New Blog: Learning from the Tableau Community

Shifting from passive to active participation

• Purpose of the blog
• Inspiration for this blog
• Audience for the blog

Purpose of the blog: Connecting more intentionally

The amount of information produced by the Tableau Community can feel a bit overwhelming at times. I’ve learned so much from this community in the past few months, but how can one person retain it all? That may be a rhetorical question; but it is a real challenge.

The creation of this blog is my latest attempt to organize what I have learned; but to do so in a way that allows for further engagement with the community. To date my relationship with the community has been very much one-way; I have been a consumer interacting very passively with producers of information. The ability to connect with both consumers and producers, and to openly discuss my exploration into the vast and growing body of knowledge that is the Tableau Community, is what makes me so excited about starting this blog.

Inspiration for this blog: The Tableau Community

Inspiration comes from every angle in this community. I hope to talk more about inspiration for my viz designs in future posts, but here I am going to focus on those who inspired me to create this blog.

For helping me believe I could do it – Thank you, Eva Murray (@TriMyData). Your blog post, 5 steps to build your personal brand in the Tableau world, set in motion a new sense of conviction. In no small part due to your advice, I’ve diligently maintained my Tableau Public profile, reengaged with the Raleigh-Durham TUG (shout-out to Christopher Scott @cgscottDVA), engaged more deliberately with Tableau users at work, had the courage to introduce myself to you and Andy at TC17, and started this blog.

For providing inspiration to overcome the fear of sharing – Thank you, Jeff Plattner(@JtothaVizzo). I related very strongly to your blog post, Overcoming the Fear to Share. I had been sharing my Makeover Monday work on Twitter since July (daunting enough), but your blog helped me see through the sheer fear of exposing my thought processes to the community. Next on my to-do-list: Iron Viz Feeder submission.

For being prolific; thereby, eliminating the excuse that I don’t have the time – Thank you, Andy Kriebel (@VizWizBI). It’s not just the amount of content you have produced or have been involved in producing, it’s the value of that content that inspires me. I’ve learned more from your blogs and content than from any other resource.

And for the last-minute nudge – Thank you, Sarah Bartlett (@sarahlovesdata). Your recent blog, The Benefits of Blogging, was just what I needed to get out of the endless editing (stalling) stage and to click Publish.

Audience for the blog: Data viz enthusiasts looking to explore new ideas and grow as effective communicators

I’m writing as much for myself as I am for anyone, but I hope a segment of the community will relate to my style of presenting ideas and eagerly engage and explore these ideas with me. I also hope some of the more seasoned members of the community might occasionally check-in and keep me honest. Please consider me a feedback junkie.