Connect opens up myCommunity
July 28, 2008
HP user group Connect opened up its portal to the HP enterprise computer community late last week with an introduction of myCommunity, a feature that Connect calls a place that
... mirrors the social networking site launched for HP Technology Forum & Expo 2008, and allows you to find other members with the same interests as you, in the same field as you, and in the same region as you when you use the Community Map.
Connect members receive full access to myCommunity with a username and password which is assigned when they join Connect (Encompass) or contact the organization. The fee for individuals is $50 for a membership which lasts through December 2009. There's even a complimentary membership (for a limited time) with allows you access to myCommunity.
I fleshed out my own profile on the site (you will need the smallest picture of yourself you ever took, at 120x120 pixels) to give my profile some personality, plus three pages of demographics to let the myCommunity software from Leverage Software find matches to my profile. I threw my demographic net pretty wide, but so far haven't come up with a lot of close matches (as you can see above, I'm in the dead center of the circle.) But the site and the community is brand-new. So far, we've got five members of the "Other/HP e3000" group, and two in the SIG Migrate group.
So you could join us in either group and start a discussion, if you're a Connect member.
Connect closed the social networking site for the HP Technology Forum & Expo 2008 on June 29, about 10 days after this year's HP Technology Forum & Expo, then worked with Leverage Software to refresh and reintroduce it as the myCommunity feature on the Connect Web site.
Connect explains the features of its social network:
- Update your profile so that other members like you can find you by selecting “Updating My Profile”
- Posting to discussion forums by selecting “Groups”
- Read and post to other individuals’ blogs by selecting “Community Blogs”
- Start meeting other members like you by selecting the “Community Map”
If you do not have a current Connect membership, we encourage you to follow these simple instructions to renew your membership and start getting connected using the new social networking feature:
1. Visit the Join Connect page and renew or sign up for your Connect membership.
2. Once you have renewed or signed up for membership, you may then begin enjoying the social networking member benefits.