What/Who I’m Thankful for in the DB2 Community

The biggest risk of a blog entry like this is missing something or someone critical. But in the spirit of Thanksgiving in the United States this week, I had to give it a try.

There are so many people, groups, and resources within the DB2 community that I’m thankful for…

• IBM in general – they may frustrate us sometimes, but I’ve based my career on their software
• developerWorks – for covering so much that’s not in the info center and making me read about stuff that I might not look up
• Melanie Stopfer – for either knowing the answer or knowing who to ask no matter how tough the question, and for putting up with the 10 questions that come after my “quick question” emails
• The DB2Night Show – both for giving me the opportunity to speak (have you listened to my post-IOD episode with @db2fred?), and for presenting non-IBM sponsored very technical content with the opportunity to ask questions. I don’t always make the live show, but I download and listen even to the ones I don’t think would interest me, because I ALWAYS learn something. Oh, and for DB2’s Got Talent, which everyone should sign up for, now!
• Scott Hayes and Martin Hubel, for the above and their many contributions to the DB2 community.
• The Whole Package Cache – for making me feel like more of an insider and a friend, and providing light technical content with just my brand of entertainment
• Ian Bjorhovde and Mike Krafick for being guest bloggers and buddies to talk with most work days
• Kelly Fitzgerald, for contributing to the forums and sharing news and contacts.
• IDUG – for providing top-notch technical content and my favorite conference on the planet.
• The IBM Information Centers – sometimes I love them, sometimes I hate them, but I use them so many times each day
• Susan Visser – a great voice in DB2 Education and someone who has really helped me get where I want to do and introduced me to a lot of people.
• Each and every presenter at IBM IOD 2013 – I learned so much
• The IBM Champion Program and Beth Flood – for making me feel like a rockstar and helping me get my blog out there
• Crysta Anderson – a great social media person with IBM and DB2, even if she is moving on to something newer and greater.
• Henrik Loeser and his thoughtful blog
• Craig Mullins and his blog, his articles, and his ability to write 17-part articles on anything
• Chris Eaton and his blog, past and present
• Chris Aldrich, Robert Badger, Kshiti Kohli, Sean Johnson, Richard Kast, and all the other dbas who ask me questions and keep me on my toes
• Elder Lira, for this blog entry, which saved my bacon last week
• My coworkers – Melissa Logan and Ken Siders who make it so I can go to the conferences and make working where I work one of the best and most collaborative environments I can imagine
• Susan Weaver and the IBM Certification team – for keeping all those tests going and running the certification rooms at the conferences
• All the authors and contributors to the resources listed above
• Shelley Mizerak, Tim Fritz, Brian Mealman, and all the people who run RUGs
• Everyone who participates in the DB2 community
• My readers – I watch the stats on how many read each day, and love the comments, tweets, and shares. You’re the reason I blog and I love to hear from you.

Ok, so I know I’m forgetting people, comment below with who I’ve forgotten or who/what you are thankful for in the DB2 community.