Editor's Note - July 1999

New and Improved

Back in April, I mentioned my frustration in trying to locate a bottle of Tabasco sauce in the grocery store. For example, would it be stocked with ketchup and the other condiments, or with the refried beans in the canned vegetable aisle?

You may be wondering what the heck Tabasco sauce has to do with an IT Web site like TechNet. Probably more than you think. This site has over 10,000 pages, which can be a little overwhelming. But we are constantly striving to make searching and navigation easier, and feel we have made great strides in the past few months.

Here's an overview of what you'll find with the latest refresh:

To help you get there faster and more painlessly, we've modified the right navigation bar on the home page, adding links to specific areas, based on your individual needs. In addition, we've added a drop-down box that allows you to search by product. For example, select SQL Server, and you'll find yourself in the new SQL Server Technology Center.

Speaking of which, the Technology Centers that we introduced in April have been big hits. Good news: we've added three more. Along with SQL Server, you will now find Windows and IIS. We scoured our knowledge repositories for the best info to help you deploy, maintain, and support these products. Plus, each Technology Center has a plethora of new, useful articles. Soon we will be giving away TechNet T-shirts to those who submit tips we use on the site.

The Intranet section has been expanded to include more tools and valuable how-to articles on planning, building and managing Intranets. Be sure to read Seven Steps to Stable Server-Side Components. You can also use the toolbox to look up information on how various products and technologies can be used to create and improve your Intranet.

We are very proud of our new personalization feature. You will continue to access TechNet's regular content, and also select products and topics of particular interest. Then when you return to the site, your personalized view will include them. You'll also find links to local news and events in your area.

Been to a TechNet chat lately? If so, you'll see that you can now request e-mail reminders about upcoming chats. And check out the Newsgroups. If you're following a thread to keep current on a topic or issue, you can now "subscribe" to that thread and be automatically notified when someone has answered or replied to that message.

The popular Puzzler Game is now in round three. Successfully strut your technical stuff and you may find yourself in the Magic Kingdom®. We've also streamlined our registration process, so tell a friend to sign up. S/he may win a Compaq Aero color Palm-size PC.

So you see, there are lots of changes afoot at TechNet. And we're not done yet. Starting July 19, we launch a series of interviews with industry heavyweights. First up is Ching Hwang, president and CEO of NetIQ Corp., a leading provider of systems and application management solutions for the Microsoft Windows NT® operating system. And in future weeks, we'll feature conversations with Microsoft Vice President Brian Valentine and renowned author and magazine contributor Mark Minasi.

Many of you may already be using Office 2000, which was released in June. If you're interested in learning more about it, our Office Technology Center offers several resources. And if you want to voice an opinion on any Microsoft product, now's your chance.

Finally, we've added staff to the feedback team and are steadily improving our turnaround time. We greatly value your comments and suggestions, so keep 'em coming.

Tim McBride
Group Manager
Microsoft TechNet

Illustrated portrait by Elizabeth Anderson, MSN Staff