I wanted my upcoming XPage Maps proof of concept (IBM Lotus Notes Domino XPages + Personal Address Book + Google Maps Mashup) to be a little more user friendly than I had originally intended. See, my original goal was to simply query address data from the Lotus Notes Client Personal Address Book and use that address data for runtime queries to Latitude and Longitude info... and then show those as locations on the map via pin overlays.

A decent demo, but it really doesn't do much in the way of using the data.

So I thought that I would not only generate the balloon/popup overlays triggered via an onclick on the given pin, but also use -- if available -- the ContactPhoto for the individual pin overlay.

Now, for those of you not familiar with the concepts I'm using here -- which rely as much on traditional IBM Lotus Notes Domino Web Application Development as much as XPages and SSJS -- here is the short, short version of the principles used here.

OpenNTF.org is not only an amazing resource for consumers (IT Professionals) of IBM Lotus platform (Domino, Sametime, Connections, et al) looking for open source solutions to their business needs... it can also server as a muse for those same IT Professionals to create their own solutions!

Consider -- if you will -- the Testimonial notification I received for Abbr:

Abbr - Testimonial: so simple... but great idea

This give me the idea of customizing this application so that all my intranet users could create and share their tiny urls as favorites. Thanks !

The simple truth is this: while a given OpenNTF.org project may not address your specific business need, it may give you inspiration (or at the very least give you a template design to mine) for providing your own solutions.

I was asked recently by a developer who was looking for a way to make a name for themselves in the global developer community how they could do just that. While this developer was not an IBM Lotus platform developer, my advice was similar, and something that was echo'ed on a recent episode of Boagworld.

The advice, simply put, is to give it away and build a portfolio.

When this developer asked me how they could establish themselves, my initial response was to ask them if they knew of any non-profit or volunteer organizations in the area. If they were able to find a local organization where they could donate their services.

Giving away your services doesn't exactly establish you as a subject matter expert, but it gives you exposure.

Exposure of your solutions to people -- especially in the volunteer organizations -- who most likely work for larger for-profit organizations.

Exposure of your solutions to customers, as there is no better confirmation of your reported skills then being able to witness them in a production environment.

And -- most importantly -- your own personal exposure to the solution delivery process.

Sure, you might be able to sling code... but until you can work the entire process (from requirements gathering thru development and to delivery), then it's all just theory.

... so what does this have to do with IBM Lotus Notes Domino application development?!

(Click thru for more...)

Combining IBM Lotus Notes Domino XPages with the Google Maps Data API, my proof-of-concept mashup app leverages NotesData stored in the Personal Address Book (names.nsf). Article - complete with source code - should be available later this week!

If you're interested in being part of the demo, send me your business-friendly vCard containing your contact info -- complete with OfficeStreetAddress, OfficeCity, OfficeState, OfficeZip, and ContactPhoto -- I'll get them into the local Personal Address Book NotesDatabase.

Having designed the HTML, CSS, and FBML Facebook fan/like pages for not only dominoGuru.com, but also the official IBM LotusKnows and IBM Lotus Technical Information and Education team... the news that Facebook is changing their Fan Page layouts just adds yet another item onto my to do list!

The changes, scheduled to go live August 23rd, 2010, are being shown to Page Admins when they browse to their page:

Get Ready for Your Streamlined Page

Starting August 23, we'll be simplifying your Page to make it easier to browse: 1) Boxes are going away, including the Boxes tab; and 2) All custom tabs will be narrowed to 520 pixels. If you have a custom tab, we recommend you visit your tab now for a preview of how your content fits in the new layout -- please make adjustments as needed. The rest of Facebook will see the old tab width until August 23. Read More

The HTML, CSS, and FBML markup that I used -- of course -- relied on the larger screen real-estate, and as far as I can tell the CSS overflow is set to none... which makes the screen appear cut off, and otherwise looking like crap.

Perhaps this is a good thing, as it gives us all an opportunity to revamp the welcome/default landing pages.

I'll be in talks with the IBM page admins of course to see if they have any ideas, but I'll give you guys first crack at it: what would you like to see on the dominoGuru.com, IBM LotusKnows, and IBM Lotus Technical Information and Education team Fan/Like Pages?