You may know that Microsoft recently introduced Channel 9- a site that provides a look into the "cockpit" of Microsoft development. I’ve been watching as it lifted off and I’m pretty darn impressed.
I think Channel 9 may be able to help show the world that the Microsoft folks are not a bunch of money hungry demons. I think Channel 9 has a very humanizing effect for the developers- and shows their insights and personalities.
Most importantly for me, I’m seeing a big step in terms of an online community site using a large number of tools at once. The site uses multimedia weblogs, a wiki, RSS and discussion forums in one environment.
For instance...
Robert Scoble just posted about Wiki's let communities build cool directories. In this case, the wiki was used to create a directory of all the Longhorn-related webloggers. This directory was assembled by a group of community members, all making their own updates to the wiki to contribute to the knowledge and benefit of the group. This directory is part of the community environment- not a separate tool or resource.
Channel 9 also provides a great example of using stocks and flows together. Channel 9 uses their community resources to create an environment that:
1. Produces flow through the weblogs and forums- engaging readers in an ongoing discussion.
2. Stocks the significant and flowing information in an easy to organize, update and reference format- a wiki.
I'm glad to see Microsoft seeing the value of these tools and using them in a way that sets a positive example.