Channeling Grandma Bowen’s spirit -- Maybe we can make the CLPs happy...

August 24 2006

OK, so Rock, Alan, and I have been talking with the queens of Lotusphere today after reading Andrew and Greyhawk's postings.  To be totally honest, I didn't realize the CLP discount had been dropped for Lotusphere 2007 until I read the blogs, so score another one for the Lotus community's passion and willingness to raise issues.

No idea if anything will change, but I'm channeling former CLP queen Barbara Bowen, from away off in that distance known as retirement, to see if perchance a CLP discount, or some other deal, might yet arise for Lotusphere 2007.  Let's watch and see.

Ed Brill Highland Park, IL USA Category:  Lotusphere2007  Add/View Comments [39]

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  1. 1  Chris Miller http://www.IdoNotes.com | 8/24/2006 10:51:56 PM

    I commented on this in the B forum and thought that maybe it would pop back up at some point with an offer of lower rates. We cross our fingers. Was there not enough CLP's using the discount last year per chance?

  1. 2  Turtle http://www.weightlessdog.com/shell.nsf | 8/24/2006 11:00:23 PM

    Get her butt back! What fun is the CLP Lounge gonna be without someone to kick our asses?

    And yes, the CLP discount was a nice little perk for those of us who went through the stuff, OK? I mean, feeling special is the least they can do for those of us who've carried a lot of load for IBM in the last ten years. We do matter.

    Even as I say that, it sounds farkin' pathetic. I know it's only a couple hundred bucks, but it does matter.

    Maybe we have too many CLPs now? Jeez, I hope not.

    Turtle

  1. 3  Greyhawk68 http://www.greyhawk68.com | 8/24/2006 11:01:43 PM

    Ed, thank you for actually trying to do something about this. It really IS appreciated. Tell Barbara how much we miss her ! She should come and hang out at the CLP lounge this year... if there IS a CLP lounge :-)

  1. 4  Sean Harris  | 8/24/2006 11:53:45 PM

    @1

    I commented on this problem on Ed's, Alan's, Rocky's, and your blog, as well as the BP forum the day registration opened.

    I guess you have to have your own blog to get noticed ;^ )

  1. 5  Adeleida http://www.adeleida.co.za | 8/25/2006 12:29:22 AM

    Thanks Ed :) You (and Barbara) are just the best, whichever way this turns out in the end.

  1. 6  Ben Rose http://www.jaffacake.net | 8/25/2006 3:26:45 AM

    @4 - Go for it...open a blog :O)

  1. 7  Ed Brill http://www.edbrill.com | 8/25/2006 7:05:29 AM

    @4 Sean, all credit where credit is due... I am sure I read your comments as well but it sometimes takes a few hits over the head for something to register in my brain.

  1. 8  Ed Maloney  | 8/25/2006 7:34:58 AM

    Well, if we can't get the discount how about some schwag (where did that word come from?) Almost nothing geeks love better than some schwag. And no - free Workplace for Dummies books and CD's do not count!

  1. 9  Rock http://www.LotusGeek.com | 8/25/2006 7:38:01 AM

    @Sean - there's nothing stopping you from starting a blog! And I think you have a lot to offer. And the templates are free, and the hosting is free, so it's all up to you ;-) And yes, blogs get notice - sorry! ;-) But to be honest, I (and others) have been asking about those discounts since you replied - we just didn't get any response until now. So, we did hear you, we just didn't get the notice of the powers-that-be until now.

    Incidentally, I posted my own thoughts on this - and play Devil's Advocate - on my blog here:

    { Link }

    --Rock

  1. 10  Scott Gentzen http://www.scottandmargo.net | 8/25/2006 8:21:04 AM

    @1 Chris, I hope they do something. I'm one of the CLPs (er, PCLP, or IBM Cold Dead Advanced Fish System Administrator Lotus Notes and Domino) that didn't do the discount for 2006. I wasn't paying the bill, so the hit wasn't a big deal to me personally, but saving your company money is good too. Also, it wasn't until after the discounts expired that I found out that it'd actually be possible for me to go.

    @4 Sean, I'll echo the rest of the comments...blogging isn't hard or expensive anymore so the barrier isn't really any more than thinking of something to post about. Doesn't necesarily mean that you'll be heard when you bring up an issue or have an idea (speaking from experience) but at least you're getting it out there.

  1. 11  Charles Robinson http://cubert-codepoet.blogspot.com | 8/25/2006 8:42:02 AM

    I was one of the PCLP's who didn't know I would be able to go until the CLP discount expired. There was a CLP lounge?! 2006 was my first Lotusphere and apparently I missed a lot. :-\

  1. 12  Rob McDonagh http://www.CaptainOblivious.com | 8/25/2006 8:48:21 AM

    @Ed: Does Barbara know you're calling her Grandma Bowen on the blog? Yikes!

    Seriously, thanks for taking this on. Whatever the result, this is another example that IBM does listen (ok, sometimes we have to shout, but loud voices are plentiful in the blogosphere, no?).

  1. 13  Lars Olufsen  | 8/25/2006 8:48:31 AM

    @9 - Rocky ... free hosting? Where, please?

    Here I am - NOT blogging, simply because Domino hosting costs a billion over here in Denmark. But if there's a free host out there ... pray, do tell!

    On topic: We NEED that CLP discount (at least some of us oversea'ers do). It's a very important incentive that both makes it easier to get the boss to send us to Lotusphere, AND makes it easier to get the boss to sign for courses and tests!

    It's kinda Catch 22 - but in a good way ;o)

  1. 14  Declan Lynch http://www.qtzar.com | 8/25/2006 8:49:13 AM

    Regardless of the CLP discount my question is will the increase in the cost of the conference result in better amenities for the attendees.

    Coffee that isn't whisked away while people are still queuing for it would be nice... or better yet, coffee that never goes away would be better :-)

  1. 15  Scott Gentzen http://www.scottandmargo.net | 8/25/2006 9:08:43 AM

    @11 - Me too. I'd heard about the lounge ahead of time, but never found it (granted, I didn't ask anyone either but still)

    @14 - With 2006 being my first Lotusphere, I was surprised about the coffee disappearing all the time too. At least I was able to keep hydrated if not caffeinated throughout the day. Someone needs to invent a camelpack for coffee and then build that into the next Lotusphere bag.

  1. 16  Rob McDonagh http://www.CaptainOblivious.com | 8/25/2006 9:25:11 AM

    @13 Chris Miller, of idoNotes and Connectria fame, provides hosting for bloggers and doesn't charge any fees.

    Also, DDN has a free bloggers' server. You have to give them a credit card number during the account creation process (or you did, last time I checked), but after that the hosting is free.

  1. 17  Chris Miller http://www.IdoNotes.com | 8/25/2006 9:28:34 AM

    @11 - yes the lounge exists. Good place to always get drinks, hide, a massage and free stuff. They also do giveaways.

    @12 - yes she knows, since she is now a grandma :-)

  1. 18  Ben Rose http://www.jaffacake.net | 8/25/2006 9:40:47 AM

    @13 - I host blogs for free on my site as does Chris Miller.

  1. 19  Gregg Eldred http://www.ns-tech.com/blog/geldred.nsf | 8/25/2006 9:50:03 AM

    @8:

    { Link }

    Which definition are you referring to? :-D

  1. 20  John Head http://www.johndavidhead.com | 8/25/2006 9:59:01 AM

    @3 - As you said on Rock's blog, it is important to note that the CLP discount was only $100 cheaper than the early bird discount last year, but let you register up to sometime in late Dec I believe.

    @14 - conferences across the board are going up in cost this year and next .. why? Most conferences froze (or kept very small increases) after 9/11. It seems the conference industry agreed to increase prices this year. That goes for hotels and everything associated. I know some of the other conferences I have gone too (GenCon in Indy, E3 in LA, Quakecon in Dallas, etc) have all increased prices between 300 and 700 bucks. I believe JavaOne and TechEd are going up in those increments this year or next as well.

    As for the coffee, last time I heard when attending another conference at the Disney Epcot hotels is policy is not to leave that stuff out. Not sure if IBM can change that ... I know this other conference could not get them too and it was close to the same size as sphere.

  1. 21  Alan Lepofsky http://www.alanlepofsky.net/ | 8/25/2006 10:31:14 AM

    @20 Yup, I paid $1995 for MS TechEd this year. And instead of a big welcoming party on Sunday night with food and fun, I sat in a dark room and listened to Ray Ozzie talk about his past, and how the future is MS Live. (wait, aren't they still working on shipping the 2007 products?) I'll take Sunday night in Orlando around the pool with music and BBQ over that anytime. There is simply no tech conference that compares to Lotusphere.

  1. 22  Bob Baehr - The Unofficial Poster Child for Lotus Notes & Domino http://www.bobbaehr.com | 8/25/2006 10:34:17 AM

    In IBM's defense, I cannot remember the last rate increase for Lotusphere. Doesn't make the fee increase suck any less, but, let's be honest about it!

    However, allow me to add that I'll drink the extra fee in coffee... so long as it DOES NOT DISAPPEAR before I get to it!

    Cheers!

    Bob

  1. 23  Randy Smith  | 8/25/2006 11:33:05 AM

    @20 - Well, a hundred bucks is a hundred bucks. For those of us paying for this conference out of our own pockets, any amount of savings is appreciated. But is that really the WHOLE point of the CLP discount? Whether it's $100, $400, or waiving the entire conference fee, this is an opportunity for IBM/Lotus to "Show Us the Love". There's been a history of exclusive benefits for CLP's at Lotusphere, with the CLP discount being the most noticeable and most appreciated (IMHO). Did they really think that no one would notice or care if they discontinued it?

    Cheers,

    Randy

  1. 24  David Price  | 8/25/2006 12:36:52 PM

    Does anyone know if the CLP Lounge will be part of LS2007?

  1. 25  Angel Figueroa http://www.interactiveworkflow.com | 8/25/2006 1:29:14 PM

    @23 - I agree. It does make a difference when you are paying for it out of your pocket. Having gone through previous employers, the cost wasn't a major issue, but the last 4 years I have paid the conference fee and the discount helped a lot.

    BTW: Thanks Ed for bringing the necessary attention to this.

  1. 26  Randy Smith  | 8/25/2006 1:39:35 PM

    I had joked about creating an organization called "Large Group Discount" that CLPs could use to take advantage of the large group discount offer that Lotusphere was extending to companies registering 20 or more people. The more I thought about, it really didn't sound like too crazy of an idea (albeit probably more effort than it was worth -- a $100 savings). I decided to send an e-mail to Jack Morton and his posse at Lotusphere Registration to see if "organizations" could also take advantage of this offer. They sent me a reply indicating that they would need to know the name of the organization before they could answer my question. I think they're on to me ;-)

  1. 27  Greyhawk68 http://www.greyhawk68.com | 8/25/2006 2:19:44 PM

    I think that LotusUserGroup.org could qualify :-D

  1. 28  Bob Baehr http://www.bobbaehr.com | 8/25/2006 2:31:22 PM

    in reply to Randy Smith's comment to all of the comments to the original comment posted by Mr. Brill (sorry... it's been a long day)....

    ANYWAY...

    Here's the name of an 'organization' for Jack Morton - Certified Lotus Professionals!!!!!

    I think that everyone involved should be familiar with them.

    Cheers!

    Bob

  1. 29  Charles Robinson http://cubert-codepoet.blogspot.com | 8/25/2006 2:36:16 PM

    @23 - "There's been a history of exclusive benefits for CLP's at Lotusphere..."

    Where can I find out what these exclusive benefits are and how to participate? I don't recall my PCLP getting me anything special at Lotusphere 2006.

    By the way.. it is PCLP or is it IBM CAAD now?

  1. 30  Paul Gagnon  | 8/25/2006 3:36:01 PM

    Thanks for opening this discussion, hopefully there are some developments before October 14. I am going to LS07 either way though.

    While we're on it, here is a question, I have 2 IBM Lotus certs:

    IBM Certified Associate System Administrator - Lotus Notes and Domino 6/6.5

    IBM Certified Associate Developer - Lotus Notes and Domino 6/6.5

    (Yes yes yes, I know, I know, I am studying now for the ND7 update exams...., soon, very soon. :) )

    What is the short and sweet letter combo I can put in my email sig file or business cards? The above are certainly way too long to be practical and I seem to remember reading on the IBM cert site that you needed to pass all 3 exams of a chosen vein to call yourself a CLP.

  1. 31  Daniel Silva  | 8/25/2006 5:38:53 PM

    CLS = R5 Certified Lotus Specialist = Today's IBM Certified Associate System Administrator/IBM Certified Associate Application Developer for Lotus Notes and Domino 6/6.5 and 7

    CLP = R4/R5 Certified Lotus Professional = Today's IBM Certified System Administrator/IBM Certified Application Developer for Notes and Domino 6/6.5 and 7

    PCLP - Principal Certified Lotus Professional = Today's IBM Certified Advanced System Administrator/Application Developer for Lotus Notes and Domino 6/6.5 and 7

    As far as acronyms go... they don't have one yet :P

  1. 32  Randy Smith  | 8/25/2006 6:19:51 PM

    @29 - Well, there's been a CLP Lounge (massages, a bunch of free stuff, raffles, etc.) for quite a few of the Lotusphere conferences, at least since 2001. And I can recall at least one year when they had a CLP Breakfast, which gave those that attended an opportunity to meet and chat with some of the IBM/Lotus Execs (Ambuj Goyal, etc. -- maybe even Ed Brill was there too). And most importantly, there used to be a CLP discount on the conference registration fee :-(

  1. 33  Paul Gagnon  | 8/25/2006 9:32:13 PM

    @31 - Daniel, thank you! Your favorite ice cold beverage on me next year in Orlando. ;-)

  1. 34  Barbara Bowen  | 8/27/2006 2:37:48 PM

    Grandma Barbara here. :-) So funny to have found this thread - I dropped onto Lotus User Group to get a contact email for someone and see this thread.

    IBM really values you, so continue to push. Noise makes things happen.

    I am enjoying being a grandma, Baby Kaitlyn was born June 28, looks like me (and her Dad). Not back to work yet - not that I have a job, know of any? lol

    Nice to see everyone's names - stay in touch. - B

  1. 35  Barbara Bowen  | 8/27/2006 3:03:03 PM

    And BTW, I did not retire, I just decided it was time for a change. But I am taking some time off to smell the roses.

  1. 36  Greyhawk68 http://www.greyhawk68.com | 8/28/2006 10:39:25 AM

    Nice to hear from you Barbara! It will be weird not seeing you in the CLP lounge this year... If you just "happen" to vacation in Orlando at that time, be sure to stop by :-)

  1. 37  Sean Harris  | 8/28/2006 12:01:12 PM

    Well I just got back from 4-wheeling in my new (Lotus Yellow) FJ Cruiser ;^ ) and I see that this thread has gotten a little attention =8^O

    @6 Are you kidding, I barely have enough time to keep up on all yalls (that's for my Southern/Midwest brethren) blogs. Besides, I like to live vicariously though other peoples blogs :^ ))

    @7 Ed, apology if the post seemed disgruntled, it wasn't meant to be. I just thought it quite ironic that the same people you mentioned talking to were the same blogs I posted too, and a simple post by John and Andrew on their own blogs opened the doors. No credit needed, and appreciate all your and others efforts to bring this to the attention of the correct people so all of us may benefit, if only a little . . . every little bit counts. Please don't get hit in the head too often, we need you around and coherent :^ )

    @9 Rock, like I told Ben, I just don't have the time to maintain a blog, and I'd rather add to/support other peoples blogs rather than dilute the blog pool. Remember back (I'm sure you can) when you could actually read the entire News Net, but as time progressed so many people added their own (good) news feed it became impossible to keep up on all the info, and really good stuff was lost in the vortex. I'd rather be a good neighbor and supporter to the community of IBM/Lotus related blogs.

    I didn't know youse guys were already checking on this issue since my posts. However, I did know the right people to inform of the situation, and I (and CLPs United) appreciate all yalls efforts on this :^ )

    @10 Like I said to Rock, IMHO once you get to a point that there are more (good) blogs than time, some of those that have good info won't get noticed anymore.

    The CLP Lounge has been (for the last few years) in the Swan on the 7th floor facing the Dolphin.

    I agree with the coffee/beverage problem as well as snacks. When it is available (and you happen to be in the right place at the right time) you feel like you have to stock up because you never know when you're gonna get lucky again. I think that they should list times and places when the snacks and beverages will be made available, because we all know it's not the Same Bat Channel, Same Bat Time.

    @17 and 18 good to know you guys host for free . . . if I ever do get a wild hair ;^ ))

    @20 John I can understand their policy of not leaving it out, but please tell me when and where. The quick guides do not tell you as I have found out time and again when one of you guys came walking up with, say, a hot pretzel w/mustard and telling me "dude you should have been over at the [insert place I was not at], they had a whole buffet of goodies" :^ ( ( I know several people who get very irritated when they miss the coffee breaks because they didn't know. These types really need to be given their coffee fixes or they're not nice to be around . . . if ya know what i mean ;^ )

    @21 Agreed . . LS=#1

    @32 Yes the CLP breakfast that Barbara put together was excellent, we sat and talked with Ambuj for quite awhile . . . really great stuff.

    @34 You are going to be very much missed (in the Lounge, at Testing center, etc.) this year. Who is Turtle going to have to harass when he comes up to the Lounge ;^ ) Enjoy your break from the grind and smell the roses.

  1. 38  LongLiveLotus  | 10/9/2006 4:43:27 AM

    ED - it's been a while now and nothing appears to have happened - could you update us all please?

    M

  1. 39  Ed Brill http://www.edbrill.com | 10/9/2006 7:43:57 AM

    @38 much as I had hoped for a different answer, the answer was that no discount would be offered. Seeing as how the conference is adding facilities (sessions at Y&B for example) I can understand why the whole cost structure is different for '07.