The user conference is over, and I’ve just been to the debrief meeting, and now it’s back to business at usual for me here at Purple Systems. (I just found out there’s a company that’s really called Purple Systems. They’re in IT, too.)

The conference went well. (Even though–horrors!–some people didn’t use the marketing mandated font for their PowerPoint slides. Perhaps they tried but couldn’t find a font called “Aerial” as specified in the marketing guy’s e-mail.) I think I got as much out of the conference as any of the customers who were the target audience. Seeing people talk about how having our software has made their businesses better, seeing the management panel (mercifully without marketing guy) answer questions and specifically my new boss deftly handling some criticism of the development staff–I ended Day One feeling a lot more positive about work than I’ve been lately. One of the customers remarked to me that it seemed like the Purple Systems people were happy to work here, and I realized that growing pains and all, we are. Sure, there are frustrating things that happen–it’s real life, not fantasy–but in general it is a good place to be.

My PowerPoint presentation on the second day went well too, even though it started much earlier in the morning than I’m used to being coherent and we couldn’t find the clicker for the projector. Afterward, a customer I’d never met came up to ask a question and was so happy with my answer that she gave me a hug and told me that made the whole trip worthwhile. Wow. Who knew accounting software could have that effect? Guess I’d better get back to writing some more of it right now.