Get Social with Microsoft Dynamics

Besides serving as places to chat and share family photos, online social communities have become important locations for business people to connect with and learn from each other and collaborate on technology. The Microsoft Dynamics ecosphere is no exception, extending beyond the offices of partners and developers to a massive range of social sites that offer opportunities to reach customers, colleagues and tech experts. Collectively, these social sites form nothing less than a virtual university campus where users can learn the ins and outs of their Microsoft Dynamics platform and partners can share their business experiences with each other.

Each of the most popular social networks has its own groups of Microsoft Dynamics fans and followers, and every user should be aware of the social resources available to them, including the following:

LinkedIn—A primary site for business professionals, LinkedIn houses a number of groups that focus specifically on ERP platforms and Microsoft Dynamics.

• ERP Community provides members with active discussion boards on such relevant topics as implementation strategies, how to select software and answers to questions posted by users interested in executing ERP projects for their organization.
• ERP Project Management is a highly targeted group of individuals, usually members of ERP implementation teams. Here, members can share professional experiences with peers who understand the unique challenges that come along with bringing an ERP solution to life. Recent discussions include the challenges of project management and effective project management tools. This is a great group for those that want to stay sharp with easy access to whitepapers, case studies and interesting news updates.
• The Microsoft Dynamics Consultants group requires administrative approvals before being allowed access; however, that shouldn’t deter you from joining. Once approved, Microsoft Dynamics ERP consultants have access to a wide network of more than 22,000 professionals, with many experts in NAV, GP, AX and SL systems. 
• If you’re interested in connecting with Microsoft Dynamics ERP professionals, consider joining the MS Dynamics group. This large group of Dynamics pros had more than 90 discussion threads last month. Although this group has thousands of members, it offers many individual opportunities to connect with seasoned professionals, network and share the latest news in the MS Dynamics community.

Facebook—The still-young granddaddy of social networking, Facebook offers two key pages where Microsoft Dynamics aficionados can post comments, links and photos and easily exchange ideas.

•  Microsoft Dynamics has collected more than 11,000 “Likes” among users who update information on this easy-to-use site. By actively following the page, users gain access to the latest Dynamics-related announcements as well as interesting articles that are especially applicable to their businesses and careers.
•  Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference is particularly useful to partners who sell and consult on Microsoft Dynamics, and it provides updates on many related issues as well, such as pricing and service.

Twitter—If you can say it in 140 characters or less, you likely can find it on Twitter. Four Twitter handles may prove especially useful to the Microsoft Dynamics community.

•  @MSFTDynamics and its 1,500 followers tweet and link about all aspects of Microsoft Dynamics platforms.
•  @MicrosoftDynamicsCRM is the official Microsoft Dynamics CRM site on Twitter, with more than 12,000 followers.
•  @msdynamicsax calls itself the unofficial source for all things Microsoft Dynamics AX on Twitter.
•  @MSFTConvergence is the Twitter site for the annual Microsoft Dynamics Convergence Conference, where information on the latest developments and releases can be shared.
•  @msuspartner is the official Twitter handle for Microsoft’s U.S. Partner team, and offers partners a direct link to critical information related to the Partner community.

Blogs—Many Microsoft Dynamics experts blog about the platform, and two blogs should be of particular interest to users.

•   The Microsoft Dynamics CRM Team Blog offers news and views directly from Microsoft’s own CRM experts.
•   The Microsoft Dynamics Partner Community Blog is authored by Kevin Machayya, a 14-year veteran of Microsoft and Great Plains Software who for the last 10 years has focused on the Microsoft Dynamics partner channel.

Community and Event Hubs—A number of websites serve as bulletin  boards and information centers where people with common interests share posts, articles and other information. Microsoft Dynamics is a topic of conversation at a number of these hubs, including:

• Microsoft Dynamics Community
•  Dynamics User Group
•  Convergence: Microsoft Convergence Live Wall
•  AXUG (a user group for AX)
•  GPUG (a user group for GP)
•  Microsoft Digital Worldwide Partner Community (for partners)

The resources described here are only a few of those across the Web that Microsoft Dynamics users, sellers and consultants can access to help grow their businesses. Find your favorites and become active in these communities, and you may be surprised at how quickly you can advance your knowledge of the Microsoft Dynamics platform.

By Nick Sprau, Vice President of Marketing
Metafile Information Systems, Inc.