Microsoft Launches a New Online Tech Community for IT Pros

This has been rumored for some time, but it now seems that Microsoft’s latest iteration of online community is live. Launched on September 2^nd, but in beta testing for months, the Microsoft Tech Community asserts to bring multiple communities together in a central location. Sound familiar? That’s essentially what Microsoft did by ending 5 different conferences and merging them into Microsoft Ignite.

Consolidation is key, it seems. By merging the various communities into neat, organized spaces, Microsoft should be able to manage them better. Microsoft says that it is an evolution of the Office 365 Network, growing to support new Azure; Windows Server, and SQL Server Communities and in future many more communities.

You use a Microsoft account to join and like many other communities that already exist in these product areas you’ll want to complete your online profile.

Go here to get started: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com

I’ve been around long enough and working in the actual communities to watch Microsoft’s community participation ebb and flow over the years. When the company is doing good, resources are shifted to community management and we see the creation of new things like this Tech Community. When times are tough for the company, one of the first things to get eliminated is community leadership and community resources.