A few short months ago, we took transparency to the next level by opening the doors for customers to request a picture of their actual server on a rack in our data centers. Without question, our first “Show Me My Server” experiment was a huge success. We were sure the program would be reborn, and we took a few notes about how we could improve it.

Enter #ShowMeMyServer 2.0.

We heard from a few of our international customers that the narrow time frame fell in the middle of their night. This go-round won’t be limited to a single hour … we’ll accept entries for a full 24 hours, giving every time zone an equal shot at participation. In our first run, we also made a disclaimer about the quality of the photographs, as some were snapped by Blackberries and iPhones … this time, we’ll be using a DSLR camera with hopes of getting some higher quality images back to you. That last update should be reason enough for everyone who participated the first time to enter again.

With the extended participation window, we’re making it a little tougher to qualify, so we’ve got four simple tasks for you to complete within one day – by 3:30 p.m. CDT on March 24. ALL FOUR tasks must be completed before we give your server a well-deserved close-up.

Your Mission (you should choose to accept it):

1. Post a Tweet saying “I’m Powered by @ThePlanet. #showmemyserver”
2. Post a comment on this blog that includes “My website is _________, and I’m Powered by The Planet.”
3. Become a fan of The Planet on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/theplanet
4. Send an email to twitter @ theplanet.com with the following:
   1) Your name:
   2) Twitter username:
   3) Account number (C—– or E—–):
   4) The IP address of the soon-to-be-photographed hardware:
   5) The name you want displayed in your picture:

The information above – along with the address you send your email from – will be used to verify your account. The IP address you include will not be publicized or included in your server’s photo, its only purpose is to pinpoint your server. If you do not include a display name in your email, we will include your Twitter username by default.

As we did in our first #showmemyserver, we’re limiting each customer to picture of a single server. If you have a private rack, we can make an exception and snap a couple pictures of the servers on your rack if you’d prefer. Just provide your rack number in place of the server’s IP address in your email.

Once we close the submissions window, we’ll start snapping the photos. The turnaround will depend on the volume of requests. We’re aiming to get pictures back to you — replying to the e-mail you sent twitter@theplanet — by the end of next week. While getting a picture is not the same as meeting your server face-to-faceplate, it’ll at least tide you over until you can make it to Houston or Dallas for an “in real life” data center tour.

When you finish your tasks and start waiting for your picture, head to our new Flickr group at http://www.flickr.com/groups/showmemyserver/ and show us your computer or workstation … it’ll be interesting to see if the servers look as similar as some pets look to their owners.

What are you waiting for? Get going!

-Kevin

Update: As of 3:31 p.m. CDT on March 24, comments are closed. Participants, get ready for your server’s close-up!