Since myHomeFiling.com went live, we've seen a steady increase in the number of downloads and people purchasing the software (thank you), but any problems that have arisen have all been handled through email and telephone conversations.
We've used the blog quite regularly to provide updates regarding the software and any important announcements, but one area which seems to get no love is the support forum hosted with Google Groups. We've used it to make announcements - but to be fair, the blog and
twitter are much better formats for this.
So we've reached a bit of a dilemma; leave the forum as it is or ditch it until it's a "requested feature"? Well, it takes time and effort to maintain all aspects of myHomeFiling.com (product, marketing, blog etc) so if we can reduce some of the burden by not having to maintain the forum (yes it might look simple, but vetting spam messages takes time - and there are quite a few let me tell you) then that must surely be a benefit? But in the same instance, the product links back to the forum via the help menu and taking this out requires a new release - not a big release, but more work regardless.
These pros and cons could go on for a while with no clear winning argument; so we've decided that we'll let
you decide. Not in a direct yes/no vote way, more of a "don't use it - lose it way". So the forum will stay until the end of the year, but should there be no increase in its use, then we'll build into our development plan to remove the links and take it down.
Now that might seem a bit harsh, and we're hoping that it doesn't come to that, but we have to draw the line somewhere. What we're hoping for is that come the end of the year our user base will reach its critical mass and this will naturally spill over into the need for an organic, user created knowledge portal for all things file@home.
I know some people are wary about over zealous admin's purging posts when they're on their god complex trip, but we don't work like that. If it's on topic (and that's a broad topic including the software or any aspect of home filing) then it stays (and that stands even if it's good or bad!). So if something's been bugging you, or you just have a general question, feature request or tips - post away - chances are there are other people who've been thinking the same things, but didn't want to post because the forum looks a little empty. If no one makes the first move, others can't follow. So post - we'll be here to reply - and chances are so will a few more of the file@home community.
See you in the forums.