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Update - Microsoft Responds to the Evolution of Community



 
 
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  #1  
Old May 8th 10, 08:25 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsme.general
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Update - Microsoft Responds to the Evolution of Community

What is Happening?
This message is to inform you that Microsoft will soon begin discontinuing
newsgroups and transitioning users to Microsoft forums.

Why?
As you may know, newsgroups have existed for many years now; however, the
traffic in the Microsoft newsgroups has been steadily decreasing for the
past several years while customers and participants are increasingly finding
solutions in the forums on Microsoft properties and third party sites. This
move will unify the customer experience, centralize content, make it easier
for active contributors to retain their influence, mitigate redundancies and
make the content easier to find by customers and search engines through
improved indexing. Additionally, forums offer a better user and spam
management platform that will improve customer satisfaction by encouraging a
healthy discussion in a clean community space. To this end, Microsoft will
begin to progressively shift available resources to the forums technology
and discontinue support for newsgroups.

In addition to offering a compelling online browser experience, for those
users who prefer to use an NNTP (newsgroup) reader to participate in the
newsgroups community, we have developed a solution called the NNTP Bridge
which allows a user to connect a variety of supported NNTP readers to the
forums they would like to participate in and continue having the NTTP reader
functionality. You can find instructions on how to download and set up the
NNTP Bridge he http://connect.microsoft.com/MicrosoftForums/

Which Newsgroups Are Affected by this Shutdown?
All public newsgroups will eventually be closed between June 1, 2010 and
October 1, 2010. Microsoft will be closing newsgroups in a phased approach,
starting with the least active newsgroups and moving eventually to more
active ones throughout the course of the next six months.

When will this Happen?
Effective June 1, 2010 this newsgroup will be closed.

Where Should I go with the Closure of this Newsgroup?
Microsoft has a large selection of forums, many of which cover either the
same or closely related technologies to the ones found in the newsgroups.
The forums have seen amazing growth and are an excellent place to continue
the discussion. We recommend that you start with
http://social.answers.microsoft.com/...WindowsAnswers

Should you want to visit the other Microsoft Forums, please go to
http://www.microsoft.com/communities...s/default.mspx

Who Should I Contact with any Questions?
Send any questions about the process, recommended forums and timing to


  #4  
Old May 8th 10, 07:30 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsme.general
HRH The Example John Smith
External Usenet User
 
Posts: 16
Default Update - Microsoft Responds to the Evolution of Community

I'm reading this in Win7, but running (not right this very instant) Win2.03,
WFW3.11, Win95a, Win98se, WinMe, Win2k, and XP three times (having removed
Win95b, NT3.51 and NT4.0 as surplus to requirements). Also MS-DOS 5.00 and
6.22 (though haven't put 8.00 back...yet!) and DR-DOS 7.03.

Basically I've set it up to demonstrate something of the evolution of the PC
OS since Windows for the technically-inquisitive newbie.

Users champion a particular Windows version because that was the one they
were using when it all fell into place for them and the low-level panic in
the background was finally overcome by the relief of understanding what they
were doing. And they resisted moving on, like when old age hits and you turn
Tory overnight in terror of the unpredicatable future.

Thus the 98 groups remain viable, because they have so many shrinking
violets still pretending to be engaged in something constructive as opposed
to the circle jerk it really is.

There is nothing particularly special about 98. Believe me.

Signed

Whoever I am this week.

"Noel Paton" wrote in message
...
"98 Guy" wrote in message ...
wrote:

When will this Happen?
Effective June 1, 2010 this newsgroup will be closed.


Ah hah!


Microsoft did *not* post a similar message in win98.gen_discussion.

...Yet.

Your time will come!
--
Noel Paton
CrashFixPC

Nil Carborundum Illegitemi
www.crashfixpc.co.uk

  #5  
Old May 8th 10, 08:36 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsme.general
Joan Archer[_4_]
External Usenet User
 
Posts: 81
Default Update - Microsoft Responds to the Evolution of Community

So that's why 98 Guy can't leave his newsgroup, hope he's got a big enough
hanky when the time comes and he loses it g

--
Joan Archer
http://crossstitcher.webs.com/

"HRH The Example John Smith" wrote in message
...
I'm reading this in Win7, but running (not right this very instant)
Win2.03, WFW3.11, Win95a, Win98se, WinMe, Win2k, and XP three times
(having removed Win95b, NT3.51 and NT4.0 as surplus to requirements). Also
MS-DOS 5.00 and 6.22 (though haven't put 8.00 back...yet!) and DR-DOS
7.03.

Basically I've set it up to demonstrate something of the evolution of the
PC OS since Windows for the technically-inquisitive newbie.

Users champion a particular Windows version because that was the one they
were using when it all fell into place for them and the low-level panic in
the background was finally overcome by the relief of understanding what
they were doing. And they resisted moving on, like when old age hits and
you turn Tory overnight in terror of the unpredicatable future.

Thus the 98 groups remain viable, because they have so many shrinking
violets still pretending to be engaged in something constructive as
opposed to the circle jerk it really is.

There is nothing particularly special about 98. Believe me.

Signed

Whoever I am this week.



  #7  
Old May 8th 10, 10:12 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsme.general
98 Guy
External Usenet User
 
Posts: 2,951
Default Update - Microsoft Responds to the Evolution of Community

Full-quoter and top-poaster Joan Archer wrote:

So that's why 98 Guy can't leave his newsgroup, hope he's got a
big enough hanky when the time comes and he loses it g


I guess you don't realize that the microsoft.public set of newsgroups
will continue on the world-wide usenet - even after microsoft shuts down
it's NNTP server.
  #8  
Old May 8th 10, 11:06 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsme.general
Noel Paton[_3_]
External Usenet User
 
Posts: 229
Default Update - Microsoft Responds to the Evolution of Community

"webster72n" wrote in message
...



That guy is an idiot, you are wasting your time, Noel.
H.


It's all I have to waste, Harry

--
Noel Paton
CrashFixPC

Nil Carborundum Illegitemi
www.crashfixpc.co.uk

  #9  
Old May 8th 10, 11:08 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsme.general
Noel Paton[_3_]
External Usenet User
 
Posts: 229
Default Update - Microsoft Responds to the Evolution of Community

"98 Guy" wrote in message ...

it's NNTP server.


Come back and post that here again when you've learned proper English....
Oh - sorry, you won't be able to, the groups will have closed.

In the meantime, MS's closure of their servers may well precipitate a domino
effect on the leeches - around two-thirds of the traffic in the groups comes
through the MS servers, so once they die, so does two-thirds of the traffic.
I don't think many people will bother going elsewhere for NG access, they'll
simply go to the forums.



--
Noel Paton
CrashFixPC

Nil Carborundum Illegitemi
www.crashfixpc.co.uk

  #10  
Old May 8th 10, 11:32 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsme.general
98 Guy
External Usenet User
 
Posts: 2,951
Default Update - Microsoft Responds to the Evolution of Community

Noel Paton wrote:

it's NNTP server.


Come back and post that here again when you've learned proper
English....


You quoted 2 words and an acronym. What exactly was the problem? Was
it my spelling, grammar, or punctuation? Was it the ' I use in "it's" ?

Is that the strongest criticism you can deal out to me?

Oh - sorry, you won't be able to, the groups will have closed.


One server that shuts down does not take the rest of usenet along with
it.

In the meantime, MS's closure of their servers may well precipitate
a domino effect on the leeches


It's funny that you call the rest of usenet "leeches".

It was Microsoft itself, back in 1996, that exuberantly proclaimed that
they were peering themselves with the rest of usenet, with the express
intention of improving problem-solving and trouble-shooting
accessibility for users.

And it's Microsoft that has been peering their NNTP server with the rest
of usenet ever since. It's their choice. They wanted it like this.

- around two-thirds of the traffic in the groups comes through
the MS servers


Do you have any authoritative source for that metric?

so once they die, so does two-thirds of the traffic.


You are assuming that nobody that currently uses Microsoft's
web-interface to these groups will start using a news-reader, or that
those that do use a news-reader will point it to an alternate server. I
would call that an unfounded, even ignorant assumption.

I don't think many people will bother going elsewhere for NG
access, they'll simply go to the forums.


And what of the current forums that Microsoft will not duplicate? IE6?
Win 9x/me?

This deadline period of June - October 2010 corresponds with the end of
all support for Windows 2000 and IE6. My guess is that there will be no
new forums created for products that pre-date:

- Windows XP SP3
- IE7
- Office 2003

And no forums for

- Visual Studio 6
- Back Office
- Outlook Express
 




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