Kevin Beares is Microsoft’s Community Lead for Windows Home Server and other related specialist Server products. He’s been responsible for organising the massive WHS beta community which has been established over the past six months.
Now that the beta is over, he and the team have been discussing how to create and maintain an ongoing community channel for Windows Home Server users to feedback their thoughts, wants and needs for the next version of the product. He has a detailed post on his blog outlining some options, and is seeking feedback on what you, the community, want to see happen.
So, here is what I am thinking. I would like to enable the last option of turning on MS Connect to the general public for Windows Home Server RTM and also Small Business Server R2 RTM this year.
I think the opportunity for users to submit feedback through Connect is a great idea, but Kevin is correct in his concerns about managing expectations. Whilst a centralised feedback channel would make a lot of sense for MS, my hunch is that a multi-channel approach would help get a wider, more representative range of feedback. I would love to see a new advocates/insiders program established for Windows Home Server into which users can enrol, submit feedback but also benefit from regular webchats, product planning surveys etc to help shape the future of the product. The opportunity also exists to connect with community websites (such as this one), and create Windows Home Server MVPs to help gather the necessary feedback required for the product team. Of course, the WHS Forums are now very busy and can also act as a great support and feedback channel for more casual users.
So, what are your thoughts? How would you like to be involved in shaping Windows Home Server?
August 4th, 2007 at 6:10 pm
Kevin,
August 4th, 2007 at 6:14 pm
Kevin,
As a beta tester of multiple products, I have always found most of the bugs and feedback handled well. There are exceptions but I think in life that is always the case. I support your approach as a good solution to monitor and improve both of these critical products to Small Business Specialists. It makes sense and you will never please everyone.
August 5th, 2007 at 8:11 am
Whatever the approach.. every report, whether bug related or a suggestion/wish for some improvement, MUST be given careful thought and consideration. There should be no such criteria as “if it does not get 10 votes it will not be considered”… etc.. Voting should only be used as a guideline for the team to guage customer interest and not a measure of the useability or functionality or adviseability or practicality of a suggestion. An idea may get no votes because of visibility or poor subject wording, or unclear description wording … whatever, but may in fact be a very good idea that needs to be looked at.
-Art..
September 13th, 2007 at 8:18 pm
I can understand the concept of a ‘rating’ system, however on the WHS forum and the related suggestions, I dont think many suggestions or bugs ever received 10 or more votes. Also, even though the beta testers of WHS, should in general, be somewhat more experienced user, they still didn’t vote on existing points, but continued to enter their own comments which in may cases, were just duplicates
Maybe there could be some way of involving the existing WHS moderators or volunteers in ‘filtering’ some of the more usual comments and suggestions. Also a FAQ will need to be the first point of contact for the general public that might use the facility.
Colin