Balaji Kandasamy
Provide a short summary of why you should be selected by the community as a Digital Experience MVP
Vocal Advocacy: I have been an active advocate for Sitecore within the community, consistently promoting the platform's benefits and capabilities. User Group: I am running PGHSUG, fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing among fellow enthusiasts. Meetup Speaker: I have shared my expertise and insights by speaking at multiple Sitecore meetups, helping others learn and grow within the community. Blogging: I have contributed to the community through informative blogs, sharing real-world experiences and knowledge to benefit others. Event Organizer: I played a key role as an organizer in SUGCONNA. Mentorship: I have dedicated my time to mentoring others, and helping them navigate.
Contributions you have made in the Digital Experience (DX) community online and in-person (i.e., blog posts, podcasts, webinars, encouraged others to join)?
Blog Posts Deliver quality content to the Sitecore community through my blog which had 15k Views this year. ○ Sitecore 10.3 Embeddable Forms Framework https://bala.one/sitecore-10-3-embeddable-forms-framework/ ○ Sitecore Technology MVP 2023 https://bala.one/sitecore-mvp-2023/ ○ Secure Sitecore Vanity Domains with Azure Function Apps https://bala.one/secure-sitecore-vanity-domains-with-azure-function-apps/ ○ Coveo for Sitecore Activation Error Fix https://bala.one/coveo-for-sitecore-activation-error-fix/ ○ Sitecore DX 2023 Boston Highlights https://bala.one/sitecore-dx-2023-boston-highlights/ ○ Unlocking the Power of Sitecore Search https://bala.one/unlocking-the-power-of-sitecore-search/ YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@balaone_ 104 subscribers 30 videos Presentations • Jan 19, 2023 - Design the Search Experience for Sitecore with Coveo – SUG Clevland https://www.meetup.com/sugcle-sitecore-user-group-cleveland/events/290716988/ • Feb 13, 2023 - Design the Search Experience for Sitecore with Coveo – SUG Ecuador https://www.meetup.com/sitecore-user-group-ecuador/events/291282804/ • Apr 30, 2023 - Sitecore Search 101 - SUG Coimbatore https://www.sugcbe.in/event-details-registration/sitecore-search-101 • May 21, 2023 - Sitecore Search 101 – SUG Jordon https://community.sitecore.com/community?id=community_event&sys_id=9e6c78701bf2ad90b8954371b24bcb2a • May 31, 2023 - Sitecore Search 101 – SUG Pittsburgh https://www.meetup.com/pghsug/events/293278460/ • June 28—2023 - Sitecore Search 101 – SUG QueenCity https://www.meetup.com/queen-city-sitecore-user-group/events/294163025/ • July 13, 2023 - Sitecore Search 101 – SUG Atlantic Canada https://www.meetup.com/atlantic-canada-sitecore-meetup-group/events/294573993 • July 19, 2023 - Sitecore Search 101 – SUG Columbus https://kommunity.com/sitecore-user-group-columbus/events/sitecore-search-101-7488c059 Certification ○ Sitecore Content Hub Administration Certification ○ Sitecore Content Hub Developer Certification ○ Sitecore XM Cloud Certification Contribution ○ Sitecore Bug ○ Sitecore Lunches □ Technical challenges and discuss solutions. ○ Mentor Aspiring MVP's □ Four mentees this year □ Share the experience success path with the aspiring MVPs. ○ Offline Mentoring □ Mentor developers for Sitecore and help with certification. ○ Sitecore OrderCloud Webinar : □ https://go.ceiamerica.com/sitecore-ordercloud-webinar □ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mt81ouLnmpM Organized Pittsburgh SUG https://www.meetup.com/pghsug/events/ 11 Meetup this year 45 Members growth (346) Average of 18 participants ○ Dec 08, 2022 - Moving to Headless without losing your head | CDP - A comparative study ○ Jan 25, 2023 - Sitecore Headless Project Experiences with Next.js ○ Feb 08, 2023 - The Road to Composable: Migrating your XP solutions to Headless ○ Mar 08, 2023 - Role of CX in Composable DXP world ○ Apr 05, 2023 - Introduction of JavaScript SDK for Sitecore Discover ○ May 31, 2023 - Sitecore Search 101 ○ Jun 22, 2023 - When AI met Sitecore CDP ○ Jul 10, 2023 - The capabilities of Sitecore's DXP products against Adobe, Acquia, and Optimizely ○ Aug 9, 2023 - Getting Started with Sitecore Experience Edge ○ Sep 21, 2023 - One click Sitecore deployment to Kubernetes ○ Oct 25, 2023 - Sitecore XM Cloud - Experiences and Learnings ○ Nov 09, 2023 - Building an Intelligent Chat Experience powered by Real-time Business Content/Data with OpenAI YouTube Pittsburgh Sitecore User Group Channel 11 Video Published 161 Subscribers ○ CDP Comparative Study o https://youtu.be/KvfGfY2yzKU ○ Moving to Headless without losing your head o https://youtu.be/ZmWWqyja3eQ ○ Sitecore Headless project experiences with NextJS o https://youtu.be/aaGCGYK8l ○ The Road to Composable Migrating your XP solutions to Headless. o https://youtu.be/U4mzlrUPvMc ○ Role of CX in Composable DXP world o https://youtu.be/BE71HeiR44A ○ Introduction of JavaScript SDK for Sitecore Discover o https://youtu.be/eJuHh6xpzBE ○ Sitecore Search 101 o https://youtu.be/HavF5Fzcv2c ○ When AI met CDP o https://youtu.be/Wg3Wi7o7xwI ○ How do the capabilities of Sitecore's DXP products stack up against Adobe, Acquia, and Optimizely? o https://youtu.be/60UJAx2ySYY ○ Getting Started With Sitecore Experience Edge o https://youtu.be/ITbrJW_wBrw ○ One click Sitecore deployment to Kubernetes o https://youtu.be/S81jTtXOY5s ○ Sitecore XM Cloud Experiences and Learnings o https://youtu.be/8Xa8aEWqCTY
What encouraging words would you like to share with those new to the community and perhaps new in their career?
Stay Curious and Keep learning. Set Goals and persistently work towards them. Network and connect with people. Prioritize your health. Be present at the moment.
List other URLs to showcase your work, such as GitHub, StackOverflow, StackExchange, Twitter, and others that are relevant.
https://www.youtube.com/@balaone_
https://sitecore.stackexchange.com/users/4716/bala