The Mail Exploder is at risk, Speak up NOW!

[davehaigh]

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

[iceblink1]

I fully concur with the reaction of Mr. Wayman that a user community
should in the end be independent of the supplier, or as he states it:


JWayman Jun 17, 2014 1:16 AM

Personally, I think this is a lamentable development. The difference
between the two sources of information was precisely that 'For the past
twenty-five years PTC/USER has been recognized as the independent voice
for users of software produced by PTC' and that communities.ptc.com was
very much the dependent one.

In most cases, it has made very little difference, but, like a free
press, I believe the existence of both has tended to help moderate the
one and to 'objectify' the other.

I don't think a single, combined system is particularly healthy.

Nothing I can do about it, though, it's a done deal long before the
announcement is made...

[ScottPearson]

Here's one more voice...

Attention PTC: Please leave the Exploder alone.

I'll avoid the obvious digs about how many things in the PTC world do NOT work, but at least resist the temptation to break something that DOES work.

Sure, the Exploder is traffic that is not coming to ptc.com..., but who is to blame for that? Not the Exploder.

Sure, the Exploder provides answers to PTC-related problems more quickly than does a PTC Support Call..., but who is to blame for that? Not the Exploder.

Okay, maybe I didn't avoid an obvious dig after all..., but geez Louise, PTC..., do you really have to screw around with your User community when they are begging you not to?

BTW, how long will it be until PTC charges for access (i.e. make available only to Users on PTC Maintenance) to what once had been the late, great Exploder? (Queue PTC's response of, "Oh, we would never do that.") Pull the other one....

So PTC..., just leave well enough alone. Hands off the Exploder.

Scott Pearson
Senior Designer
CAD System Administrator

[cid:image006.png@01CF8A01.5B587D40]S O U T H W E S T R E S E A R C H I N S T I T U T E(r)
Space Science and Engineering Division
Space Systems Directorate
Department of Space Engineering
6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238

[pcnelson]

Horrible idea. Fox and the hen house? If it aint broke dont fix it. Sounds
like we may need a new "PTC User - PTC Free" group, that hasn't sold out
and still represents users.

[JamesKasson]

I'm yet another person that thinks closing the exploder is a terrible, terrible idea. I simply do not want to make time to trawl a forum. I've learned countless things from the (usually) concise postings to the mail list, often things that I didn't know that I'd need until years later.
As a side note, it's not that I think that community forums are of no value, I participate in them in other areas of interest, it's just that this system delivers information in a much more usable manner from a broader base.

Regards,
James Kasson

[jschaaf]

David,

You should start a petition, I am sure you will get many signatures.
I am totally against the PTC taking control of the Exploder.

Regards,

John Schaaf

[SteveVinyard]

I'm torn by this. I do think it makes sense to consolidate. The email notifications are something that work there now, though I'm not sure if I can create a new thread from email or respond to one via email. Those are two absolutely critical things in my opinion. It's incredible to be able to post an email question from my cell and have it go out to everyone here. The pinnacle of simplicity.

The real travesty would be losing the people on here. I'm also concerned that the general "community" will be lost. It's nice to know guys on here and I'm guessing that will be grossly diluted or gone at the other forum.




[cid:image001.gif@01CF7046.C96AB930]

Stephen Vinyard
Business Development Manager/Solution Architect

[sl2741]

Another example of tiranny. If it works for the Federal goverment, PTC figures it will work for them. Should they put more effort into competing with their advisaries (other CAD suppliers) and less effort annoying their existing customer base (you, me and everyone else reading this) perhaps they will not fall into the pit of corporate death. As a reluctant user of SolidWorks, I can tell you that the user community there is alive and well. Stick to your knitting PTC - stop the intrusive over reach!

[CraigSmith]

Not a good move. I'll reply straight away to queries posted to my email, if I know the answer, but I won't bother logging in to a forum other than to look for solutions to my own problem; since most others will be like-minded the available help resource will rapidly go down the pan.
Sucks but I guess some spotty faced little Management graduate will get a big pat on the back for reducing the "perceived" customer dissatisfaction.

[BobSchwerdlin]

I have been using this message board for about 20 years. Nothing could be simpler. Ask a quick question, you usually get a quick response. I've used the PTC communities site several times, but it seems as though it's the same few people (mostly PTC support) who are the ones posting there. To me, it's slower and more tedious to look there than on the Pro/User exploder. I also find the blog layout somewhat confusing.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Bob Schwerdlin
Design Engineer,
Dukane Corp.
2900 Dukane Dr.
St. Charles, IL 60174 USA
630-797-4974 direct
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[j0sizemore]

Definitely not a good idea! I also have trouble navigating the communities forum. Probably because I have never resolved a problem using it and don't go there anymore! The Exploder is first and only place I go in most cases. I get a faster and usually more accurate response from Exploder users than from PTC support. And, as mentioned earlier, when I see a problem come through that I know the answer to, I can respond directly to poster. I believe this is a very bad idea and will further alienate customers, especially us long term customers who have come to depend on the Exploder!

Joanna Bruner

Grote Industries

[BrianMartin]

Almost as a rule, PTC Support does not post on PTC Community. Saying the same people always post and that they are "PTC Support" is completely false. They specifically try to stay "hands off" and let users help other users in the same way the exploder works. The amount of disinformation being spread on the exploder regarding PTC Community is really frustrating. Perhaps before posting information which is demonstrably not true, some due diligence might be in order.

While I will defend everyone's right to dislike PTC Community, I find it very tough to sit by watching people unfairly malign a service which has been tremendously helpful to thousands of users who could not find the email exploder unless they knew the super secret handshake.

How is it that we're somehow proud that the exploder is tough to find and that only the 'experts' know about it? If we were interested in truly being a community, shouldn't we be interested in bringing more people into the fold?

Brian K. Martin
Sr. Mechanical/Application Engineer
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

301.286.0059 (NASA Office)
443.421.2532 (Cell)
-<">mailto:->

Follow me on Twitter @CreoHelp<">https://twitter.com/CreoHelp>
________________________________

[rrich]

My vote ---- DO NOT GET RID OF THE EMAIL EXPLODER......

Keep it at PTC/User and leave it alone. If you like forums you have the option to look at these things through the forum interface. But honestly I will not use it if it goes just to PTC community forum only. We fought this once before and email was kept or brought back what every it was, but it was email accessible. And the people here like/love/want it.

If I can figure out how to make an email exploder simply I will post a link here and allow all our long time users and colleges to join freely so we have a spot to go should this exploder vanish.

Ron Rich
Treasurer NOPUG (Northern Ohio PTC User Group) www.nopug.org
Pro/E-Wildfire-Creo User since 1989
Email exploder user for as long as I can remember

[jfrankovich]

I thought this was a nice little article on the relative benefits of mail lists and web forums.

But the exploder provides a level of ease, speed, and direct interaction that I have just never seen from a traditional forum, and that seems to be the make or break proposition for most in this community in particular. My job "requires" that I check my email often so the exploder integrates well wi...

[mdebower]

John,

Very well thought and written. Your thoughts echo my own sentiments on the subject.

-marc

[LinetteAlvarezA]

I agree.

Sincerely,
Linette
Linette.Alvarez@exelisinc.com<">mailto:Linette.Alvarez@exelisinc.com>
EDO Corp. - Subsidiary of Exelis Inc.
631-630-4085

[BobSchwerdlin]

PTC...
Please don't kill the exploder!
I use it every single day.
There is NOTHING faster or more convenient - period.

Bob Schwerdlin
Sr. Design Engineer,
Dukane Corp.
2900 Dukane Dr.
St. Charles, IL 60174 USA
630-797-4974 direct
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