It’s Alive !!! – TechNet 2.0 Search and Profiles Launch !!!

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boot from vhdThis afternoon we turned on the new TechNet 2.0 Profiles.  In addition to that, we also lit up the new TechNet 2.0 Search.  If this is new to you, let me recap briefly from TechNet 2.0 - Episode 3 – TechNet Search and TechNet 2.0 – Episode 5 – Videos and Profiles what’s going on.

Search

We want technet.microsoft.com to have the best search for IT Pros looking to find technical information about Microsoft products. That means going beyond “10 blue links” on a page to something smarter and more useful.

Because we own a lot of great assets like the TechNet Library, TechNet Blogs, Knowledgebase, Download Center, Connect, Video, and TechNet Forums, we have a lot of previously untapped data we are now starting to expose.

Search Highlights

In the screenshot, you’ll notice we spent some time making the result set easier to read. Fonts, colors, and other formatting help the readability. But you’ll also notice “refinements” that help re-shape the query to improve the end result.

Now for the cool part. For result items from certain sources, we’re going to start showing you more data in the result set. The core idea is that with more data about the result item, you can make a better decision about whether its what you need or not.

Interested?  Click the screenshot just above right to see for yourself!  Keep in mind the “boot from vhd” query is using the EN-US locale and language since that is my normal default.  You’ll notice if you change it to say Spanish, the query result is very different.

Profiles

tony mannLibrary annotations, forum participation and uploading scripts are all ways you can participate on the TechNet platform online properties today. More are coming.

Wouldn’t you like a little credit and love for all of your contributions? Well I’m happy to say we are making some improvements today that will recognize your contributions to TechNet, and enable you to build and identity and reputation within the TechNet Community. In order to do that, we are overhauling the TechNet Profile Page.

As you can see in the screenshot, the profile has been improved. We provide a much larger area for your picture or avatar. There is an area for your blog or website, employer, other Microsoft profile affiliations, and how long you’ve had a TechNet profile. You’ll also notice a much larger area for your biography.

This picture at right is Anthony Mann’s profile who is one of the owners for the TechNet Windows 7 IT Pro forums.  Click the picture and you’ll be taken to Ronnie Vernon’s profile who does a ton of work helping people in the Windows 7 IT Pro Setup and Deployment forum.

It’s apparent very quickly Tony and Ronnie are high contributors in the forums area for Windows 7.  There are many heroes all across the TechNet properties and now you can spot the experts much more easily. 

Let us know how you like it.  Enjoy!