Novell Cool Solutions gets blogs and wikis

Over the years that I’ve been writing this newsletter, as well as in the 10-year run of my Wired Windows column in Network World, I’ve frequently mentioned the fine peer-to-peer support Novell offers through the facilities of what’s now called the Novell Support Forums. The fine service offered by the Novell Support Volunteer Sysops (of whom I was once a member) started on CompuServe almost 20 years ago and continue to this day on the Novell Web site.

You may also remember that recently I told you about the new offerings that Ted “the Rev” Haeger, director of Novell User Communities, was introducing, including blogs by product marketing managers and wikis for interactive discussion.

Evidently the Rev fostered a “Reese’s moment” when he had the Cool Solutions people walk the blogs and wikis into the support forums people with their news and Web feeds. The result is the new home page for the support forums with links to all of the ways to ask questions, or get answers, about Novell products.

When you go to the page, take a moment or two glancing through (and clicking on) the company names in the right-hand column. These are the folks who provide third-party products and tools for Novell platforms and – through donations of money or product – support the efforts of the volunteer sysops who give their time to support you.

Then spend some time looking at all the ways you can get the information you need to run your NetWare network, SuSE hosts, GroupWise collaboration and all the other Novell products. The wikis and the blogs are, of course, quite new and have few entries yet. But they will grow over time – especially if you take an active interest.

Also, if you go to the bottom of the page you’ll find a link to Novell’s RSS feeds so you can have much of the Cool Solutions material delivered to your desktop as it is published.

I know that Support and Cool Solutions have been working on this for a year and it does appear to be well worth the wait. But the final verdict lies with you – what do you think?