BIWUG President Tom Van Gaever answers a few questions

What is BIWUG?

Tom: The primary goal of the Belux Information Worker User Group (abbreviated as BIWUG) is to be a central meeting point for the Information Worker community in Belgium and Luxemburg. BIWUG members are people, technical and non-technical, who are interested in Microsoft Information Worker products and technologies. BIWUG is a non-profit organization supported by an enthusiastic and dynamic group.
We cover the whole range of products and technologies that influence in some way or another the daily activities of the information worker. BIWUG is there to provide the members the needed organization, infrastructure and support to share their experiences, learn about products and technologies in a different way than at Microsoft organized events, seminars or trainings, discuss problems with other members or IW peers in round-the-table sessions, get product demonstrations from third-party vendors.
BIWUG was  founded in 2005, and almost 7 years later it has grown to one of the largest Microsoft communities in Belgium. The latest event at Microsoft was fully booked in less than a week. Did you know that our very own Tony Knors and Enrico Antonacci were involved as founding members of this user group?

What is an Information Worker?

Tom: An information worker is actually a group of different worker types or classes. It contains the knowledge worker, the structured task worker, and the data entry worker. Each of these classes have their own specialties, but together they rely on the same type of information and tools inside their organization. For example, the knowledge worker is most likely to be a manager or a consultant who is working with ideas and visions in an unstructured way.
The structured task worker creates and consumes data, this groups represents 80 percent of the user base in most organizations. The third group is the data entry workers, this type of user typically works in some kind of administrative, secretarial, or receptionist role.
An information worker contributes to the information flow inside an organization by using the Microsoft office tools like Word, Excel, Visio, and SharePoint. Therefore, BIWUG has a strong focus on the Microsoft Office products and SharePoint Server as Microsoft Office server.

Why does an information worker need a user group?

Tom: Nobody needs a user group to perform their daily jobs. The added value of a user group is to learn from each member and to share ideas and experiences. Most people desire to learn new things, especially if they can benefit from this knowledge the next day at the office! You can compare it with the internal Capgemini KSS and SIG evenings, where someone shares his experience with the community in a very interactive manner.
In my opinion one of the most important parts of a user group is the social factor of the events. You get to know a lot of people in an open minded environment and you can keep in touch with the team of a previous project where “you achieved greatness and saved the world,” for instance.

What is your involvement?

Tom: In August 2011 Joris Poelmans, who was the president since 2007, passed his responsibility after internal elections over to me. This means that with a group of 5 people we want to continue organizing free evening sessions and for this year (2012) we are planning a new SharePoint Saturday session. I must admit that I underestimated the effort that is required from us, especially in the beginning!
We try to have an internal meeting each month and an event with two speakers who want to share their experiences every 2 months. It is also very important to plan upfront and to keep in touch with the other user groups in Belgium.
One of the most difficult part is to keep everything free for the community. A great advantage is that we have a very passionate board and a lot of work is being done by several people. It is not a one man show!

Why did you become involved?

Tom: I have attended the sessions since 2007, and I really love to meet new people or keep in touch with my SharePoint “buddies,” but I was not very active in the organizational aspect of the user group. By the end of 2010 and during 2011, it was very silent around the BIWUG user group and a lot of people were complaining. I could not agree more...but instead of complaining, we turned it around and created a vision of how we could improve the current situation.

What can we do to help you?

Tom: Very easy, attend the events and socialize! If you worked with a specific SharePoint technology and had a hard time designing, creating or implementing it, share your experience. Let us know what impediments are blocking you on a daily base while implementing SharePoint projects.

What can you do for us?

Tom: Are you struggling with a specific part of SharePoint? Let us know, maybe we can help you find someone in the community who can help you. Or, are you interested in speaking about a specific topic but you do not feel confident enough to stand in front of a larger audience? We can help you! Microsoft encourages new speakers, they even have free courses to support you.

More information on BIWUG

• If you have questions or want to know more, please do not hesitate to contact , or visit the BIWUG homepage.

In the words of the Microsoft Service Line Manager...

The Microsoft Service Line Manager, Capgemini Belgium, Michel Kennis adds, ““Capgemini is sponsor of BIWUG...and VISUG and AZUG. VISUG is a Belgian user group that unites the Belgian Visual Studio/.NET developers, and AZUG is a Belgian user group with focus on development and architecture of the Windows Azure Platform.
There always has been a strong community of Microsoft professionals in Belgium. VISUG, that targets all Microsoft consultants is the oldest among the three, and Capgemini has been a sponsor and active member for years.
This year we decided to sponsor AZUG and BIWUG, two more “specialized” Microsoft communities, as well.  They both have their specific objectives and target audience,  their focus technologies and solutions are important for us and Capgemini consultants play a very important role in them. Our Azure MVP Yves Goeleven is a founding board member of AZUG, and as you have just read, Tom Van Gaever is the new president of BIWUG.
By sponsoring these communities we want to recognize their importance and the effort our consultants put in them. The visibility that our company is an important Microsoft “player” gives us all a sense of pride and we want all Microsoft professionals to know that of course. So congratulations to Tom and a big thanks!”