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You might be a Domino geek if ... you enjoy learning about Domino!
When was the last time you attended a training course? Any sort of training course?
Just like the training and education that made up most of your first twenty-odd years, the ongoing learning that we undertake can not only help you professionally in your day-to-day tasks, but lead you into new areas, and even more specialist areas within your current field of expertise.
In just a few weeks, I will celebrate my tenth year as a professional instructor. During that time I have seen a huge change in the way learning/training is undertaken and delivered.
Ten years ago it was all classroom-based, instructor lead training. Then a shift to seminar, lecture based demonstrations, and more recently, organisations "dabbling" with computer-based learning environments.
Whether you have learnt your Domino trade in the Classroom, by attending seminars/conferences, utilising off-line or on-line CBT, or even the "deep-end" - on the job - one thing is probably true. You haven't learnt it all ... Yet.
I'm one of the first people to admit that I don't know everything about Notes and Domino. One of the ways I pass a few quiet minutes a day is by reading the forums, and it never ceases to amaze me the things that you can learn from other peoples issues, or mistakes.
Frequently, you look at a question and think, "read the help", or even "search the forum, that's been answered before", but every now and then you get something a little out of the ordinary, something you haven't seen before, or even a read about a feature or issue that you weren't even aware of.
Of course, there are normally loads of helpful attempts at rectifying thess issues, and then you read something completely out of left field, and the person who posted the question replies with ... "thanks, that fixed it."
These are the little gems that you store away in the memory banks for future reference, or copy straight into your own "tips" database ... just in case.
The original Notes.net (LDD) and now sites like SearchDomino and the Expert Answer Centre are wonderful examples of the Domino community, and how we work with one another to increase our own knowledge and understanding of the product that we (hopefully) enjoy spending some time with every day.
My one recommendation to every new Administrator or Developer to the Notes environment - download the "Yellow" books, AND READ THEM!
They are the source of information for the thing that employs you and puts the bread on the table. The fine Loti who have written these Tombs (try printing out the ND6 books - they take up a shelf all on their own), have poured hours of knowledge and experience into their instructional pages, and even if you only gain an overall understanding about the product, you will be better off than just relying on forums to constantly pull you out of the deep end.
The forums are great for gaining assistance when you really have done your research and can't find a solution on your own, but they shouldn't become your only reference source for Notes and Domino.
Attend a course or two, do some training and your own study through the guides and other resources, and then become a valuable member of the community by making your own contributions to the forums based on your experience.
By doing those things, you will - of course - be on your way to becoming a Domino Geek.
Notes Rulez!
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