blogging and social media guide...

HP and Microsoft Data Management and Business Intelligence solutionsBlogging cheat sheetHP blogging guidelinesWhen deciding to post on blogs and other Social Media outlets, please remember HP has extensive guidelines to help you be successful in the social space. You can find the official HP blogging guidelines at: h10014.www1.hp.com/hpweb/login.asp?bounce=https://h10014.www1.hp.com/hpweb/index.asph

HP and Microsoft Restricted. For HP, Microsoft, and Channel Partner Internal Use Only.

Blogging and Social Media guide

Blogging Highlights

Externalblogging

Before you begin:• Follow HP’s Social Media corporate

policies. Especially remember to conduct the “Headline Test.” That is, consider how anything you post could affect HP if it were to appear in a news story.

• Review and adhere to the FTC blogger compensation guidelines (PDF).

• Review HP’s existing blogs: HP Blog Hub, Channel HP.

• Be sure you follow the blogging standards and guidelines on this site.

• Define your Social Media network strategy.

• Set objectives and measure your results.• Moderate and manage discussions

appropriately.• Engage customers in your Social

Media initiative.

What you must do:• Complete the required training for

external HP bloggers• Talk to your leader about the amount of

time you will commit to blogging, and exactly when your blogging will take place. This is important to ensure your blogging will align with your core job responsibilities. The most successful bloggers post entries a minimum of once or twice a week, so be sure this sort of time commitment is reasonable for you.

• Complete the Social Media Request Form to start a new blog or become a blogger for an existing HP blog.

• To maintain authentic and timely communication and reduce process overhead, blog posts do not need to be reviewed and approved by management before posting.

Internalblogging

Be sure to review:• Blogging training• HPedia, internal blogging

When you’re ready to start:• Go to: blogs.hp.com blogs.hp.com

Modernize your customers’

infrastructures

http://h10014.www1.hp.com/hpweb/login.asp?bounce=https://h10014.www1.hp.com/hpweb/index.asph.

http://blogs.hp.com

2

Blogging and Social Media Guide


Commenting on blogsMost blog posts are created by users who are not paid to do so. With that in mind, commenting on blogs can be tricky, especially when posting as a representative from HP or Microsoft®. However, you are in a strong position of authority since you represent the company whose products power many of these bloggers’ enterprise business infrastructures.

In many cases, posts from authority figures are welcome additions to the conversation, but there is a very fine line between relevant and authoritative content that adds to the value of the existing content and spam. Most bloggers are happy to facilitate the information you have to share, but you should follow some guidelines—including the Social Media guidelines of HP and Microsoft—to increase the successful creation of well-written, well-read blog comments.

Do’s• Comment on relevant blog posts. See below for the section on finding these blog posts.

• Write the blog comment from your perspective. You should be answering for yourself, not for HP or Microsoft as a whole.

• Identify yourself early in the comment as a representative from HP or Microsoft. The more specific you are about your role with the company, the better.

• Be friendly, responsive, and conversational. Blogging is all about starting a conversation, not about making a sale. Nobody wants to read an ad from a company within blog comments. However, if you—as a professional—have value to add to the conversation through your expert knowledge of the products, readers will welcome your comments.

• Add to the conversation. The information you post should increase the overall content’s value, not detract from it. Be conscious of this before pressing the “submit” button.

Don’ts• Don’t post a comment and move on. Make note of every comment you write and revisit those posts after one day.

Other users may have responded to your comment with additional questions. Your ability to answer those questions in a timely fashion will determine how engaged those users/readers become.

• Don’t try to hide the fact that you are an HP or Microsoft employee or representative. Accusations of non-transparency are a sure-fire way to foster ill will toward you and HP or Microsoft.

• Don’t focus on the products you’re selling. Instead, all comments should relate to the post itself. Inserted ads have no place in a blog comment.

Example of a non-valuable comment“Our organization knows a lot about data management.”

While nice, this comment does not add value for anyone but the author of the blog post.

Example of a valuable comment“Data management and business intelligence solutions from HP and Microsoft have helped enterprises around the world save significant time and money by streamlining management of Big Data using advanced software solutions running on a highly efficient infrastructure.”

The first comment sparked additional insight from the blogger, and the information that was uncovered is relevant to the conversation overall.

3

Participating in forumsForums (also called message boards) can be an excellent source of information and conversation in the social space. As one of the oldest forms of Social Media, some argue that forums are the only Social Media that facilitates real conversations. Forums consist of comments or posts, usually posted in chronological order, that are relevant to a single topic (called a thread). Threads are posted under a “subforum,” which has a specific subject. Many forums and message boards have multiple subjects within an overall area. See the example below.

Posting on a forum is a bit different from posting on a blog. Users on a forum are more likely to be invested in the forum. In most forums, statistics are usually available about specific users next to the avatar on their posts.

Note: The higher number of posts that a user has posted on that forum, the more invested they are in the forum. They will be much more skeptical of the information you post and may not be very welcoming. However, if you have valuable content to post, you should post it with confidence.

Do’s• Follow similar guidelines to posting blog comments. While forums are different from blog comments in many ways, the

basic sentiment of the posts is similar.

• Be aware of the people who are posting in a thread. Many people are likely to have invested countless hours adding value to the forum, and they will be more apt to discount or disregard your posts. If you add real value, you should have no problems.

• Introduce yourself as soon as you sign up. Many forums have a topic reserved for introductions only. It is bad form to open an account and start posting without first introducing yourself.



4

• Be transparent. Be very forthcoming that you are a representative of HP or Microsoft. You have a wealth of product knowledge they don’t have, and letting them know you’re from HP or Microsoft will help them understand that you know what you’re talking about.

• Use the Search function within the forum to see if something similar has already been posted. Forum members get annoyed when new threads are created when a similar one already exists.

Don’ts• Don’t contradict or attack any of the forum members. This is extremely bad form, especially from an authoritative

representative of HP or Microsoft. You may be banned from the forum for this behavior.

• Don’t post right away. Wait to get a feel for the community before posting your first post.

Product termsProduct/solution names used in the Social Media post:

• HP and Microsoft Data Management and Business Intelligence (BI) solutions

• HP AppSystem for Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Parallel Data Warehouse (PDW)

• HP SQL Server 2012 Fast Track Data Warehouse Reference Architectures (RAs)

• HP Universal Database (UDB) Solution for Mission Critical x86 Reference Architecture – Microsoft SQL Server 2012

• HP Database Consolidation Reference Architecture (DBC RA)

• HP ProLiant Gen8 servers

• HP ProLiant DL980 G7 Servers

• Microsoft SQL Server 2012

• Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Parallel Data Warehouse

Shortened version—only to be used in Social Media forums

• HP AppSystem for PDW

• HP Fast Track RAs

• HP UDB for SQL Server

• HP DBC RA



5

Example posts/commentsThe following posts are guidelines, showing you the basic structure of a valuable comment or forum post. Start with these sample comments and posts, and tailor them to create unique comments for specific situations. Be judicious in using these posts, and try not to post them verbatim.

Key:

Speed

Confidence

Ease of use

Cost

Proof

Credibility

Simple

Awareness

Performance

CTA: Solution

CTA: Demo

CTA: Download

CTA: White paper

CTA: TCO white paper

CTA: Solution brief

TCO

SB



6

Commenting on a forum post on the need for a modernized infrastructureThe data explosion is occurring at every level across every imaginable device, application, and individual. According to Gartner, information volume is growing worldwide at a minimum rate of 59 percent annually,1 with 15 percent of that data being structured data2 and the rest comprised of new complex data types. And while data is predicted to grow 44 times over the next decade,3 the number of IT professionals is growing at only 1.4 times.

Explosive growth is occurring in:

• Structured data – Traditional types of data created by increased numbers of users and points of access to enterprise applications

• Unstructured data – Data from other sources and other types

– Social Media

– Email

– Web interactions

– Images

– Sounds

– Videos

– Scanned handwritten

These file types and documents are creating a rich and complex environment from which business managers are anxious to drive better insights. Many industry experts and customers refer to this environment as Big Data.

As data volumes and variety increase, existing online transaction processing (OLTP), storage, data warehousing (DW), and business intelligence systems built to handle lower volumes of structured data cannot keep pace; they lack the required flexibility and are too costly to operate. Many customers now face an IT environment that is siloed and sprawling, comprised of underutilized systems that are difficult to manage. Organizations are ready to update or replace aging systems with modern platforms that are designed to support all types of data more efficiently, and to deliver better business insights at a lower cost. Customers expect systems that offer:

• Easy management

• High performance

• Scalability to grow with their business (investment protection)

• Fast return on investment (ROI)

• Easy implementation

• Quick time-to-value

So when you consider updating your organization’s infrastructure, look at the benefits that data management and business intelligence solutions provide, but also look at the solution provider. It’s best to go with what you know, which is why so many companies choose to modernize their infrastructure with HP and Microsoft solutions—two industry leaders with more than 30 years of partnership who apply their expertise to modernized mission-critical infrastructure.

1 , 2 “The End of the Database as We Know It – noDISK, noSQL, Cloudy,” Donald Feinberg, Gartner IT Symposium, October 20103 IDC: 2010 Digital Universe Study



7

Commenting on a blog post about speeding infrastructure modernizationModernizing your infrastructure can take months to complete. Or it can take just a few short weeks—from initial design to final deployment—when you choose a solution that’s pre-tested and proven to run. HP and Microsoft speed your infrastructure modernization by delivering proven solutions that range from flexible reference architectures that you can customize to meet your unique needs, to turnkey solutions that are integrated from the ground up. To ensure these solutions deliver the performance and capabilities you need for your modernized infrastructure, HP and Microsoft built them on optimized converged infrastructure with deeply integrated data management and analytics capabilities. These agile solutions also include comprehensive services to minimize your deployment risk.

Commenting on a forum thread about performance benefits of HP and Microsoft Data Management and Business Intelligence solutionsIn today’s business environment, it’s all about speed and performance. That’s why HP and Microsoft based all their data management and BI solutions on optimized converged infrastructure. Our goal was to deliver the increased performance, reliability, and capacity you need, whenever you need it. By coupling HP Converged Infrastructure with Microsoft SQL Server 2012, you get a flexible, highly available, mission-critical infrastructure that can scale to meet the most demanding enterprise requirements.

Commenting on a blog post about industry credibility for HP and Microsoft Data Management and Business Intelligence solutionsWhen you modernize your infrastructure, you want to use the best components. And today, you can’t do much better than HP and Microsoft.

• For more than 10 consecutive years, which is 41 straight quarters, HP has been the number one vendor in worldwide server shipments, with a 33.7 percent total unit shipment share.

• HP is the number one vendor in worldwide server revenue (tied) with 29.6 percent total revenue share.4

• HP is number one in Microsoft Windows® revenue and units worldwide.5

• Microsoft BI and analytics technologies are in use at 47 percent of companies—more than Oracle, IBM, and SAP.6

• Microsoft Excel is the most ubiquitous end-user spreadsheet and analytics tool in use around the world, with more than 400 million users.7

4, 5 IDC Worldwide Quarterly Server Tracker for 2Q12, August 20126 IDC WW Database, RDBMS Report and Internal Microsoft Database usage report7 Microsoft Office Applications Usage Report



8

Additional proof pointsUse the following proof points and product information to create your own posts. You’ll add value to conversations through authoritative information, with specific stats to back up your comments.

HP AppSystem for Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Parallel Data Warehouse – Built for Big Data, this solution is powered by a fundamental breakthrough on the data processing engine called PolyBase, which enables integrated queries across Hadoop and relational data stores. This high-performance, massively scalable, converged data management system includes everything customers need to deliver better results across the data management lifecycle. The HP AppSystem for Parallel Data Warehouse is designed according to three key core tenets:

• Complete solutions – With pre-integrated hardware, software, and networking; removing the guesswork from selecting the right configurations for handling today’s data management workloads.

• Optimized, right-sized, and purpose-built for data management – Focusing specifically on the appropriate combination of technologies required to support data management usage scenarios.

• Agile – Using pre-integrated systems for fast deployment; industry-standard components for rapid adoption; integration with existing analysis and reporting tools for improved flexibility.

HP SQL Server 2012 Fast Track Data Warehouse Reference Architectures – To speed time to deployment and business value, HP and Microsoft removed the guesswork from data warehouse design and implementation. The result is the HP SQL Server 2012 Fast Track Data Warehouse Reference Architectures. Providing a generational leap in performance, these reference architectures are optimized configurations that include HP Converged Infrastructure components, together with the advanced features of Microsoft SQL Server 2012. Scalable up to 60 TB of capacity, the HP SQL Server Fast Track 2012 Reference Architectures are pre-tuned solutions designed to:

• Accelerate data warehouse implementations, helping to reduce costs and facilitate successful deployments.

• Reduce the total cost of ownership by including maintenance, IT staffing, installation, configuration, and operations.

These HP and Microsoft reference architectures integrate:

• HP ProLiant servers, including DL380 Gen8 and DL580 G7 models

• HP P2000 G3 Modular Smart Array (MSA) disk arrays

• HP Network switches

• HP SN6000 Stackable 8 Gb Fibre Channel Switches, designed to make SANs affordable and easy-to-use, especially as the network expands

• Services from HP and Microsoft Frontline partners

HP Universal Database Solution for Mission Critical x86 Reference Architecture for Microsoft SQL Server 2012 – Proven to perform, even under the most demanding OLTP workloads. Leveraging the advanced mission-critical features of scale-up HP ProLiant DL980 Servers, flash storage, and the HA and disaster tolerant features of Microsoft SQL Server 2012, this HP and Microsoft solution provides a framework customers can leverage with confidence as their OLTP requirements continue to grow. Compared to proprietary one-size-fits-all solutions, this pre-tested, pre-optimized, pre-architected x86-based solution enables greater system flexibility and agility, while also reducing implementation time and lowering the total cost of ownership.



9

HP Database Consolidation Reference Architecture – For many customers, the rush for innovation and speed in an era of ever-increasing volumes of data has resulted in an uncontrolled expansion of the server and storage infrastructure that supports the database application environment. Microsoft SQL Server, the most popular database system in the world, sits at the heart of many of these environments—which have become increasingly inefficient and costly due to the sprawl of underutilized computing systems. HP developed the Database Consolidation Reference Architecture, designed and optimized for high I/O, Microsoft SQL Server environments. It is specifically designed to meet the challenge of SQL Server database sprawl, so you can regain control and drive increased efficiency. A system created from the DBC RA simplifies and integrates the entire IT stack into a unified database platform that is more cost-effective and easy to manage, allowing you to take advantage of private cloud technologies to create a more flexible, IT services-based environment.

• Unmatched consolidation system for SQL Server – Consolidate hundreds or thousands of databases running on underutilized physical servers and storage to overcome database sprawl.

• Easier planning for consolidation – Microsoft’s Assessment and Planning toolkit delivers discovery and sizing information on SQL Server databases across the network to help plan consolidation onto a system built with the DBC RA.

• Real-time provisioning – Integrated management software from HP and Microsoft make it easy to automatically provision additional SQL instances in real time and on-demand to support private cloud environments.

• Chargeback to end-user departments – Microsoft tools meter resource usage and enable chargeback to users to further improve resource utilization.

• Simplified management – The system is managed under one common management stack, providing easier manageability through a single pane-of-glass. Software upgrades and firmware updates can be made while keeping SQL Servers running on a secondary virtual machine.

• End-to-end solution – Factory integration is available to deliver a pre-built and integrated system with HP BladeSystem servers, storage, and Microsoft software. HP can also support the entire solution, including the Microsoft components. Additional services are available to assess and plan migrations to the virtualized environment.

Finding relevant postsYou can use the following posts and articles as references in your posts:

• What does a 30-year partnership get you? – h30507.www3.hp.com/t5/Rethink-BI-Business-Insights/Want-to-see-what-30-years-of-HP-amp-Microsoft-partnership-has/ba-p/126867

• Which data management solution delivers against today’s top six requirements? – h30507.www3.hp.com/t5/Rethink-BI-Business-Insights/Which-data-management-solution-delivers-against-today-s-top-six/ba-p/134609

You can also use the following information to find conversations as they occur:

• Twitter Search: twitter.com/search-home – Searching Twitter for specific relevant keywords can uncover conversations not only happening within Twitter, but also reveal links to relevant blog posts and forum conversations.

• Google Alerts: google.com/alerts – Google alerts can be set up for specific topics of interest. You will receive a daily email that includes all mentions of the keywords from across the Web.

• BoardTracker: boardtracker.com – BoardTracker is a fantastic search engine for forums. Simply enter a keyword and relevant forum posts will display. Click a result to go directly to the forum post, where you can begin commenting as soon as you sign up.

• Google Blog Search: google.com/blogsearch – If you’re getting non-relevant results from Google Alerts, you can search using Google’s Blog Search tool. This vertical search engine only searches blog; it will help you narrow your choices if necessary.



http://h30507.www3.hp.com/t5/Rethink-BI-Business-Insights/Want-to-see-what-30-years-of-HP-amp-Microsoft-partnership-has/ba-p/126867

http://h30507.www3.hp.com/t5/Rethink-BI-Business-Insights/Want-to-see-what-30-years-of-HP-amp-Microsoft-partnership-has/ba-p/126867

http://h30507.www3.hp.com/t5/Rethink-BI-Business-Insights/Which-data-management-solution-delivers-against-today-s-top-six/ba-p/134609

http://h30507.www3.hp.com/t5/Rethink-BI-Business-Insights/Which-data-management-solution-delivers-against-today-s-top-six/ba-p/134609

http://www.twitter.com/search-home

http://www.google.com/alerts

http://www.boardtracker.com

http://www.google.com/blogsearch

10

Long-form posts (>140 characters; Facebook, forums, etc.)1. Are you considering updating your aging IT infrastructure—deploying modern systems that can help you improve performance, lower total cost of ownership, and speed insights? Find out how data management and business intelligence solutions from HP and Microsoft can help, together with services from Frontline partners. [Insert URL]

2. Are you looking for a proven way to modernize your infrastructure? Regardless of your industry focus, HP and Microsoft—together with Frontline partners—can help you realize game-changing benefits sooner, including improved performance, lower total cost of ownership, and faster insights. And best of all, with the range of solutions from HP and Microsoft and expert services from Frontline partners, you can modernize your infrastructure on your timelines and your terms. It’s your infrastructure, your way. [Insert URL]

3. Do you need a new infrastructure solution that can deliver all the performance, reliability, and insights you need to meet your growing needs? Discover how data management and business intelligence solutions from HP and Microsoft, delivered by Frontline partners, can help. [Insert URL]

4. As you consider modernizing your infrastructure, do you want to work with industry leaders? HP and Microsoft are the smart choice because they offer joint data management and business intelligence solutions based on best-in-class HP Converged Infrastructure and Microsoft SQL Server 2012. These solutions bring you game-changing benefits, including improved performance, lower total cost of ownership, and faster insights. Only HP and Microsoft—together with Frontline partners—can deliver your infrastructure, your way. [Insert URL]

5. Do you want to modernize your data warehouse environment, but you don’t know where to start? Find out how HP SQL Server 2012 Fast Track Data Warehouse Reference Architectures provide everything you need to get started. [Insert URL]

6. If your organization is wrestling with the challenges of Big Data—explosive data growth, more users, more points of access, more information sources, and a sprawling data center—HP and Microsoft, together with Frontline partners, can help. By offering a portfolio of integrated data management and business intelligence solutions, including reference architectures and turnkey appliances, we can help you harness the power of your Big Data, rather than letting it control you. Using best-in-class HP Converged Infrastructure and Microsoft SQL Server 2012, you can modernize your data management infrastructure—creating a flexible, mission-critical environment that improves performance, lowers your TCO, and delivers the deep insight you need, when you need it. [Insert URL]

7. Is your organization wresting with the challenges of Big Data—explosive data growth, more users, points of access, and information sources, and a sprawling data center—HP and Microsoft, together with Frontline partners, can help. The HP AppSystem for Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Parallel Data Warehouse is built for Big Data, and powered by a fundamental breakthrough on the data processing engine. This advanced technology enables integrated queries across Hadoop and other relational data stores. This high-performance, massively scalable, converged data management system includes everything you need to deliver better results across the data management lifecycle. [Insert URL]

CTA: ?

CTA: ?

CTA: ?

CTA: ?

SB

SB

SB



11

8. If your database solution is struggling to meet your organization’s growing OLTP demands, HP and Microsoft, together with Frontline partners, have the perfect solution—the HP Universal Database Solution for Mission Critical x86 Reference Architecture—Microsoft SQL Server 2012. Leveraging the advanced mission-critical features of scale-up HP ProLiant DL980 Servers, flash storage, and the HA and DT features of Microsoft SQL Server 2012, this HP and Microsoft solution provides a framework you can leverage with confidence as your OLTP requirements continue to grow. Compared to proprietary one-size-fits-all solutions, this pre-tested, pre-optimized, pre-architected x86-based solution enables greater system flexibility and agility, while also reducing implementation time and lowering the total cost of ownership. [Insert URL]

9. Is your organization struggling to control SQL Server sprawl? Find out how the HP Database Consolidation Reference Architecture can help you regain control and drive increased efficiency. [Insert URL]

10. Is your organization looking for a new way to improve system performance? If so, HP and Microsoft can help modernize your infrastructure using solutions from our joint portfolio of data management and business intelligence solutions. Modernizing your IT environment will help you not only improve performance, but also lower total cost of ownership and deliver faster insights. [Insert URL]

11. HP and Microsoft data management and business intelligence solutions are optimized for SQL Server 2012—the foundation of the cloud-ready information platform. SQL Server 2012 will help you unlock breakthrough insights across your organization, as well as quickly build solutions and extend data across on-premises and public cloud. And of course, SQL Server is backed by mission-critical confidence and expert services provided by Frontline partners. [Insert URL]

12. If you’re ready to transform the economics and expectations of your data center, then you’re ready to modernize your infrastructure using SQL Server 2012 running on HP ProLiant Gen8 servers. These next-generation servers provide the benefits of more than 150 customer-driven innovations—delivering built-in intelligence and automation across the data center lifecycle. [Insert URL]

CTA: ?

SB

SB

SB

SB



12

Short-form posts (<140 characters, Twitter, SMS, etc.)1. Modernize your infrastructure to improve performance, lower TCO, and deliver better insights faster. [Short URL]

2. Enable mission-critical performance and availability across workloads. [Short URL]

3. Extend your data from on-premise systems to private, public, or hybrid clouds. [Insert URL]

4. Modernize your infrastructure faster and more reliably to reduce complexity and minimize risk. [Short URL]

5. HP and Microsoft solutions scale from low end to high end using the same footprint and architecture. [Insert URL]

6. HP and Microsoft solutions scale up to 56 nodes and 6 PB of storage to meet your growing Big Data needs. [Short URL]

7. Each HP and Microsoft solution is purpose-built for a specific workload—delivering only what’s needed for that job. [Short URL]

8. Microsoft BI and analytics technologies are in use at 47 percent of companies, more than Oracle, IBM, and SAP.8 [Short URL]

9. Microsoft Excel is a ubiquitous end-user analytics tool used by more than 400 million users around the world.9 [Short URL]

10. Remove the guesswork from infrastructure modernization using pre-tested reference architectures. [Insert URL]

11. Speed deployment of your modernized infrastructure by using a pre-integrated data warehouse appliance. [Insert URL]

12. Integrated HP and Microsoft management enables you to deploy and manage physical and virtual resources remotely from anywhere. [Short URL]

8 IDC WW Database, RDBMS Report and Internal Microsoft Database usage report 9 Microsoft Office Applications Usage Report.

CTA: ?

CTA: ?

CTA: ?

CTA: ?

CTA: ?

CTA: ?

CTA: ?

SB

ESGROI

ESGEVV

ESGEVV

IDC



© Copyright 2014 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.

2014 HP and Microsoft Restricted. This document contains confidential and/or legally privileged information. It is intended for HP, Microsoft, and Channel Partner Internal Use only. If you are not an intended recipient as identified on the front cover of this document, you are strictly prohibited from reviewing, redistributing, disseminating, or in any other way using or relying on the contents of this document.

Microsoft and Windows are U.S. registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle and/or its affiliates.

February 2014

13. Reduce planned and unplanned downtime using the built-in high availability and disaster recovery features of SQL Server. [Short URL]

14. Whether you want to scale up or scale out, HP and Microsoft have the right-fit solution. [Short URL]

CTA: ?

SB



blogging and social media guide...

Documents