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Community Tip - Your Friends List is a way to easily have access to the community members that you interact with the most! X

ISDX - a near miss - Now Forum Vs Email

dgschaefer
21-Topaz II

ISDX - a near miss - Now Forum Vs Email

I wanted to follow up on this.



A forum isn't necessarily easier, but it is better in a couple of ways.



1. The entire thread from the original question through all the
responses is viewable in one place. With the email system, you only see
the thread one response at a time.
2. Search. The forum develops a searchable database of questions
and answers.



Now, while it's not inherently easier, it doesn't have to be harder
either. A decent email notification system would allow users to receive
notices of new threads started as well as replies to existing threads.
Ideally, it could email the entire first post but no one of the replies
unless the user subscribed to that thread itself. So, we could get the
initial question via email as we do now, but not get any replies unless
we subscribed to that thread. A 'subscribe' link could be added to the
email itself.



Unfortunately, the system as we have it now fails to provide the
benefits of a forum listed above due to the use of emailed posts and
responses. Threads are a jumbled mess and many times incomplete, making
the search function of limited value. Even this valuable discussion on
the nature of the group will be buried inside a thread on ISDX (which
never got answered) which was converted to a thread on screw threads.



As it is now, it works better as an email list, but as more members log
on and post online, even that is becoming diluted. Unless something is
changed, I see a day coming where I will no longer use PTC/User.



Doug Schaefer

This thread is inactive and closed by the PTC Community Management Team. If you would like to provide a reply and re-open this thread, please notify the moderator and reference the thread. You may also use "Start a topic" button to ask a new question. Please be sure to include what version of the PTC product you are using so another community member knowledgeable about your version may be able to assist.
--
Doug Schaefer | Experienced Mechanical Design Engineer
LinkedIn
3 REPLIES 3

With regard to your last comment, that was coming when we lost the
e-mail and forum moderator and PTC failed to appoint another.
Personally, I prefer the e-mail option but like "shown" and "created"
dimensioning, this argument will never end.



Richard A. Black

Lead Design Engineer

Eaton Corporation

440 Murray Hill Road

Southern Pines

NC 28387 USA



tel: 910 695 2905

fax: 910 695 2901

-

www.eaton.com

FYI...using google desktop is very useful for search (assuming you don't delete the emails). I rarely, if ever, use the website search since GD finds everything I need, even if the thread is broken up into multiple emails.



Regards,
Matt

I’ll agree that we’ll never settle the forum vs. email debate, but what we have now (in the interest of accommodating everyone’s preferences) increasingly doesn’t work well for either.



Doug Schaefer
--
Doug Schaefer | Experienced Mechanical Design Engineer
LinkedIn
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