Get More out of AU!

How do AU attendees benefit from using AU Connect? I recently asked some of this year’s AU Connect users this question and here is what I learned.

Better than Chance
Sheila Bjerreskov from Calgary, Canada uses AU Connect because she doesn’t want to rely on shear luck to meet folks with similar professional backgrounds. She loves using the search features of AU Connect to narrowly define her search. Sheila finds the forums are handy for learning about people if you are not quite ready for email. “Posting on the forums and sending some emails back and forth starts the acquaintance ball rolling.” she says. “Now when I actually get to Vegas, I will recognize people and be able to build industry contacts much easier than if I had no idea who anyone was or what they did.” Like everyone else, Sheila is extremely busy, but she expects the half hour she spent setting up her profile and getting to know AU Connect will result in contacts that will help her with her career.

Got Seats?
Dan Murren uses AU Connect because he is looking for very specific answers. His company supplies 275 seats of AutoCAD Mechanical from a server license pool to approximately 850 users and would like to find others in similar situations.

Outlook on Steroids
Brian Myers, who is active in many forums and is known as Dilbert in the AUGI forums, believes that participating leads to learning and this is what AU is all about. He sees AU Connect as a place to strike up a conversation, letting folks know he will be at the event, and making himself available to meet up with others. Brian calls AU Connect “a dynamic version of Outlook on steroids” and uses it as his AU contact organizer.

CAD Geeks Unite
Nick Zeeban considers this year’s version of AU Connect a huge improvement over last year. He appreciates learning how others use Autodesk software. Nick considers himself a “non-reluctant CAD geek” and sees AU Connect as an easy way to find like-minded professionals.

Monday Night Football Anyone?
Don Loew told me he attends AU for networking and AutoCAD training. AU Connect is his pre-AU networking tool and he uses the site to arrange a Monday Night Football gathering. Don works in a small industry segment (precast/prestressed concrete) and uses AU Connect to help him find CAD techs, sales, and project managers within his industry. Using AU Connect, Don was able to locate folks he has worked with on previous projects. He thinks AU Connect strikes a good balance of sharing the right amount of personal information, while protecting privacy.

Around the Commonwealth
William Stang from Canada and Bill Adams from Australia use the site to connect with other peers from their countries. The opportunity to network and read what others have to say about their workplaces is a draw for William. Bill considers the ability to connect users with their photos a “real boon” as he considers himself hopeless at remembering names.

Connect and Reconnect
Norm Harris from Minnesota uses AU Connect to get in touch with folks he met at previous AU conferences

Jim McGlocklin has been using AutoCAD for 14 years and this will be his first AU. As much as he is interested in all the classes and learning new techniques, he really wants to see how other professionals are using Autodesk software so he can take his career to the next level.

Alexander Wood, from Montana and an AU presenter for several years (AutoCAD expert), uses AU Connect to hook up with the 15 fellow Montanans who are going to AU. The AU Connect match engine placed him close to some folks he knew and he finds it interesting to explore the similarities.

Randy LaRance from Billings, Montana thinks AU Connect is an awesome tool. (I couldn’t have said it any better )

 Ready to give it a try? Go to AU Connect