[AccessD] OT: New features on Experts-Exchange - REPLY

jwcolby jwcolby at colbyconsulting.com
Mon Mar 30 12:30:56 CDT 2009


Thanks Jim, for the explanations.  I must say the responses were pretty heated.  OTOH we all know 
that those with negative experiences post more than those with positive experiences.

I don't know whether I was "grandfathered" or what but I do not pay and I can see the answers.  I do 
have to stay logged in of course.  And I must say I go looking for responses in EE.  I have found 
some high quality responses, and some useless responses, but then just about every place has a mix.

John W. Colby
www.ColbyConsulting.com


Jim Dettman wrote:
> All,
>  
>   Since this is OT, rather then clog up the list with a bunch of replies, I
> thought I'd just send a single reply and address some of the points you
> raised.  I think if you'd gave the site a try for a while you perceptions
> might change, especially depending on what point it was that you tried the
> site, as it has changed considerably over the years.
>  
>   In fact it underwent a major change in management back in 2001 and there
> is now a dedicated group of people trying to improve it with a major focus
> on customer service.  That's why the articles and a bunch of other stuff is
> coming.  Since then, they've been working building the site by refining the
> question/answer format to make it easier, and making fundamental
> improvements in things such as the search engine, site stability, etc.  Now
> they are ready to start moving forward in some new directions.
>  
>   Anyway, here's some comments on your replies:
>  
> 1. Cost - Yes it is $12.95 a month, however I would kick in that since being
> on the site since 1999, I haven't paid a dime and for the past 3 or 4 years,
> I haven't been working all that hard at answering questions.  It is
> ridiculously easy to earn 3000 points a month and qualify for free
> membership.
>  
>    As to why they charge, well you don't run a site that size for nothing.
> Bandwidth, servers, staff, etc all cost.  The model that was used in the
> past of plastering ads all over just doesn't work.  That's why in 2001 EE
> nearly went bankrupt.  It will be interesting to see what happens with other
> sites such as Utter Access and how long they will be around or if they will
> change their business model.  Even Face Book is considering a subscription
> service at this point.
>  
> 2. Ads - While there are still ads, they are no longer the driving revenue
> like they were in the early days.  You can switch to the "Expert Skin",
> which is a cleaner interface and is ad free.  
>  
> 3. "Experts" - Yes, the level of experts varies greatly and you may find
> certain areas having nothing but Google Monkeys.  There are (and always have
> been) various efforts underway to minimize that, but this is something
> you'll find just about anywhere you go (I've found that the Access-D list is
> the exception rather then the rule).  However as I said, many MVP's do call
> it home and you can find some really good people there.
>  
> 4. Search engine - They know it sucked and have been making continual
> improvements to it for the past couple of years.  In fact it's just about
> due for another adjustment.  In the past two years there has been a big jump
> in performance to the point where it really is useable, but even so, right
> on the page, EE still gives you the choice of selecting Google for a search
> or the EE Search Engine to search EE.
>  
> 5. The PAQ database (Previously Asked Question) - I'd be the first to admit
> that the quality of the PAQ database has gone down.  The main reason for
> this is that a while back, premium members were given unlimited points for
> asking questions.  Prior to that, you were limited in how many questions you
> could ask.  As a result, you asked good questions and didn't give up on
> them.  Experts worked at providing good answers because there were fewer
> questions to answer.  Now, people just ask as many questions as they want.
> Many times they just accept an answer in order to move on even though it may
> not be the right one or complete.  So the focus on the site has started
> shifting from searching for answers to simply asking and getting a response.
> In fact there is now a "related question" feature so you can link back to an
> earlier question and maintain a thread of questions on a given topic.
>  
>  
>   As for my involvement EE  I joined it after leaving CompuServe, where I
> answered questions in the Access forum for 8 years.  At that point,
> Microsoft had moved its product support off CompuServe and WUGNET had taken
> over the Access forum.  Things really went down hill after that, so I
> started looking for something like CompuServe.
>  
>   At the time, there wasn't much out there. I tried the Microsoft newsgroups
> for a while, but they were un-moderated at the time and just not fun to be
> around.  I also tried Woody's Access Lounge and it just didn't seem like the
> right fit.  EE at that time was pretty unique in what it did, so I joined.
> I've been with them ever since.
>  
>   In closing, let me just say that this will be the last post on this.  As I
> said, I didn't want to take anything away from Access-D, but did want to
> make everyone aware of an opportunity.
>  
> Jim.
>  



More information about the AccessD mailing list