SQL Server Express 2008 R2 available for download

I often get asked by students in my SQL class what is the best way to practice their SQL Server skills. The easiest and most cost effective (free!) way is to download SQL Server Express. The latest release, SQL Server Express 2008 R2 is now available for download at: http://www.microsoft.com/express/Database/.

Be sure to download the version "Database with Management Tools" so that you get SQL Server Management Studio Express. The "Database with Advanced Services" version will give you in addition Full-Text Search and Reporting Services. The new versions support databases of up to 10GB.

Advanced SharePoint Developer Course

Our Microsoft Certified SharePoint instructor,  Michael Van Cleave,  has an interesting new blog post about our new Advanced SharePoint Developer Course. See his blog at RougeCoder.

Top 10 Technical Careers by Salary

This information was taken from ComputerJobs.com's "Salary Ticker", which is updated hourly ( I eliminated executive level and support level positions). The salaries listed are the average for that position.

1.  Wireless Systems           $123,000
2.  Unix Development            $98,000
3.  Technical Sales                 $84,000
4.  ERP Applications               $82,000
5.  Project Management        $82,000
6.  Data Warehousing           $80,000
7.  Legacy Systems               $75,000
8.  E-Commerce / Internet    $74,000
9.  Database Systems           $70,000
10.  Windows Development    $67,000

Do you Squidoo?

Squidoo is a Web 2.0 Social Media phenomenon that is rapidly gaining traction. Think of it as a combination of Wikipedia and Linkedin or as a MySpace for adults. With Squidoo, the user is able to rapidly create a page (called a lens) on any topic. This page can be about any subject they want - hobbies, interests, their organization, their profession, etc. There is no limit on how many lens a user can create.

The advantage to Squidoo is web traffic (and we are talking serious traffic here as Google loves Squidoo). It is not uncommon for a Squidoo lens page to appear on the first page of Google results for its title! If you are responsible for increasing Internet traffic to your organizations web site, you need to look at Squidoo. To see an example, here is a Squidoo lens that I just created for Microsoft Certifications.

Leveraging Web 2.0 Social Media Sites for your Brand

A principle aspect of Web 2.0 is its use of the Internet to directly connect people with each other. This has resulted in an explosion of Social Media Sites such as Digg, Technorati, Del.ico.us, Flicker, and Facebook. Opportunity abounds here for the Internet Marketer, but where to start? In my research I came across an excellent article by Jane Copland of SeoMoz.org. In her article, she reviews 30 of the top Social Media Sites with comments on how they could be used to help promote your company and brand. Well worth reading!

How to Leverage Web 2.0 & Social Media Sites to Market Your Brand & Control Your Message