaps my favorite....

 

These are just a few, the entire conversation is much longer and VERY funny - I was laughing out loud the whole time I was reading.  If your a Twitter user, follow @SouthernPlate to see the entire thing.  While you're at it, follow @rickyjordan - I'm sure he we'll be hearing his side of the story soon.

Casey Gorman sent me a note this morning to tell me how well the first SWUGJAX meeting went.  Casey reports that the attendees were very enthusiastic about the group, and shared many great ideas on possible venues, session topics, and how to get members to present.  There were a couple of volunteers for group officer positions, and one very energetic person (Jessica) that will take the secretary and newsletter editor positions.

SWUGJAX is user group number 7 for Florida (and Casey won't stop until he visits them all).  Thanks to David Boyd and Matt McKendrick for getting the group up and going.  Congratulations on a great start, and I look forward to visiting a future meeting.

Columbus, Ohio is the next stop on the 2009 SWUGN Technical Summit tour.  As many as five (maybe even six) user groups will be represented on July 21st, and the list of presenters is impressive to say the least.

Richard Wand
Randy Adams
(Kevin) Jeff Sweeney/Scott High
David Woodruff
Craig Sink
Larry Moore

I'll be there too, cutting off a couple of vacation days to make a quick trip from Denver on Monday night.  My flight back leaves at 6:07pm - good thing the venue is close to the airport.

The User Group Leaders in the Ohio area (thanks Randy, Dave,Richard, Jeff, and Stevan) have done a great job ramping up interest.  We're still three weeks out and registration is booming.  It looks to be a very good event.

Registration is still open, and we have a couple of speaking slots to fill.  If you are interested in being a session speaker, send me a note or leave a comment.  If you're looking to attend, register here.