Alan Z. talks about EDN.next and asks questions that only you can answer.

We need your help

In my past couple of columns, I’ve mentioned that our team is working hard on the next generation of the EDN.

It’s time for you to help build what we fondly refer to as EDN.next.
Tell us. Tell others. Tell everyone.

• What do you want?
• What do you need?
• What can we do to help?

We in the EDN core team are doing some significant things to help enable your communities and make them more effective. Most notably we will:

• Deliver a next-generation infrastructure that makes it easy for you to participate, communicate and collaborate (via forums, blogs, wikis, projects, etc.)
• Leverage contacts within EMC (product managers, etc.) to bring their expertise and thoughts to you, and bring your thoughts to them
• Prepare programs that motivate people to participate

However, that's the easy part. You and all the other EDN members have a much broader and important charter… to shape your communities so they will thrive, and help chart the direction of EDN.

This is the perfect time for you to make a difference. The Web 2.0 world is all about social media and networking. It’s about having the members taking the lead in developing and driving their communities. Up until now, we really haven't even discussed where we want to take our communities. It's time to begin these conversations. We've set up a new "Community Development" area of the EDN Forums as a place to discuss EDN.next and community topics.

So many questions!

One of the reasons I like developers is that we're very opinionated. There are things that we love and hate about the current EDN, and now’s the time to make things better based on your input and experience. For example:

• What do you want to see in EDN.next?
• What’s important to you?
• What would be really cool to have?
• What features of the current EDN do you love and want to see more of?
• What's missing?
• What can’t you stand?
• What gets you talking in the forums, and what barriers need to be lowered so you can participate more easily?
• What will keep you coming back?
• What will get you to tell all your developer friends about EDN?

But I’m interested in much more… let’s try to better understand your communities and the ways you interact with other developers. Some things that come to mind:

• Tell us your stories (good and bad) about the developer communities you’re involved with
• How do you interact with other developers?
• Do you think of other developers as colleagues or as competitors?
• Do you like meeting other developers face-to-face (e.g., when traveling as part of your job)?
• How did another developer help you out of a jam?
• Have you ever experienced a problem after collaborating with another developer?

As mentioned earlier, our team can access many company resources. For example, I really like listening to audio interviews because I find great value in hearing the voices and intonation of the people (do they sound enthusiastic or bored about their topic?). However, to get the right people involved and produce great results… once again, we need your input.

• Which EMC people would you like us to interview? (PMs, engineers, architects, sales, etc.)
• What questions do you have for them?
• Which products interest you most?
• Do you prefer interviews to be presented in written, audio, and/or video formats?

Your suggestions don't have to be limited to EMC employees. Who in the community do you want to hear from? Who's voice is calling to you?

Let's talk about it. Come to the EDN Forums

This is just the start of a very large question avalanche. Every question fosters more questions… there’s so much to talk about.

More importantly, I’m sure that YOU have a lot of questions that only our members can answer! I won’t even begin to guess what’s important to you… so tell us what’s on your mind.

So come to the new Community Development area of the EDN forums to discuss EDN.next and talk about our experiences with developer communities. I’ve kicked off the discussions by reposting some of these questions, now it's your turn to chime in.

Psst… Want an EDN shirt?

Call it an incentive, call it a bribe, call it an excuse to influence the world of fashion, but over the next few weeks we’ll send some very cool, limited edition microfiber EDN polo shirts to some of the people who post on the EDN forums.

What does it take to get a shirt, and who gets them? Well, there are no rules, it’s not a contest… it’s our way of saying thanks for participating. But if you’re not posting in the forums or contributing articles, we won’t even know that you’re interested. So… get involved in the discussions, and you might just find a new shirt in your wardrobe, and an invitation for early sneak peeks at EDN.next.

Get Connected: Announcing LinkedIn Groups option for EDN Members

The new EDN LinkedIn Group is a great way for you to find and connect with other EDN members.

Do you use LinkedIn to keep in touch with others? If so, please click here to add EDN to your LinkedIn Profile. If your LinkedIn name or email matches the information in your EDN member profile, the Group request will be automatically approved.

If you're not LinkedIn, this is the perfect opportunity to sign up!

EDN @ EMC World

Are you attending EMC World (May 18-22 in Las Vegas)? We now have a web page that covers the Software Developer Track as well as the various EDN hosted events where you can connect with fellow EDN members and EMC personnel.

I expect to meet lots of EDN members there. Let’s use the EMC World 2008 area of the EDN Forums to talk about getting together at the conference and find creative ways to share our experiences with those who cannot attend. For example, if any of you intend to do real-time reports, discussions or blogging from EMC World, I’d like to know, and help coordinate/publicize the efforts.

Call to action!

This is your community. The only way we're going to get EDN.next right, is with your guidance. Our forums are the perfect place to speak up... you can have your say and see what our other members think.

The call to action is to tell everyone what you really need and want going forward to facilitate active, thriving communities. Let's build this together.

Alan Z.

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