Cyberspace has created new opportunities for people around the world to meet and share ideas about topics they care about, such as Exchange Server. The Exchange Server community is part of a vibrant and thriving ecosystem that consists of Exchange Server administrators, developers, trainers, application service providers, partners, enthusiasts, information workers, and others; many online resources from Microsoft and community members are available at your fingertips.
A variety of types of Exchange Server communities are available, including Web sites, newsgroups, user groups, and other forums.
Exchange Server Community Web Sites
The revamped Exchange Server Community Web site is one of the best places to start when you are looking for Exchange Server community–related information and resources. Here you'll find a variety of links to other useful Microsoft and third-party resources, such as:
- You Had Me at EHLO, the Exchange Server Team blog, and other Exchange Server–related blogs.
- Most Valuable Professional (MVP) Web site, and links to Exchange Server MVPs.
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Exchange Server Community Solutions articles, which are written by MVPs.
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Links to communities for other Microsoft products and technologies.
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Links to third-party communities.
The Exchange Server Community Web site will be updated continuously with the latest information about communities devoted to Exchange Server and related technologies.
Newsgroups
A newsgroup is an Internet forum for sharing and discussing information that is related to a specific topic. For many years, Microsoft has maintained the microsoft.public newsgroup hierarchy and made it available to anyone on the Internet. Thousands of Microsoft employees, and customers at all levels of expertise, post in Microsoft newsgroups today, creating content, sharing information, and contributing ideas. A variety of newsgroups are available, covering both Exchange Server and Exchange Server–related topics.
You can access Microsoft newsgroups by using a newsreader, such as Microsoft Outlook Express, or by using your Web browser. For more information about Outlook Express, see Outlook Express: E-mail and newsgroup reader. For information about how to configure a newsreader to access the newsgroups, see Using an NNTP Newsreader. For links to newsgroups that you can access by using a Web browser, see Newsgroups.
The Microsoft Exchange Server newsgroups use a nonversioned hierarchy with a naming convention of microsoft.public.exchange.*. These newsgroups are used for all versions of Exchange Server. You can conveniently search, access, and participate in all the Exchange Server-related newsgroups, in addition to newsgroups related to Microsoft Office Outlook. To access these newsgroups, see Newsgroups.
User Groups
Similar to a newsgroup, a user group is a group of people who come together to learn and to share experiences about a specific subject, and to serve their user group community. Although newsgroups exist in cyberspace, most user groups include periodic in-person meetings. User groups are a good way to have fun and to learn more about a product or technology that you work with. If you're interested in participating in a user group, the best place to start is to find one in your area. To find a local user group, see Find a User Group near You.
Several Exchange Server-related user groups exist around the world, including:
To find more Exchange Server–related user groups, see Exchange Server and Small Business Server User Groups.
If you're interested in starting or have already started an Exchange Server–focused user group, the Exchange Server team has partnered with Culminis, a nonprofit user group support organization to provide guidance on and benefits for various aspects of leading an in-person community for your area. For more information, see the Culminis Exchange Support Network.