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General Information
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September 14, 2007
• Vol.29 Issue 37
Page(s) 25 in print issue
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Joining An Online Community
IT Workers Exchange Advice, Save Time On The Job
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A recent study conducted by King Research on behalf of KACE found that the majority of systems management professionals rely heavily on online communities to help them solve IT problems. According to the study’s findings, these resources give them a professional edge, shaving up to about three hours per week from their laundry list of to-do items.
“These communities clearly serve as an important resource to answer questions, share experiences, and communicate with peers who also wear many IT hats. Systems management professionals and the organizations they work for are seeing huge benefits from online communities both in the time saved for the individual or team and therefore money saved for their organizations, with potential for even greater benefits as new functionality is delivered to users,” says Diane Hagglund of King Research.
Hagglund’s report indicates that most administrators hedge their bets; for any given problem, they’ll visit more than one source of information for answers. Nevertheless, they generally have confidence in their colleagues in these communities—98% of those surveyed said they consider IT communities trustworthy.
The following sites are good examples of the types of well-respected communities that IT workers depend on to do their jobs.
 Microsoft TechNet
As much as the Redmond-haters love to bash Microsoft, the company actually has for a long time tried to develop a collegial relationship with its power users to help them do their jobs. After all, the better they do their jobs, the more likely their bosses will be happy with Microsoft’s product offerings and continue to sign off on those volume license agreements. Microsoft TechNet (www.technet.com) is the most visible manifestation of this work.
This site is home to one of the top general-purpose online communities for those running a Microsoft environment. The site as a whole seems to operate with three general purposes in mind. First, it is a vehicle for Microsoft to deliver product support downloads, prepared snippets of advice, and technical support, as well as company messaging around new products. Second, it is a place for Microsoft employees to look for product and support feedback and conduct meaningful dialogues with those willing to talk. Third, it is a place that facilitates discussions among Microsoft users so that they can work together to solve common problems.
Many administrators only know TechNet from the downloads and the occasional Microsoft-written articles. But the forums here are quite active. They are divided by product line, giving users an easy way to find and ask for answers about very specific technical questions dealing with products such as SQL Server, Office, and Windows.
Tech Republic
Tech Republic (www.techrepublic.com) is one of the longest-running and user-involved IT communities around. The site is owned by the CNET empire, but this conglomerate keeps a pretty hands-off approach, letting users sound off without heavy-handed moderation. It maintains that grassroots feel that seems to be a required ingredient for a successful IT community site. The user base is wide; members come from all walks of IT life. There are in-house developers, IT consultants, low-level admins, security experts, and even high-level executives.
The question-and-answer forum here is very newbie-friendly, with its fair share of veteran users willing to dispense advice to even the easiest of technical questions. Questions are typically answered in a timely fashion, and there are frequently debates as to the “right” way to attack a problem, giving the inquirer a good range of solution options to choose from. There is also a general discussion forum that frequently has lively debates on technical philosophies. This is also one of the better places on the Internet for IT pros to discuss career-oriented subjects such as training, leadership skills, and interacting with nontechies.
ITtoolbox
Unlike the previous two communities, ITtoolbox (www.ittoolbox.com) is not owned by any specific vendor or media interest that might have some hidden agenda. The site’s No. 1 purpose is to link IT staff, middle-level managers, and executives to share technical and business advice. Though almost every community is based on Web 2.0 principles—namely, depending on user-created content through forums—ITtoolbox is a site that really embraces the whole Web 2.0 philosophy.
The forums here are the main attraction, but the site also enables users to create wiki entries and blogs. All three main areas of content are grouped together as specific “Knowledge Bases” by certain areas of expertise, such as “Developing in C Languages” or “Business Intelligence,” so users can search the whole range of content by topic.
Also feeding into that Web 2.0 model is ITtoolbox’s robust profile system. Users are encouraged to create profiles with a picture of themselves, relevant professional information, and more. They are also ranked by how often they contribute to the site. This allows information seekers to better judge the trustworthiness of a particular post based on who is giving it.
Bugtraq
Though Bugtraq is very specialized compared to the other groups listed here, it serves an important purpose to all IT administrators who are concerned about protecting their infrastructure. This long-running listserv is designed for techies to disclose security vulnerabilities to the community at large. Operated by Security Focus (www.securityfocus.com), the listserv contents are also posted on the Security Focus Web site. Symantec (www.symantec.com) actually owns the site, but it is a freely operating unit. Many security researchers with Symantec’s competition frequently post to Bugtraq with zero intervention.
Even though the majority of posts are from vendor and independent researchers, as well as specialized security practitioners, Bugtraq has a loyal following of standard IT administrators. Searching the Bugtraq archives allows system and network staffers to isolate problems security breaches and vulnerabilities cause. And staying up on the messages keeps them up on the newest threats that crop up daily. 
by Ericka Chickowski
Additional IT Communities
CHANNEL 9
channel9.msdn.com
This is MSDN’s irreverent sibling. Microsoft posts tips and tricks via video here, and developers have a chance to sound off about their contents and contribute to wikis.
CODEGURU
www.codeguru.com
Programmers working in all languages and platforms flock to Codeguru to exchange information and collaborate.
EXPERTS-EXCHANGE
www.experts-exchange.com
Once a free site for IT administrators to exchange advice, Experts-Exchange is now pay-to-play. However, some loyal users swear by it. They claim the barrier to entry improves the quality level of its contributors.
LINUXQUESTIONS.ORG
www.linuxquestions.org
This is a free community designed to help members solve Linux-related issues.
MSDN FORUMS
www.msdn.com
This Microsoft-run site is meant to provide Microsoft developers with tools, articles, and forums to help them collaborate and solve programs related to application development.
TEK-TIPS
www.tek-tips.com
This free site is centered around question-and-answer exchanges.
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