Why Join the Community?

Finally, there’s an easy and free way to network with your peers online. When you join the Microsoft Dynamics Community, you can:

• Connect with other Microsoft Dynamics applications users.
• Collaborate with peers who understand your work, learning more about their solutions and best practices and sharing your own.
• Stay current with up-to-date business headlines and informational articles.

The Microsoft Dynamics Community is an extensive online resource designed specifically for professionals like you.

• The networking feature provides collaborative opportunities usually exclusively available at conferences, free and at your fingertips (sign in required). Note: If you currently have a Windows Live™ ID that is associated to your CustomerSource account we recommend that you use the same Windows Live™ ID to receive additional benefits. 
   
• Find People: Expanding your professional network is key to the success of your business. Use this tool to find potential clients, service providers, subject experts, or partners.  You can learn more about people that match your criteria by viewing their public profile, and build your network by sharing your business card.
• Send e-Business Card: The business card is a great way to introduce yourself to other Microsoft Dynamics Community members and stay in touch with people you meet through the Community or at events you attend.
  
• Address Book: Provides a way to manage the contacts you have established through the Community.
• Find Organizations: Find organizations and the subject experts or consultants associated with them. You can learn more about the users whose organizations match your search criteria by viewing their public profiles. You can build your network by sending your business card to those who interest you.  
• Forums: Discuss problems and solutions with others members and Microsoft Most Valued Professionals (MVPs).
  • Role-based Forums: Discuss best practices with other members and get your questions answered by the Community.
  • Product-based Forums: Use the Community's collective knowledge to find an answer to those hard-to-solve issues.
• Blogs: Experience casual, effective communication between you and subject matter experts. The blogs on the community site are broken down by Product, Role, Technical and Non-Technical. To view the blogs that are  associated to a particular community, click on the appropriate community home page to view the role or product specific blogs.
• Profile
  • Customizable Business Card: Put your best foot forward by customizing your business card, uploading your company logo, and choosing its color and layout.
  • Private Messaging:  Start private discussions with other community members (located in the Common Actions box on the public profile page of each user).
• Current news items keep you up-to-date on the latest Microsoft Dynamics developments.
• Syndication tools let you automate the stream of news you receive to your preferred method of delivery.
• The organization by role makes it easy to find the most relevant information.

Additional Features for Members on a Current Microsoft Dynamics Service Plan

• Organization Page: You can now custom build a profile page for your organization to represent your company, which will be searchable by any engine. On your organization's profile page, you can upload your company logo and display members of your organization who have a profile set up in the Microsoft Dynamics Community. Members of your organization that are not registered in CustomerSource yet can be invited to join the site by your organization's CustomerSource administrator. To learn how to set up your company organization page click here.
• Internet Lead Capture (ILC)
  An organization profile page is required for the use of this feature. To access the ILC feature, go to Networking >> My Leads. The Internet Lead Capture capability allows you to create a custom lead capture page, which is then hosted on the Community. You can advertise that page by providing its URL on your own website, in e-mail communications, and as the "Contact us" URL in your organization's profile page. This provides potential customers and Community members with the ability to contact your business by completing a short questionnaire. form Your leads fill out the fields that you have specified as required, and the data is exported to a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, which is then added to your private Networking page in the Community.

How Do I Join?
Registration for the Microsoft Dynamics Community is free. All you need is to sign in with your Windows Live ID* using the "Sign in" link in the top right hand corner of the page. If you don't have a Windows Live ID, click the Join Now link in the top right hand corner of the page to obtain one.

*Note: If you currently have a Windows Live™ ID that is associated to your CustomerSource account we recommend that you use the same Windows Live™ ID to receive additional benefits. Once you have signed in using your Windows Live ID you will be asked to provide some information about yourself so that we may better customize the Community's features to fit your needs. You will also have the opportunity to select a screen name and upload an optional user profile picture. You can learn more about the sign-up process and the different features of the Community  by viewing the training demo.

See you on the Microsoft Dynamics Community!