January, 2008

Jan 28 2008   3:32PM GMT

Contribute to IT Knowledge Exchange and you could win an Xbox 360 Elite

Posted by: Sean Brooks
ITKE, Knowledge Points, Most Active Member

We are excited to announce a new contest that can give you the opportunity to win some cool prizes. Here are the details:

From January 28^th to March ^15th 2008 the top 3 contributors to the site who have earned the most Knowledge Points over that time frame by asking a question, answering a question or discussing a question will win:

First Place will win a Xbox 360 Elite

Second Place will receive a 8GB iPod touch

Third place will receive a $100 gift certificate to Amazon.com.

Each week we will update the community with the current standings via The ITKE Community newsletter (sign up if you haven’t yet) and our community blog.

 Ask your questions here.   or email it to us. Remember to provide specific details on the issue you are facing.

Looking for some questions that need answers?

We have compiled a list of unanswered question so help out your fellow IT pros and earn Knowledge Points at the same time. Here is the list of unanswered questions. We will be adding more weekly.

 

Click here for the official rules of the contest.

Spread the word to all your friends who may have an IT question that you can answer or has the expertise to answer some questions.

Thanks

Sean

 

Jan 17 2008   7:35PM GMT

Tags are an important ingredient for success

Posted by: Brent Sheets
Tags, ITKE, Tips

Tags are an important factor in whether or not you get a quick reply to your IT question. Why? Because your question lives for only a short time on the main page and is then deposited in the categories of the tags you use. Here’s a helpful tip about this essential feature.

I’ve previously detailed how to increase your chances of getting an answer but I’m seeing quite a few tags that look more like run-on sentences or a series of keywords than a actual tag.

For example, this is not a tag – it’s a question:
what cisco certification is best or should i go for mcse?

Nor is a series of keywords a proper tag:
Certifications Cisco certifications CCNA MCSE

Instead, you should break these terms into individual tags, like this:
Certifications, Cisco certifications, CCNA, MCSE

This will ensure that your question appears in the proper categories so that members browsing those categories will see it. Just be sure that the tags you use are applicable to your question. You should never use a tag that is not related to your question.

Community Manager

Jan 9 2008   6:25PM GMT

Recognition of some outstanding members

Posted by: Brent Sheets
Public Profile, ITKE, Knowledge Points

Our community is made up of people from all walks of IT. I’d like to recognize a few of our ’stars’ by highlighting these 5 outstanding members who contribute to making IT Knowledge Exchange a great place to find answers to IT questions. Click on a member name to display a list of their answers.

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Denny Cherry (Mrdenny) Senior Database Architect Blog: SQL Server with Mr. Denny

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Willie Robinson (Wrobinson) Infrastructure Consultant

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HCream (HCream) Network Admin/Analyst

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John (B00M3R) IT Coordinator Blog: Exchange Me!

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Bruce Vining (Bvining) President, Bruce Vining Services L.L.C. Website: Bruce Vining Services

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A hearty Thanks! to every member who takes the time to answer questions. Your expertise is welcomed and appreciated by the entire community.

Community Manager

Jan 7 2008   10:00AM GMT

Most Active Member - Announcing the December winner

Posted by: Brent Sheets
Most Active Member, Knowledge Points, ITKE, Contests

The December winner of our Most Active Member contest is Denny Cherry, a Senior Database Architect from Los Angeles, California. Click on Denny’s name to view his profile and to browse all his answers.

Denny Cherry has over a decade of experience managing SQL Server, including MySpace.com’s over 175 million user installation, one of the largest in the world. Denny’s primary areas of expertise are system architecture, performance tuning, replication and troubleshooting.

Our congratulations and thanks to Denny, who accumulated 1,210 Knowledge Points, as he shared his extensive expertise with other ITKE members. An IT Knowledge Exchange beverage mug is on it’s way to you, Denny.

And don’t miss his helpful blog on ITKE, called SQL Server with Mr. Denny. Remember, if you’d like to share your own expertise by blogging with us, you can request a blog for yourself.

So what’s all this Knowledge Points stuff, you ask? You automatically earn Knowledge Points when you contribute to the ITKE community. You can check your own points or anyone else’s by clicking on a username to display a member’s Public Profile.

Knowledge Points are earned based on your community participation. So each time you ask a question or share your expertise, points are automatically added to your profile.

Answer a Question (15 Knowledge Points)
Discuss a Question (10 Knowledge Points)
Ask a Question (5 Knowledge Points)

The contest starts over fresh each month, so every member in the community has a chance to be the Most Active Member and win an ITKE beverage mug or t-shirt. Want some bragging rights with your IT buddies? Then start sharing your expertise on IT Knowledge Exchange.

Community Manager

Jan 4 2008   6:50PM GMT

Happy New Year to all our members!

Posted by: Brent Sheets
Blogs, ITKE

I want to thank all our members who have contributed to the tremendous growth we’ve experienced since cranking up the new IT Knowledge Exchange just four short months ago. We’re building a great community that will collectively continue to help smooth out the IT bumps for you in 2008.

“A New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other.” -anonymous

Every year, people make and break resolutions too difficult to keep. But I’ve got two resolutions that will allow you to help others without requiring a lot of your time or effort.

One: Are you sharing your expertise? When you receive help on IT Knowledge Exchange, give back to the community by taking a moment to answer a couple of questions. Help is a two-way street and someone needs your help on ITKE.

Two: Do you have thoughts, tips or even rants about your area of IT? Then consider starting a blog on ITKE. This year, it’s time to share your viewpoint and expertise with the community.

Best wishes in the new year to you all!

Community Manager