Get SQL Server and Oracle Help on Twitter

When you’ve got database questions, you can get fast, free, friendly help.  Here’s how to do it:

1. Join Twitter. It’s completely free, and you don’t have to post boring stuff.  Just use it for questions.
2. Post your question in a tweet with the word #SQLHelp or #OracleHelp.  People in the community have searches set up for these phrases, and they’ll respond.
3. Watch for responses. On the right side of your http://Twitter.com page, you’ll see an @Username link.  My username is @BrentO, so on the right side mine says @BrentO.  Click on that link, and you’ll see the tweets sent to you.
4. Respond back to them. Click on the Reply link under each tweet, and in your reply, include the #SQLhelp or #OracleHelp tag.  That way everyone else will see your responses, which is helpful when you’re doing a lot of back-and-forth conversations to troubleshoot something.
5. Close Twitter when you’re done. Don’t feel obligated to hang out in the community if it’s not your thing.  Some folks just pop in to ask questions – and that’s completely okay.

If you’d like to learn more, here’s a few links:

• The Simple Twitter Book – my guide to getting started with Twitter.
• My SQL Server Twitter list – you can follow this list rather than following SQL Server people individually.  It keeps your home page a little cleaner.
• SQLServerPedia’s Twitter list – a wiki page of SQL Server community people.
• @HillbillyToad – Jeff Smith, my counterpart in the Oracle part of Quest Software.

Brent Ozar

Brent specializes in performance tuning for SQL Server, VMware, and storage. He's one of the very few Microsoft Certified Masters of SQL Server, a published author, and a Microsoft MVP. He likes travel, Jeeps, Apple gear, jokes, and writing about himself in the third person. Read more and contact Brent.

Website - Twitter - Facebook - More Posts