1. Share your story and educate others
User groups are a great way to share your experiences and best practices. You may have learned from someone else at one meeting. Why not give back and share your knowledge with others by presenting, or adding your best practice tips to the online community.
2. Learn about opportunities
Learn about upcoming events, webinars, products news, and even job opportunities through the user group network. Announcements made at on site meetings, postings on the online community…all great benefits from belonging to a user group.
3. Make professional contacts
Build your personal and professional network. Meet people who can help you advance to the next stage in your career. Build long lasting relationships. User groups are an excellent opportunity to network with people from all different types of industries, levels and groups.
4. Save time
Why wait for an answer from support? Tap into your network to get an answer quick. Throw the question out during the Q&A at an event, or add it to the discussion board on the online community.
5. Find local help
Make connections in your local community. Connect with someone from another company or a business partner. There’s nothing better than meeting people directly in your community to help you with a problem or to provide some advice.
6. Find other Champions
You may be a champion at your own organization. Meet other champions and share your best tips with others who want to learn from your success by hosting a meeting or posting to the online community. Offer others a chance to achieve what you’ve been able to do.
7. Meet IBM Experts
User Groups are an excellent opportunity to connect with leading product experts and members from the IBM business analytics community. IBM experts attend meetings to present and answer questions from users. Use this opportunity to make a direct connection.
8. Meet Friends
Meet people who share your interests and passions. Share your story and experiences with others. Meet up at local groups, each others’ work sites, via the online community or at other events.
9. Get support and enhance your skills
Do you have questions? Users at the groups can help you with answers and get you connected with a wide network of experts.
10. It’s fun!
Being a member of a user group provides a new level of fun that you can’t have on your own. Get out, get online and meet other people. Share ideas and connect with like minded people.
Here’s what some user group members say:
"Being part of the Southeast Cognos User Group has so many awesome benefits. We have a tight knit community that has been together for 7 years. I have built a trusted network of people that I can bounce ideas off of and get suggestions on how I may be able to solve an issue that I have. It gives me the opportunity to learn what other companies are doing with Cognos and possibly apply the same techniques at my company. I have gotten many creative solutions from the content that was presented at the user group meetings and have helped members with presentations that I have done. The user group has helped members find jobs and I actually got my current position from a job description that was forwarded to me by a user group member. I really value my participation in the Southeast User Group! If you want to network, share and learn, join a user group or help start one in your area like I did."
-- Susan Dean, GE Energy, Southeast User Group Committee Member
Performance Leaders Program
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Champions Kit
