Mon, Nov 2 2009 18:42
bradley
At what point in time did the technet content pages turn into "the lost souls of support" pages?
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd335033(WS.10).aspx
At what point in time did the technet content pages turn into "the lost souls of support" pages?
The sections at the bottom are for clarifications of content, not to be posting "help me, something broke".
With Microsoft having forums and newsgroups and Partner support forums, isn't it bad enough that I see Twitter being used as a support channel as well as Facebook, and now the content pages of Technet that no support personnel looks at and it's only PowerShell MVP Thomas Lee who must have carpel tunnel syndrome from posting "this isn't really the place to be for help" in nearly all of the PowerShell Technet content and various security/firewall content I've seen?
Take for example this lovely Technet content on Windows Firewall - http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc722062(WS.10).aspx where we have Skype problems, Limewire problems, virus problems, msn games problems, msn doesn't want to connect, yahoo messenger, msn issues [apparenly MSN and Microsoft firewalls have lots of issues, I see a trend], email issues, xbox 360, wireless issues, games, start up problems, freezing windows, viruses, paltalk issues, system turning off, can't print, can't play cd's, Norton security issues, Firewall issues, Live messenger issues, internet downloading issues, Frostwire issues,
And tirelessly Thomas posts back:
[tfl - 22 02 09] You should post questions like this to the Technet Forums at http://forums.microsoft.com/technet or the MS Newsgroups at http://www.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/en-us/. You are much more likely get a quick response using the forums than through the Community Content.
For specific help about:
Exchange : http://groups.google.com/groups/dir?sel=usenet%3Dmicrosoft.public.exchange%2C&
SQL Server : http://groups.google.com/groups/dir?sel=usenet%3Dmicrosoft.public.sqlserver%2C&
Windows : http://groups.google.com/groups/dir?sel=usenet%3Dmicrosoft.public.windows%2C&
Windows Server : http://groups.google.com/groups/dir?sel=usenet%3Dmicrosoft.public.windows.server%2C&
Virtual Server : http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.virtualserver/topics?lnk
Full Public : http://groups.google.com/groups/dir?sel=usenet%3Dmicrosoft.public%2C&
It's a wiki type of landing page, it's NOT a support forum. Google is not doing you any favors here in dumping you into a place that NO ONE LOOKS at. And some of these posts are recent and they just joined.
Folks, the technet wiki pages are to add to content, not to ask questions in a forum. If people can't find their way either because the page where they end up isn't clear where to go, then search that brings you to the wrong spot, isn't helping the issue here.
We have a failure in content, a failure in search, a failure in support if people aren't finding the right place to go.
Filed under: Rants