In this episode, host Reece welcomes Janet Robb, a long-standing figure in the community, known for her role in organising some of the earliest and most impactful community events.
Show Introduction & Guest Welcome
[01:49] Reece opens the show, welcoming viewers and introducing his guest, Janet Robb, describing her as a "massive community figure."
[02:40] Janet introduces herself as "J Rob" from Belfast. She humbly claims she isn't a "loud figure" and that many might not know her, despite her long history in the community.
[03:14] Reece recounts his introduction to the community via the Dublin event (D365 Saturday) which Janet organised. He notes that while he didn't speak to her then, her event led him to speak at the Scottish Summit the following year.
The Story of the First Dublin Event
[04:08] Janet shares the origin story of her community involvement. She was working at the National College of Ireland after being made redundant from a previous role.
[05:23] The LinkedIn Rant: Microsoft changed the licensing model, making previously free entities "core" (and expensive). Janet posted a passionate rant on LinkedIn about how this affected customers.
[05:48] Raz's Invitation: This post caught the attention of Raz (Razwan Choudry), who invited her to a user group meeting in London. Despite being ill (she had contracted Lyme disease, was paralysed, and had broken her neck), she flew to London with very little money.
[06:52] Feeling Out of Place: At the event, she felt she didn't belong among the "techie girls" and "core boys." However, she noticed the boys weren't great at organising and realised she could do better. She told Raz, "I could do this in Dublin."
[07:52] The First Event: She organised the first Dublin event using just a spreadsheet (no Eventbrite). All 100 tickets went in two days.
[08:39] "Not Many Bras": After posting a photo on Facebook, her friend Sarah commented, "Not many bras in that room, is there?" This comment changed Janet's life. She realised she was the only female speaker and organiser. This launched her "Door is Open" campaign to actively welcome and photograph women at events.
[10:41] Janet discusses the push for diversity. She used to hold 10% of tickets back for women because they sold out so fast to men. She "took some kicks" for this at the time but now doesn't care about the criticism.
[13:05] "Leave Your Ego at the Door": Janet's golden rule for her events. She would challenge cliques and demand that volunteers actively welcome people rather than just talking to their friends.
[17:52] Personal Struggles: She reveals she started all of this while terrified, ill, and financially struggling. The community gave her a purpose when she felt she wasn't "techie" enough to be a programmer.
[22:31] Community Support: When her mother died suddenly during COVID, Janet received flowers and gifts daily for a month and a half from community members, some of whom she barely knew. She emphasises that these friendships are the most valuable outcome of her work.
User Groups & Adoption
[28:48] They discuss the resurgence of user groups, mentioning Lewis's work with the Bletchley AI group. Janet is now looking at how to scale AI user groups across the UK (Belfast, Wales, Scotland).
[41:59] Adoption Philosophy: Janet gets frustrated when presenters just want to "get to the end." Her goal is for the audience to remember the message and use it.
[43:39] The "Martini Glass" Story: She uses a recurring character in her talks named "Helen" who just wants a gin and tonic on a Friday night without being called back to fix the system. Success is defined differently for everyone—for Helen, it was trusting the system enough to have a drink.
Quick Fire Round
[46:55] Favourite Power Platform Service: Dynamics (CRM). She calls it the "engine of the car."
[47:18] Favourite Conference: European Power Platform Conference (Dublin). She finally let her hair down, danced all night, and enjoyed it as a speaker rather than an organiser.
[47:40] Last Music Listened To: The new Jonas Brothers song (she admits it's "flipping great").
[48:29] Podcasts or TV: TV (addicted to documentaries), but also podcasts.
[48:58] 2 Hours Free Time: Arts and Crafts. Despite claiming no talent, she loves sitting and making things (like seascapes with her son).
[50:07] Books or Audiobooks: Audiobooks (due to dyslexia/slow reading).
[50:38] Glass Half Full or Empty: Currently Half Full. She admits she was "Half Empty" for a long time but age, experience, and wisdom have changed her perspective.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rk9C_1zCLyQ
