New Solid Edge on-line Community is Launched

Solid Edge has for a long time had a closed community only for maintenance paying customers. This has been a source of some criticism, but it has been strongly defended by the long-time users. It is used for GTAC support, communication between Solid Edge employees, and for peer-to-peer communication. I can relate to their desire to keep this as it is without allowing the general public in. Speaking as an expert CAD user, it’s nice to go someplace where you  can talk to support and company personnel, other experts, and don’t have to wade through the same noobie questions about laptop and video card recommendations week after week.

But if a place for experts was clearly necessary, also necessary is a place that is more open for people who are exploring Solid Edge software, who don’t own it yet, and are definitely not experts. So Solid Edge has launched an open forum on the Siemens site. You can browse around without a login, but to ask questions, you need to register and log in. The site is still new, so you have the chance to watch it grow from the ground up.

On-line communities are a great source of information, help with troubleshooting, as well as support and encouragement from other people that are going through the same things you go through. Community takes all types, and in this case that means the exhibitionists and the lurkers. To get the most out of it, it seems clear that you need to participate actively, so ask and yes, even answer questions when you have something to add. Lurkers also contribute to the success of a forum, in my opinion. They help build the traffic and awareness of the site, and eventually, a lurker may become a contributor.

In any case, the goals of the community are to bring users together, help answer their questions, and build some bonds between people who might not otherwise meet one another. I encourage you to participate at what ever level you feel comfortable.