On-line communities have become the go-to place for people to share best practices, ask/answer questions, and establish themselves as experts in their area of expertise. I have found through my decades of experience in the IT industry, I’ve always leveraged on-line communities for answers to complex problems. If I couldn’t figure it out, someone out there has, and has posted the answer. I just had to find it. From the old dial-up BBS (bulletin board system), CompuServer (ok, I’m dating myself!), to today’s search engines and IT vendor on-line communities, the way we find answers to problems has evolved into a “where is the right answer” situation. Often I find myself questioning the answers I find on non-vendor communities. HPE’s on-line community takes the guess work out with their “Solved Solution” tag for the correct answer. Additionally, I know who the experts are with the number of Kudo's they’ve received for their answers. More on that later in this post.
Why Participate?
Participation has its rewards. From kudos and solved solutions to community badges, recognition for participation in on-line communities not only rewards members but it also establishes you as an expert in your area(s) of expertise. From storage, networking, servers, software, training, and certifications, I ask you to help our customers, your peers and others wanting to learn from you and your fellow experts. I know I can never know all the answers and frequently bookmark solved solutions and members who frequent the boards and provide timely solutions to problems. These are the individuals I go to when I get stuck. They are my circle of “experts” I can count on for help.
Kudos
Posting to the forum is just the first step. Good answers and knowledgeable posts result in community members clicking on the “kudo” button on your post. With kudos comes recognition in your area(s) of expertise. The number of posts and kudos are displayed on your profile page for all to see. As you can see, this member has almost 25,000 posts and 4,172 kudos. How many kudos do you think you will get when you start sharing your expertise with the community?
Accepted solutions
The “Solved! Go To Solution.” Box shows up under the initial post. Click on the dialog box to see the answer. You can see the questions can be very complex. System dumps, logs, screen captures; if you are in the middle of a crisis, the more information you provide will make for speedy answers.
Check your knowledge: Do you think you know the answer to the question in the exhibit below? Visit community.hpe.com to see if you are right.
Badges and Participation
Badges are rewarded automatically for participation starting with the number of messages read, posts made, kudos given, kudos received, and accepted solutions.
As you continue to participate, you will also notice your status changing. From an occasional visitor to honored contributor and acclaimed contributor, other community members see your status under your name, giving you credit and visibility to your peers and community members. How many posts have you read to find an answer to a problem?
I asked three questions in this article. Do you have the answer to my first question? How about comments on question two and three? I want to hear from you.
Get started today by creating your community profile and introducing yourself. Once you are ready, subscribe to the My Learning Certification community and other areas of interest via an RSS feed to your inbox.
karlkovacs
20+ years in IT, including data center architect, pre-sales engineer, certification development, and management. Currently working as a digital content creator, writer, and editor. Passion for technology, gadgets, and the outdoors. Always looking for ways to blend them together in one big adventure.
