Editor's Note - May 2000

tim

It is spring here in the Northern Hemisphere and the flowers are blooming, the weather improving and lots of new additions to our family to announce this month on TechNet. As our friend The Mole says, it is time to show off the young 'uns and invite your friends in. We'll also be going to visit our friends over the next couple of months. If you are planning to be in the neighborhood, we'd love to see you. Look for us at TechEd June 5 - 8th in Orlando, Florida and at N+I in early May. And now, on to our latest additions

Diagnostic Solutions Tool Beta

The Diagnostic Solution Guide--a dynamic, dialog-driven diagnostic tool--is being piloted on the Microsoft TechNet site and is ready to help you find your answers to troubleshooting and support questions. The Guide is an interactive tool that combines the best of search engines, troubleshooters, and online support, and provides some new capabilities that are unique and useful. We debuted the guide in late April and would love to get your feedback on it.

Go to the Guide and key in information about problems or questions with Windows 2000 and Windows NT. You'll be drilled into PSS and TechNet information until your answer is pinpointed. Along the way, you've got options to pivot into different views of the material. We haven't seen anything quite like it on the Web yet. Based on your input, we'll roll it out to topics other than Windows.

New TechNet Career Center for IT

We've teamed up with ComputerJobs.com to offer free job-search services for IT Professionals in North America. From TechNet you can search for jobs by region and skill. You can also submit your resume and add interesting jobs to your personal folder. There are also special sections for consultants and startups. Overall there are thousands of jobs listed, so it's worth a browse. With over 14,000 job listings across North America you are bound to find the right thing for you.

The TechNet Puzzler Rolls On

If you missed it somehow, you should check out our latest Puzzler contest, running through May. The Puzzler is your chance to turn what you know about Microsoft products into something you can drive - a BMW Z3 roadster. There is a winner in each 4-week round and from each of our rounds at trade shows (N+I, Windows World). These winners will be flown to Orlando to compete in a live version of the contest along with a winner chosen at Tech-Ed. On Thursday, June 8th, directly following the closing keynote, we'll announce the winner. We'll also be broadcasting this final round live. Check back here in June for more details.

See Us Live!

TechNet offers half day briefings and workshops designed to help you get the most out of deploying and managing Microsoft products. Running in more than 200 cities worldwide and on every continent except Antarctica, you can probably find one near you. Hosted by local Microsoft staff these briefings offer you a chance to ask questions, mingle with your peers and get the technical details straight from Microsoft. Our topics are updated every quarter so if you haven't been in a while, you should think about paying another visit. Check out the listing of events near you.

Tim McBride
Group Manager
Microsoft TechNet

Illustrated portrait by Elizabeth Anderson, MSN Staff