Un-SQL Friday-001 Branding
This post is going to be short and sweet (just like me) so that I can make the next showing of the latest Harry Potter movie with my kids (only because they want to go of course.) This post is part of the new initiative started by Jen McCown over at midnightdba.com entitled Un-SQL Friday. The first week is on the subject of Branding.
The whole concept behind my branding of The SQL Agent Man has been a little difficult.
Guns? No.
Sexy femme fatales? Of course. Women in Technology. And Kilts.
Exotic Locales? Besides Kalamazoo; Seattle; Grapevine, Texas; Denver; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Iowa? I had to start SQL Cruise for that!
Martinis? Hells Yeah. Shaken. Stirred. Filleted. Whatevs.
No. The moniker was a great catch. The branding has been a little rough – I still have yet to come up with a decent logo. What I decided to go with was humor. Granted it has nothing to do with the “Agent Man” persona, but it has everything to do with who I am. The one thing I’ve found is that if you take yourself too seriously then no one else will. I try to get my point across and make my presence known through humor, sarcasm, and self-deprecation. (Also non-self deprecation if Tom “@SQLRockstar” LaRock is in the vacinity or anywhere near the local internet.) It is all in good jest and everyone knows it.
Humor works for me – and I believe for the human race in general. How many of you reading this (all 6 of you – hi Mom) can recite a Bill Cosby, Sam Kinison, Jim Gaffigan, Monty Python, or George Carlin bit from memory? Delivering technical content with a humorous bent also moistens a very dry subject.
Face it: no matter what we think, SQL ain’t sexy.
It’s hairy (Sean McCown).
It’s inky (Jeremiah Peschka and Crys Manson).
It’s prickly and wants you off its lawn (Buck Woody).
It’s like Buck Woody only smaller and younger (Aaron Nelson).
It’s a Plushie (Jen McCown) Exhibit A: Sean McCown
It’s Scary (Grant Fritchey).
It’s TechnoGeeky (Brent Ozar).
It’s First Class (Kim Tripp and Paul Randal).
It’s vaguely Muppet-like and I can’t put my finger on why I think that (Joe Sack).
It’s La Vida Loc-O (Jorge Segarra).
It’s shrinking in size (Allen Kinsel).
It’s classic (Allen White).
It’s Deadly (Jonathan Kehayias).
It’s a poor speller (Denny Cherry).
It’s talented-to-the-point-of-being-scary (Adam Machanic).
It’s goofy, when you can understand what it’s saying. (Rob Farley.)
It’s charming (Kendra Little).
It’s spiritual (Mike Walsh).
It’s no longer Canadian (Aaron Bertrand).
It’s dirty when it wants to be (All of the above).
But it ain’t sexy.
And it’s okay to have a brand like that. Good job SQL Community.
I love how you put people into fun categories!!! Though, I think you may have missed some pretty cool SQL Peeps! 😉
I have to agree, the SQL Community is ALL those things, and more!!!
Great post, Tim. Thanks for thinking of me in that category. Your post really agrees with one of my latest poss (Community, Community, Community) about the SQL Server community and how we are all different but united in many ways.We have a level of maturity that we can even have disagreements on hot button issues you aren’t “supposed” to talk about at work and still all get along really well for the most part (Sure, discuss surrogate key vs natural key and you may lose a friend for life ;-)). I can’t figure out why the people who are in whatever we call the SQL community have that level of maturity, comraderie and selfless desires to see others grow and learn but we definitely have it. Your post shows a good (though small scaled as Sarah said) example of the melting pot we are. Sometimes, if you look at the tweets/blog comments/etc. when a rough spot hits one of us (or a happy time – new job, birth, etc.) I would even go as far as to say there is some family feel to whatever you want to call the SQL community(ies) – at least the circles I am a part of.
I’m glad I didn’t have a beverage when I read this, because I would have snorted it out of my nose.
I was drinking a beverage when I read this. Thankfully, no coffee hit the work laptop. Loved the list.
[…] Agent Man Tim Ford wrote a very clever and funny blog on brands in the SQL community: Un-SQL Friday-001 Branding. “…no matter what we think, SQL ain’t sexy. It’s hairy (Sean McCown). It’s inky (Jeremiah […]