Skip to main content
D
davehaigh13-Aquamarine
13-Aquamarine
June 17, 2014
Question

The Mail Exploder is at risk, Speak up NOW!

  • June 17, 2014
  • 119 replies
  • 33717 views


The shocking news from day one of PTC Live is that PTC want's to "absorb" the mail exploder into their on-line communities forum.http://communities.ptc.com you'll see the announcement of this at the top of the page.



I went up to Ron and Dan durning the break and said what are you doing to my mail exploder. The answer was there was pressure to only have one source of communication instead of some stuff on the forum and some via the mail exploder. They are having discussions next week on how to transfer the data from ptcuser to the ptc site.



I asked if I was still going to get emails and the answer was no.



I'm sorry but this is killing the goose that laid the golden egg.



Make no mistake, if you don't raise your voice on this issue the mail exploder will disappear.



Dave Haigh


      119 replies

      G
      gdt1-Visitor
      1-Visitor
      June 17, 2014
      Hi everyone....
      I was very disappointed when you stopped printing the magazines years ago but understood. The email exploder all though can be a challenge is a mainstay for me for many reasons and some of them reasons are just to read something that challenges the mind during a work day in which it isnt!. I am not allowed on any type of social site PTC included. I am allowed one personal email site to look at several times a day especially at break and lunch. Do not take that away!
      Just my piece about this subject.

      To: -
      Subject: [proecad] - The Mail Exploder is at risk, Speak up NOW!
      From: -
      Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2014 19:52:34 -0700



      The shocking news from day one of PTC Live is that PTC want's to "absorb" the mail exploder into their on-line communities forum.
      W
      wattsteam1-Visitor
      1-Visitor
      June 17, 2014
      Leave it to PTC management to want to take away another really useful resource to users.
      Don't do it, PTC.

      Jeff Dayman
      To: -
      Subject: [proecad] - The Mail Exploder is at risk, Speak up NOW!
      From: -
      Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2014 19:52:34 -0700



      The shocking news from day one of PTC Live is that PTC want's to "absorb" the mail exploder into their on-line communities forum.
      D
      dandersonjr1-Visitor
      1-Visitor
      June 17, 2014
      I secnd this. Do not take away the email exploder list. This is the main way I communicate, get info and respond to questions. Don Anderson


      Sent on a Sprint Samsung Galaxy S® III

      C
      cdown1-Visitor
      1-Visitor
      June 17, 2014

      This should not be allowed to happen, the exploder is one of the best sources for help and information I've ever used!!!

      W
      WayneBeck1-Visitor
      1-Visitor
      June 17, 2014
      Looks like its time to form a new community.



      On Jun 17, 2014, at 7:00 AM, "Colin Down" <-<<a style="COLOR:" blue;=" text-decoration:=" underline&quot;=" target="_BLANK" href="mailto:-">>">mailto:->> wrote:


      This should not be allowed to happen, the exploder is one of the best sources for help and information I've ever used!!!
      M
      msteffke15-Moonstone
      15-Moonstone
      June 17, 2014
      The strength of the forum is the email exploder. It's really not on my to-do list to go online into a forum randomly seeking to help people outside of my company. But if something pops into my mailbox and someone has a problem where I might be to help, well there you go. Secondly, it's the pure speed of responses from the email exploder. I believe the last time I posted a question I had an answer back in a minute or two. Wasn't there an MCAD Central once? I think it lost out to the email exploder.

      Mark Steffke
      P
      ptc-19327451-Visitor
      1-Visitor
      June 17, 2014
      As one person who is agnostic about CAD software in general and at times critical of PTC software specifically, I can see the 'absorption' of the exploder as a practical way to control their message. I really like the free exchange of comments, criticisms and ideas posted by the exploder, and can see this being 'sanitized' by PTC.

      If they do this, it will be yet another great idea 'absorbed' by PTC that will come out the other end similar to the way cows process meadows.

      Quite often, information on the exploder is the best and sometimes the only way to understand the software capabilities. Instructors at training sessions can only teach the book, and many times cannot extrapolate specific use cases, and the callbacks I get from tech support usually do not result solutions to my issues.

      I would suggest to PTC that they take a really forward looking position, and let the users contribute to an 'open' help and example filesystem. Without the exploder in its current form, the software is a lot less useful.

      My personal opinion.


      Christopher F. Gosnell

      FPD Company
      124 Hidden Valley Road
      McMurray, PA 15317
      P
      proed1-Visitor
      1-Visitor
      June 17, 2014
      Hi folks
      My first reaction to this news was head shaking... Similar to how I felt about PTC/User Event rebranding to PTC Live Global. Ron had a slight Freudian slip as he introduced their segment, announcing they were with "PTC... um PTC/User" - and that's the way things are heading.
      I will make my thoughts known, but it sounds like the decision was already made.
      Regards
      Edwin

      ps: come see me at "Million to One", or "License tracking for 1000 users" presentations this week 😉
      This message may contain confidential and privileged information. If it has been sent to you in error, please reply to advise the sender of the error and then immediately delete it. If you are not the intended recipient, do not read, copy, disclose or otherwise use this message. The sender disclaims any liability for such unauthorized use. PLEASE NOTE that all incoming e-mails sent to Weatherford e-mail accounts will be archived and may be scanned by us and/or by external service providers to detect and prevent threats to our systems, investigate illegal or inappropriate behavior, and/or eliminate unsolicited promotional e-mails (spam). This process could result in deletion of a legitimate e-mail before it is read by its intended recipient at our organization. Moreover, based on the scanning results, the full text of e-mails and attachments may be made available to Weatherford security and other personnel for review and appropriate action. If you have any concerns about this process, please contact us at dataprivacy@weatherford.com.
      D
      DonSenchuk12-Amethyst
      12-Amethyst
      June 17, 2014

      I wish I could say I'm shocked, but the truth is I'm shocked they didn't move to kill it much sooner than this. PTC's apparent philosophy is to make the transfer of information more difficult than it needs to be.


      When I contact PTC Tech Support they will contact me within 24 hours (generally). Then I have to explain what the problem is again (the one I just typed out in minute detail). Then they need to see it through a WebEx session. I think my average solution time is around 4 days from tech support.


      When I contact the exploder, the contact and solution time is significantly quicker. Sometimes minutes and sometimes as logn as hours. In the rare cases where the exploder doesn't have an answer or comment, then I know it's something major. Contact and solution time is so much quicker that it beggars the mind they think closing this down is a good thing.


      I should say it's significantly quicker if I don't already have the solution simply from emails I've saved that I felt may come in handy some day. This, of course, speaks to seeing people talking about something and realizing, 'Hey, I never thought about that. What a great idea!' Something we're apparently going to be stripped of.


      For a long time I've thought that PTC intentionally provides less than amazing support specifically because someone internal has it in their mind that forcing customers to rely on their tech support helps justify the maintenance costs. I find it difficult to come up with an innocent explanation for documentation that says, in effect "run this query from windchill shell" and then doesn't expand on what it is you're doing, what the follow up prompts are really asking for or how to trouble shoot it yourself. Or documentation that says "before doing this action you must first do X", and then providing scant resources for actually doing "X". The worst part of this is when you're on the phone with tech support and they say "please hold on for just one minute" while you know they're digging into documentation that shows how to solve the problem step-by-step-by-step. Documentation that can't be found by the users because ... why? Because keeping it obscure or obtuse makes customers rely on tech support, justifying maintenance costs.


      This less than amazing support they [intentionally?] provide is where the exploder steps up to the plate and delivers. Sometimes a base hit, sometimes a double, and sometimes a home run.


      Based on this new announcement I'm sticking with 'PTC's goal is to actively hinder the user community for their software.'



      In Reply to David Haigh:




      The shocking news from day one of PTC Live is that PTC want's to "absorb" the mail exploder into their on-line communities forum.http://communities.ptc.com you'll see the announcement of this at the top of the page.



      I went up to Ron and Dan durning the break and said what are you doing to my mail exploder. The answer was there was pressure to only have one source of communication instead of some stuff on the forum and some via the mail exploder. They are having discussions next week on how to transfer the data from ptcuser to the ptc site.



      I asked if I was still going to get emails and the answer was no.



      I'm sorry but this is killing the goose that laid the golden egg.



      Make no mistake, if you don't raise your voice on this issue the mail exploder will disappear.



      Dave Haigh



      S
      23-Emerald III
      StephenW23-Emerald III
      23-Emerald III
      June 17, 2014
      I have been worried about this from day one when PTC took the controls of PTC/User. They specifically said they would leave it alone and not mess up a good thing. I do occasionally participate in the PTC community but in my opinion it is nowhere near equivalent. The exploder is in my opinion the ideal site. When I ask a question, it is on the exploder. I am more likely to answer a question on the exploder also simply because I can do it via email.

      It's been my go to place since 1997 or 1998. I know some of you guys have been on it a LOT longer too. If PTC removes PTC/User, I will definitely discontinue use of the PTC community site. I will either find another resource or do without. I absolutely will not support this decision in any way, shape or form.

      Thanks PTC for nothing.

      Show more replies
      Terms & ConditionsCookie settingsAccessibility statement