Power Platform Weekly - Special Edition 4th Anniversary
Featuring new and experienced content creators! 🥰
We’ve reached a milestone #200 and today we celebrate four years of curating news. How? By highlighting stories with tips along the way ✨ You’ll meet:
Someone who chose to write blogs in both English and German
A content consumer who transformed info someone that could share
The YouTuber with crazy video editing skills
The manager of the Power Platform Advocates 🥑 at Microsoft
A contributor with a mantra I just want to help one person out there
The perfect podcast duo, so dedicated they went and got matching tattoos
“Everyone is on their own journey, some just started, some are really experienced, but the knowledge they can share will help others on their journey”
We will now take a break, see you in January!
💡 Tips Summary
Summary of tips on content sharing, you’ll find these in the stories!
Stop procrastinating, just start!
Find your "voice" and put systems in place
Be consistent in producing content.
Stop worrying about what other people might think
The nerves are temporary, but the impact is lasting
Ground your content in what genuinely interests you
If you’ve discovered a great solution, share it, even if it’s obvious to you
Don’t overlook opportunities to refresh old content
Be yourself, do what works for you, keep being awesome
Let others learn alongside you
Consider getting a mentor
Thank you to all who wanted to be part of this special edition!
📰 The Multilingual Blogger
Paulin Kolde - Blogger, Speaker, Microsoft MVP
Pauline launched her blog in August 2023, inspired by the work of Megan Walker and Amey Holden, whose blogs she says have been incredibly helpful throughout her career. She focuses on Dynamics 365 Customer Insights, works for Reply, splitting time between Hamburg and Cologne.
Tell us about why you started your blog?
Community blogs have always been a valuable resource for me, so when I decided to start my own blog, I had two main goals: to give back to the community and to create a personal knowledge base. I often found myself searching for the same information repeatedly, so documenting my findings not only helps me stay organized but also provides others with a resource they can rely on.
Additionally, I noticed a gap - there weren’t any German blogs dedicated to Customer Insights despite a significant consultant and user base in Germany. To bridge this gap, I chose to write my blog in both German and English, ensuring it’s accessible to a broader audience.
Best tips on getting started?
My main tip is simple: just go for it! It took me some time to work up the courage to publish my first post. I worried about what might happen if people didn’t like it, if others had better solutions, or if I made a mistake in one of my articles. But so far, none of those fears have come true. On the contrary, I’ve received fantastic feedback, including instances where someone shared an even easier solution to a problem I wrote about.
Now, I really appreciate those moments because I learn something new, and the entire community benefits. That’s why I encourage everyone: if you’ve discovered a great solution, share it, even if it seems obvious to you. There’s always someone out there who will find it valuable and benefit from your insights.
Anything else you want to share?
There is a new kid on the "blog": My friend Johannes Fleischhut, who has contributed some fantastic articles to my blog in the past, has now launched his own blog. His focus is on Customer Insights, Power Apps, and even Music - a unique and refreshing combination. His blog is definitely worth visiting and subscribing to.
I’d also like to recommend the blog of Renée van der Walt. Her articles are not only well-written but also packed with practical tips and valuable use cases for Customer Insights.
📰 From Content Consuming to Sharing
Jeroen Scheper - BizApps & AI Enthusiast, Blogger
This past year we noticed a new blogger Jeroen Scheper. He lives with his wife and two daughters (1 and 3) in the Netherlands. Besides the work that he likes, he’s a big sports fan and likes a good BBQ. You might have noticed soccer and padel are his favorite sports, he uses those themes where possible on his blog.
Tell us about why you started your blog?
So how did this all start, my CRM journey started back in 2015 and over time I had a lot of focus on getting certifications as a way of gaining knowledge. But mainly consuming this. Megan Walker and the 90-day mentoring challenge changed this, where originally I saw myself as a consumer and transformed to someone that can share. I realized, and this sounds funny, that everyone is on their own journey, some of you just started and some are really experienced, but the knowledge you can share will help others on their journey.
Best tips on getting started and what about the future?
Just start would be my best tip! It can help to have some sort of mentor that you are able to connect to who has already done this. Regarding the future, it will be interesting to see what the influence and impact of AI will be for the future blog posts.
Anything else you want to share?
I do want to massively thank the people at Power Platform Weekly for sharing great content of lots of creators in the community from all around the world. I am always looking forward to “the next edition” and feel gratitude when a blog post of mine is included again. Happy Holidays to everyone!
📺 Making Magic with Videos
Sean Astrakhan - YouTuber, Microsoft MVP, turns Makers into Architects
Sean’s a Solution Architect based in Baltimore. He leads an Architects Accelerator program, and does MAGIC with his videos, HOW does he do it?
Tell us your secrets, what’s the magic behind your videos?
I started with throwing in icons, words, screenshots. Progressed to more advanced editing, green screen and animations. Ideas on topics come from my experience, things I repeatedly get asked about, or if I see people misusing features. Inspiration come from anywhere - in the shower, out on a walk, from a song. I use Premiere Pro, to aspiring film makers - don’t use it, use Camtasia.
Any tips for people who wants to get started?
Have 100 % focus on making your videos short. Find a topic that isn’t common, make your thumbnail really interesting. Use your recording tool’s pause button. Your first 10 videos are gonna be garbage, when you’ve done 40 - you’ll start finding yourself. Honestly, just start, you’ll do awesome!
More questions We called Sean up, read the FULL STORY, video making, editing magic and fun facts → Sean almost accepted to Squid Game: The Challenge!
📺 Tips from a Power Platform Advocate
April Dunnam - Power Platform Advocate🥑 at Microsoft
Recently she celebrated her 5th anniversary at Microsoft, congratulations! She works together with our Daniel Laskewitz and leads a fantastic team ✨ She’s a YouTuber.
Do you remember when you got started making community content?
I vividly remember working up the nerve to create my first YouTube video back in June 2018. Before that, I had been regularly blogging for a couple of years on my SharePoint Siren blog, covering all things SharePoint and Power Platform. At the time, I was consulting and drinking from the firehose—learning and delivering a ton of Power Platform projects for clients.
Besides the OG Power Platform YouTuber, Mr. Shane Young, there weren’t many people covering canvas apps and flows. I was getting tired of blogging because of how long it took to document everything. I wanted a better way to not only remember what I was learning but also share it with others who might be struggling with the same things. So, I decided to give YouTube a try.
My first video was actually a SharePoint tutorial on how to do a filtered lookup. I quickly followed that up with a Power Apps video on using the same form control for both new and edit forms. The channel became a real-time vlog—sharing what I was working on and letting others learn along with me.
Fast forward six years, and I’m still having fun with it. Building this platform has been one of the most fulfilling things in my career: geeking out on what I’m learning and helping others grow alongside me.
With your current experience, what advice would you have given to your younger self, April, who just got started?
Stop procrastinating and worrying about what other people might think! I was so nervous to post my first YouTube video that I waited much longer than I should have. When you create video content, you really put yourself out there and open yourself up to potential criticism. I worried about everything—unwanted commentary on my voice or appearance, or people calling me out as a fraud on the technical aspects of my demos.
The thing is—none of that really happened. Sure, there were a few trolls, but they were the minority. The overwhelming majority of people were supportive and appreciative. If I could go back, I’d tell myself to just start. The nerves are temporary, but the impact is lasting.
Tips on how to find new areas to make content about?
Ground your content in what genuinely interests you. If you’re excited about a topic, it translates better to your audience and makes it easier to find ideas. Jumping on trends for the sake of it—without real interest—makes it hard to stay motivated, and your audience will pick up on that. For those of us who’ve been creating content for a while, don’t overlook opportunities to refresh old content. The products evolve quickly, and something you did five years ago might look completely different today. That’s a great chance to update tutorials and keep your content relevant.
Anything else you want to share? Fun facts related to your journey?
When you do YouTube videos, you sometimes get recognized—mostly at conferences and tech events. The weirdest place I’ve been recognized was at a bar where my band was playing. Before we started, someone came up and said, “Oh wow, you’re April Dunnam! We use your videos at my company to train our Power Platform developers.”
It was such a funny intersection of my work life and my hobby.
📅 From Nigeria to Malta and into Tech
Rachel Irabor - UG Leader, Speaker, Blogger, YouTuber, Microsoft MVP
Rachel Irabor specializes in Power Platform and Dynamics 365. She’s part of the leadership team for Power Platform UG Nigeria and co-organizer for Dynamics 365 and Power Platform UG Malta. YouTube channel.
How did you get involved in community and what do you do?
I got involved to enhance my technical and public speaking skills. I contribute through my podcast, "A Girl in Love with Tech," and YT channel, where I do tutorial videos. I also write blogs & newsletters, host events, and speak at international conferences.
These experiences have allowed me to connect with like-minded professionals, exchange knowledge, and continuously improve my skills. Contributing to the community is something I deeply love and am passionate about. It allows me to be myself, share my knowledge, and make a positive impact. My mantra is simple: I just want to help one person out there. Through my efforts, I aim to empower others and inspire them to explore the possibilities in careers in tech.
What are your best tips on getting started?
Just be yourself! Whether it’s a blog post, podcast, hosting events, or virtual meetups, do what works for you and keep being awesome!
Any tips about new contributors?
Here are 5 YouTube channels and one blog from the Nigerian community for you to keep an eye on! Joseph Fadero, Gift Warieta, Panshak Koproda, Esther Owolabi, Muhsin Hameed, Marvelous Omotoso.
🎙 The Podcast duo that BOOST you
Meet the Power Platform Boost Podcast team!
Ulrikke Akerbæk and Nick Doelman about the story behind the podcast.
What inspired you to start the podcast? (what's the background story?)
We were big fans of the "Up Podcast" hosted by Lisa Crosbie and Megan Walker. Like everyone, we really missed it when they stopped producing it. We were both guests on the Nordic Summit podcast in 2022, and really had a lot of fun recording it. A few months later Nick was a judge at the Arctic Cloud Developer Challenge. At the event, we discussed all the new stuff coming out for the Power Platform and decided (after a few beers) that we should do a podcast! On Nick's flight home he relistened to the Nordic Summit podcast and texted Ulrikke with the idea of (really) seriously starting a podcast. The rest is history!
How do you stay motivated to keep doing it?
We decided right from the start to only produce an episode every 2 weeks as opposed to each week. That keeps the schedule manageable. We also have a very strict schedule of releasing every second Wednesday morning, no matter what. We keep each other accountable to sticking to that schedule. Our motivation is that we have an excuse to meet up and have a chat and talk about all the cool stuff happening in the community and all the new Power Platform features and content!
Any tips for new content creators thinking about starting a podcast?
Be consistent in producing content. It helps maintain momentum. Find your "voice" and put systems in place. We have a process now from planning, recording, publishing, social media push, etc. It feels automatic and we rely on each other.
Anything else you want to share?
The podcast really is about having fun and helping us shine the light on the community. We have become very good friends working on this podcast and actually work together on a very large Power Platform project. We joke that even if no one ever listened, we would still schedule some time to chat about all the new cool Power Platform stuff.
Fun facts related to the podcast?
In October 2023 we got matching tattoos with the "BOOST" logo. We have discussed that if ever our careers move away from the Power Platform, we have a deal that we'll turn the podcast into the "BOOST foodie podcast" as they we enjoy experiencing local food while traveling. Nick nominated Ulrikke for the MVP award in 2021. When Nick left Microsoft, Ulrikke nominated Nick to regain the award in 2024.
📊 Statistics
Our subscriber gain continues stable. X has slowed down, indicating people are moving somewhere else. See you on Bluesky?
~6500 Subscribers ⬆️ 2000 since last anniversary
~15500 LinkedIn followers ⬆️ 2500 since last anniversary
~2900 Twitter/X followers ⬆️ 400 since last anniversary
~15 Bluesky followers ⬆️ 15 since last anniversary
👋 Hello from the team
Spread over four countries, two continents, we’ve not yet met all in-person. Part of the team met in Oslo in September, Chicago in November. Had super serious meetings about the future!
Have a wonderful Christmas Holiday and Happy New Year! 🌟