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Michael Smith
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Marketing Specialist

Michael H. Smith joined SAS in 1988. He has enjoyed working directly with SAS users groups throughout the US since 1995. He currently supports PharmaSUG and other special-interest groups. He has been blogging about SAS users groups since 2009.

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Happy Holidays!

This is the week that I’m supposed to clean up my office (I won’t.), and things are supposed to slow down (They have a little.). Some folks are still here physically at work, but I think that their hearts and minds are elsewhere! Most everyone is in the mood for

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Warm and Fuzzy

I am just now returning to the office, having spent 3 days in Austin, Texas, attending the South Central SAS Users Group (SCSUG) Educational Forum. The conference was a big success, and I could literally feel the energy in the air. Thanks to the dedication of the executive committee, conference

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The Neon Sign is On / Call for Papers Open

Supporting SAS Global Forum is a year-round effort, but for me, the opening of the Call for Papers is basically the start of the upcoming conference. The section chairs have been selected, and they’ve posted what they are looking for in their sections. You’ll need to submit your abstract and

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Less me, more blog

For the past 9 months I’ve been sharing my insights into pre-conference planning, and now things are really ramping up for SAS Global Forum. What does that mean for blog readers? You’ll likely see fewer posts from me – but more from some of my fellow SAS bloggers: • Anne-Lindsay

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Your Opinion Counts

SAS users groups are run by SAS users, with support, but not directives, from SAS. During my 15 year tenure in the SAS users group program, I’ve seen up close how important user feedback is in helping to improve the conference experience. Typically we gather feedback informally in presentation sessions

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“Enormous Power at my Fingertips”

Last month I pointed you towards the conference t-shirt contest on sasCommunity.org. The designs and coding techniques on display were quite creative, and the contest triggered some fun conversation among community members. Now the votes have been cast. And the winner is …self-proclaimed “new kid” Lynne Krajevski. I loved what

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And the Award Goes To . . .

Back in December I wrote about the t-shirt contest on sasCommunity.org. Meanwhile, awards season kicked into high gear with the Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards - just to name a few. Now it’s time for the first annual Best SAS t-shirt Award Show, and it’s

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Oh, what to wear?

There is an ancient t-shirt that I have from my first users group conference. It dates from 1995, and it shows a cat holding a floppy disk and the words WUSS (for Western Users of SAS Software) on it. Never mind that I can’t fit into it anymore; Nor can

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The Geek’s Guide to Seattle

I can’t take credit for selecting Seattle as the site of SAS Global Forum 2010. But I can thank the SAS Global Forum Executive Board for making that decision a number of years ago. We had a terrific conference the last time (SUGI 28 in 2003), and that must be

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Fact or Fiction - Part I?

I first met conference chair Lauren Haworth back in 1997 when she was presenting a paper at the Pacific NorthWest SAS users group. Since that time, she's gone on to chair the Western Users of SAS (WUSS) conference (twice!), write 2 SAS Press books, serve as a section chair for

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What's in so far?

The Call for Papers has been open over 2 weeks now, and the response is good. We’ve heard from SAS users from over 35 companies from all over the world. The first submission was from the UK, but we’ve also had submissions from Singapore, Canada, Italy, and of course the

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Ready, Set, Go!

What have you been up to since SAS Global Forum 2009? For me, among other things, I’ve seen Mt Hood on a clear day while supporting the Pharmaceutical SAS users group (PharmaSUG) meeting in Portland, OR. I’ve managed to get to the local farmer’s market on a weekly basis (the

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Fun Stuff in the SAS Demo Area

By now even the “Secret” truck has left the SAS Worldwide headquarters in Cary, NC for the drive to Washington, DC. (The “non-Secret” truck began its six hour journey to the conference site last Friday, March 13.) As in previous years, we have more than one truck leaving from SAS

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SAS Global Forum Hits the Airwaves

If you’re local to the Washington, DC area, you may have heard some radio promotions about SAS Global Forum. It only takes 30 seconds to hear how SAS can help the new administration. Government employees can use the discount code GOVELBD09 to qualify for the special $700 registration rate to