The Windows IT Pro Guide to Microsoft TechEd 2012

This year's TechEd is less than a week away, and a team of editors from Windows IT Pro will be covering the event live from Orlando, FL. Getting the most out of TechEd can sometimes be a challenge, so I've put together some tips and advice for IT pros visiting the show that may be useful. If you know of any TechEd tips, advice, or resources that I haven't mentioned here, feel free to send me an email with the details and I'll be happy to add your info.

TechEd Twitter Tips
The official TechEd Twitter hashtag is #msteched, the official Twitter account is @TechEd_NA, and the official maintainer of the Microsoft TechNet Twitter account is Brandy Pepper (@bapepper2). If you're tweeting about a specific session, use the format of #mstechedXXXX, with the four-digit session code taking the places of the placeholder Xs. Rod Trent over at myITforum.com has put together a more detailed and exhaustive TechEd Twitter guide, which you can find linked from his "Official Twitter Army Guide" blog post.

TechEd Mobile App
Microsoft has already released TechEd 2012 app for Windows Phone 7.5 dubbed myTechEd (Download here). In a shortsighted marketing move, Microsoft has decided to let iOS, Android, and Blackberry device owners fend for themselves by resorting to the generic myTechEd mobile-optimized website. I'm still wondering who at Microsoft is under the fanciful illusion that Windows Phone is the only mobile OS worth caring about, and that Redmond is the epicenter of the smartphone universe. Regardless, someone should confiscate their red stapler and urge them to support iOS and Android devices for the next TechEd. I'll defer to Microsoft's well-documented marketing acumen here, so I'm sure they have a good reason to tell the vast majority of Windows Server admins who prefer iOS or Android devices that they're not worth the effort.

Windows IT Pro Facebook Photo Album
We've also created a photo album on the Windows IT Pro Facebook page, where Windows IT Pro editors and contributors will be posting pictures of all things TechEd throughout the week. Be sure to bookmark the Windows IT Pro TechEd 2012 Photo Album the next time you're on Facebook.

Several Windows IT Pro editors and contributors will be posting and Tweeting throughout the entire week of TechEd, including Paul Thurrott (@thurrott), Sean Deuby (@shorinsean), Michael Otey, Jason Bovberg (@jasonbovberg), Amy Eisenberg (@witproamy) , Megan Keller (@megankeller), and yours truly (@jeffjames3). If you have questions about what we're seeing at the show, don't forget to ask.

Are you attending TechEd in Orlando next week? Share your thoughts by adding a comment to this blog post or contributing to the discussion on Twitter.