One thing that's always a pain when applying for a new job is wrestling together a bunch of phone numbers, addresses, e-mail addresses, etc., to use as references. It's kind of embarrassing and awkward to boot.

The nice thing about being in a users group (like ssdotnet - especially one that's not too big, where you can know everybody) is that you are in a group of people that are dedicated enough to their craft that they take time out of their busy lives to come hang out with you - we all know they could be doing lots of things more interesting than that. Putting some effort into being a better developer is instant karma in my book.

If you know me from a users group or conference or something and you need a reference for something, let me know. I know you are the type of person I would want to work with and I have no problem sharing that knowledge with others.