Did you notice the subtle notice on the front page of the DSXchange?

In case you didn’t pick up on the overtones of that message we are quite elated at having reached the 5000 member milestone. One year ago our membership was just over 1500. Let’s see now, that represents growth of 333%. I wish I had that kind of performance in my stock portfolio! Many thanks to each of you who have made this explosive growth possible. Regardless of numbers, however, I think everyone would agree that the quality of the membership at the DSXchange is a far more important measurement than mere quantity. Let’s explore the criteria of what defines a quality community member.

Defining Good Membership: Legitimate and Complete Profiles

A quality member provides a legitimate, complete profile. Membership profiles are not about enforcing lockstep adherence or intruding on privacy. When you provide us with a good profile this helps us serve the community better. Please understand that we are very respectful of this information and have a strict privacy policy in place to protect our members.

Note that we have started on the process of taking action where needed for those members who submit bogus profiles. If the information you provided upon signing up at the DSXchange is incomplete or incorrect please take a moment to update your profile. It'll save you the pain of 'restricted access'.

Defining Good Membership: Gurus

For the guru, good membership is defined as quick, insightful, and thorough answers while respecting the often tentative positions of those climbing the learning curve. No one could disagree that we have extremely knowledgeable members who give generously by responding quickly, insightfully, and thoroughly to all manner of questions. Personally, I have not observed any occasion when one of our more knowledgeable members was unduly harsh with those asking questions.

Defining Good Membership: The Rest of Us

For members with questions, quality is defined as reading documentation and searching the forum before posting. Sometimes we have those who wish to be ‘spoon fed’. If your objective is to learn the ins and outs of Ascential products the DSXchange is the place for you. But you should know that there is limited patience for those seeking quick fixes without a commitment to understanding technological underpinnings.

The above just catches the high points of Good Membership. To learn more check out Rules of the Road by Ray Wurlod from our February 2004 newsletter.