Treating duplicate threads in forums – best practice for Moderators

Treating duplicate threads in forums – best practice for Moderators

by | Mar 26, 2022 | Technology

This article is contributed. See the original author and article here.

From time to time we have users who open the same question multiple times.


 


The Issue – direct result of duplicate threads:


(1) Supporters – People that come to help might waste their time on something that was answered in the other thread.


(2) Users – people that search for the same issue might find the thread which has less information and miss the information in the other thread.


(3) original poster (OP) – the person who asked the question will probably not remember to follow all the threads which he opened.



  • Supporters and Users will waste time on responds which no one will read.

  • OP might miss the best answer/discussion while following a different thread.


In short, this is a lose-lose case where everyone lose!


 


Best practice for Moderators


In each interface the features which are built-in are different so these option might not fit all forums interfaces. With that said, as I want to focus mainly on the QnA forums, I will provide my insights according to the QnA features exists at this time.


The list is sorted from the best option for first time case – note that a user which continue such action is a different story. I the OP was inform on the issue and was asked to avoid such cases, then his behavior can be considered as abusive and should be treated accordingly.


In any case, the options which prevent such issue in advance, will be best!


 


Clear Policy document


In any communication interface, there must be a clear policy document which we can point the OP to. A link to the policy document must be presented in a way that no one will miss it and that everyone can view it from any page where the OP post his question. Usually it is recommended to add a clear link at the top of the page.


 


An intellisense feature


An intellisense feature provides information while the user type the content. It is well common in code editors in order to provide code completion, parameter info, quick info, and member lists. In the scope of the the discussion an intellisense feature will provide the user a list of previous thread according to the information he is typing.


Note! This feature existing at Microsoft QnA forums.


 









Insights! Do not assume that the OP saw the forum policy or noticed the content of the intellisense information! Most people are focusing on their needs and ignore “background noises”. It may not be the most positive behavior but it is definitely a natural behavior.

 


Contact the OP in private


How?



  • If the system include an option to send internal private message then this is your best action!

  • The user email should be visible to other users, but if this information is available to you and there is no internal messaging feature, then send the user an email.

  • If there is no build-in messaging feature, then check the user profile and signature for links to his social media network (Facebook, Twitter, linkedin and so on) and send him a private message.


What?


Inform the user about the forum policy, add a link to the official policy document if exists and ask him to avoid such cases in the future. Don’t forget to send him links to all the duplicate threads which you found. Ask the user to select one of the threads, in all other thread add a link to the active thread and close the rest of the threads as duplicated.


Note! This feature not available to community moderators at Microsoft QnA forums.


 


Contact the OP in public



  • Add a response to the problematic message(s).

  • In most social media network a user which is not connected to you will not see your message. In this case you can add a response to one of the user last discussions. Remember that this is a public message and you should be extremally polite! Do not use this option if not must.


Provide the same information as in the case of private message


 









Note!

Taking actions behind the scenes has no value for the future behavior of the user and might lead the user to re-do the same, as he was not inform about an issue – this only raise the issue as it lead for more duplicate threads (actions behind the scene are for example deleting message, reporting message, and so on).


 


If you chose to take an action behind the scenes then you should also try to inform the OP about the taken actions!

 


Merge duplicate threads


By merging the duplicate threads you can ensure that no information is lost. Users who go to each of the links to the separate threads come to the same place – the merged thread. With that said, this action makes it a little difficult to orient in a discussion because one discussion combines responses from several discussions and the order of the messages can be confusing.


Note! This feature NOT existing at Microsoft QnA forums. It is exist in the MSDN forums.


 


Lock the duplicate thread(s) & comments


By locking the duplicate threads you can ensure that no information is lost. Users can still navigate to each of the links and watch the separate discussion. It is HIGHLY important to add a message that explain why this thread was locked and provide a link to the active thread.


In the QnA system locking the thread is done by closing the thread. It is important to know that close the thread does not prevent people from adding comments! You should go over each of the messages in the thread and lock the comment!


pituach_0-1648349708853.png


Note! This feature existing at Microsoft QnA forums.


 


Redirect the duplicate thread(s) to the one selected for continuing the discussion. 


Redirecting users from a thread to another thread has a very problematic side effect: The original link still exists but it cannot be used to get the original message. This makes it harder to report the issue since the link redirect to an active thread and it make it impossible to inform the user about the issue and show him the duplicated thread.


 


Do not! (on the first case)



  • Do not treat the user as abuser! It can be a mistake.

  • Do not delete a message without informing the user. He might not find the message and create another new message.

  • Do not report the message without informing the user at the same time, since he cannot see the report and know about the issue.


Do you want to add your insights? You can add comments to this post or contact me in private if you want me to update the post, and in the meantime just remember to have fun and continue helping others.


 


Forums, the final frontier
– Ronen Ariely,

Flowlets and Change Feed now GA in Azure Data Factory

Flowlets and Change Feed now GA in Azure Data Factory

by | Mar 26, 2022 | Technology

This article is contributed. See the original author and article here.

Azure Data Factory and Azure Synapse Analytics introduced 2 exciting new features in mapping data flows recently that we have announced as generally available this week!


 


Flowlets: Create reusable portions of data flow logic that you can share in other pipelines as inline transformations. Flowlets enable ETL jobs to be composed of custom or common logic components.


 


 

flowlet-context-multi.png


 

Change Feed connectors are available in data flow source transformations for Cosmos DB, Blob store, ADLS Gen1, ADLS Gen2, and CDM. By simply checking the box shown below, you can tell ADF to manage a checkpoint automatically for you and only read the latest rows that were updated or inserted since the last pipeline run.


 


MarkKromer_1-1648274293160.png


 


 


 


 

CISA Adds 66 Known Exploited Vulnerabilities to Catalog

by | Mar 25, 2022 | Security, Technology

This article is contributed. See the original author and article here.

CISA has added 66 new vulnerabilities to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, based on evidence of active exploitation. These types of vulnerabilities are a frequent attack vector for malicious cyber actors and pose significant risk to the federal enterprise. Note: to view the newly added vulnerabilities in the catalog, click on the arrow on the of the “Date Added to Catalog” column, which will sort by descending dates.

Binding Operational Directive (BOD) 22-01: Reducing the Significant Risk of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities established the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog as a living list of known CVEs that carry significant risk to the federal enterprise. BOD 22-01 requires FCEB agencies to remediate identified vulnerabilities by the due date to protect FCEB networks against active threats. See the BOD 22-01 Fact Sheet for more information.

Although BOD 22-01 only applies to FCEB agencies, CISA strongly urges all organizations to reduce their exposure to cyberattacks by prioritizing timely remediation of Catalog vulnerabilities as part of their vulnerability management practice. CISA will continue to add vulnerabilities to the Catalog that meet the specified criteria.

Changing the behavior of MoveRequest cmdlets

by | Mar 25, 2022 | Technology

This article is contributed. See the original author and article here.

Although most migrations between on-premises Exchange Server and Microsoft 365 are performed using the Migration Service’s batching functionality, a few stalwart admins have held onto the more granular control given by using the MoveRequest cmdlets directly.  But as time goes on even the hardiest and most proven of tools need to be sharpened or have components replaced, and it is now time for the MoveRequest cmdlets to be refreshed a little.


We are taking this opportunity to bring these cmdlets more in line with some of our other cmdlets.  Most admins who use these cmdlets will notice little to no difference in how these cmdlets function, which is intentional on our part.  But some may have scripts break if they aren’t updated before the cmdlets are updated.  We plan to release the updated cmdlets starting April 25th, 2022.



  1. New-MoveRequest will change from returning a MoveRequestStatistics object to returning a MoveRequest object.  Most New-* cmdlets are expected to return a data object matching their noun, which New-MoveRequest didn’t historically follow.  The MoveRequest object contains less data than the MoveRequestStatistics object, but that is desirable in this case because most of the extra data is only relevant or interesting after the request has made progress.

  2. The MoveRequest data object that is returned from Get-MoveRequest (and now New-MoveRequest) will have a slightly smaller set of properties.  Compared to the old data object, it will remove several generic user properties that are not relevant to move requests in particular, which could lead to confusion.  Each of those properties should remain available as output from the Get-Recipient, Get-Mailbox, Get-MailUser, etc. cmdlets instead.





















Maintained properties Alias, DisplayName, RecipientTypeDetails, SourceDatabase, SourceArchiveDatabase, TargetDatabase, TargetArchiveDatabase, RemoteHostName, IsOffline, SuspendWhenReadyToComplete, ExchangeGuid, Flags, BatchName, Status, Protect, Suspend, Direction, RequestStyle, OrganizationId, Identity, IsValid, ObjectState
Renamed properties User (previously “Id”), UserGuid (previously “Guid”)
Added properties RequestQueue
Removed properties AdministrativeUnits, ExtensionCustomAttribute1, ExtensionCustomAttribute2, ExtensionCustomAttribute3, ExtensionCustomAttribute4, ExtensionCustomAttribute5, ExternalDirectoryObjectId, LastExchangeChangedTime, RecipientType, Name, DistinguishedName, ExchangeObjectId, OrganizationalUnitRoot, OriginatingServer, WhenCreatedUTC

The rest of the cmdlet behavior should remain the same.


There may be some other pieces deprecated in the future, such as removing SuspendWhenReadyToComplete behavior in favor of CompleteAfter, but a timeline for that will be determined at a later time.


The Exchange Migration Team

Manufacturers are mitigating disruptions with HoloLens 2 and Dynamics 365 mixed reality solutions

Manufacturers are mitigating disruptions with HoloLens 2 and Dynamics 365 mixed reality solutions

by | Mar 24, 2022 | Dynamics 365, Microsoft 365, Technology

This article is contributed. See the original author and article here.

The challenges of the past few years have highlighted that no business is immune to sudden changes. Embracing mixed reality as a strategic initiative is key to ensuring business continuity and solidifying future stability and resiliency. Microsoft’s comprehensive ecosystem of mixed reality solutions, including Microsoft HoloLens 2, Dynamics 365 Remote Assist, and Dynamics 365 Guides, help manufacturing organizations navigate complex situations, empower frontline workers, and create new customer experiences.

The benefits of adopting mixed reality today are significant. Based on the Microsoft-commissioned Forrester Total Economic Impact (TEI) report (“HoloLens 2 TEI study”), HoloLens 2 is delivering 177 percent return on investment (ROI) and a net present value (NPV) of $7.6 million over three years with a payback of 13 months. According to the HoloLens 2 TEI study, manufacturing organizations that have deployed mixed reality solutions on HoloLens 2 have:

  • Reduced training time by 75 percent, at an average savings of $30 per labor hour.
  • Saved an average of $3,500 per avoided expert trip.
  • Avoided 240 to 320 hours of average lost throughput per year.

Increase productivity with remote inspection and audits

Dynamics 365 mixed reality is reducing the requirement to fly in an expert technician and/or an auditor on site to conduct an inspection. With Dynamics 365 Remote Assist on HoloLens 2, manufacturing companies can conduct routine inspections and audits with remote experts from any place in the world at any time. Manufacturers can deliver real-time, interactive guidance from experts located anywhere in the world right to their employees on the factory floor. This solution allows onsite workers to collaborate with remote leaders and experts to solve business problems in real-time, using 3D annotations to access, share, and bring critical information into view. With accurate real-world overlay of 3D assets, instructions, and collaborative markup, workers are free to see their surroundings and use both hands during inspections.

Dynamics 365 Remote Assist on HoloLens 2 enables manufacturer organizations to conduct site visits, inspections, maintenance, and repairs remotelyboosting efficiency and reducing costs. According to the HoloLens 2 TEI study, manufacturers saved an average of $3,500 per avoided expert trip.

Manufacturers saved an average of $3,500 per avoided expert trip.

Eaton, a multinational power management company, sought a solution to enable the company to conduct audits remotely. Traditionally, auditors had to travel to plants to conduct audits but during the COVID-19 pandemic travel was brought to a standstill and travel was restricted. With Dynamics 365 Remote Assist on HoloLens 2, employees can walk through the audit checklist with the remote auditor and ensure that employees are following safety guidelines. Since launching Dynamics 365 Remote Assist on HoloLens 2, Eaton is averaging more than 50 remote sessions per month across all global sites saving hundreds of thousands of dollars on travel-related expenses and empowering Eaton to pay-off its mixed-reality investment within five months.

“Using Remote Assist on HoloLens, we’re bringing the outside viewer perspective into the plant. Let’s say they are checking a quality dimension. If someone on the call has been on another Gemba walk in another site, they can say, ‘You should contact plant XYZ, because they do a similar measurement, but they’re using an automated process.”Alexandre Georgetti, Director of Eaton’s Vehicle Group Manufacturing Strategy. Read more about Eaton’s story here.

Person pulling up a diagram using Hololens 2.

Address manufacturing skills gap with guided assembly and training

Dynamics 365 mixed reality is reducing the knowledge gap and helping enterprises adapt at the speed of change. Using Dynamics 365 Guides on HoloLens 2, manufacturing companies are accelerating learning, standardizing processes, and reducing errors with step-by-step instructions. Simply use your PC and the Microsoft HoloLens app to author instructions and easily place 2D and 3D content in the real-world environment, showing users how and where to complete tasks.

Dynamics 365 Guides on HoloLens 2 empowers manufacturing organizations to offer expansive training programs that teach skills and processes that are specific to their offerings and production needs. Furthermore, manufacturers see direct improvements in learning and retention, quality of work and downtime, and training costs savings. According to the HoloLens 2 TEI study, manufacturers reduced training time by 75 percent, at an average savings of $30 per labor hour.

Manufacturers reduced training time by 75 percent, at an average savings of $30 per labor hour.

Toyota, a multinational automobile manufacturer, produces over a million vehicles each year in North America and depends on solid training programs that ensure team members are building every car to precise specifications. Traditionally, trainers worked one-on-one with team members, demonstrating a process, and then watching them replicate it. Toyota found this approach to be inefficient and susceptible to bottlenecks. With Dynamics 365 Guides on HoloLens 2, trainers create training materials and allow team members to train independently and understand the steps involved and repeating any necessary motions numerous times to develop muscle memory while allowing for one trainer supervisor to supervise multiple trainees at the same time. Since deploying Dynamics 365 mixed reality solutions on HoloLens 2, Toyota has reduced inspection time by 20 percent.

“Our training efficiency is increased, trainers and trainees are receptive to the technology, and they rank Dynamics 365 Guides on HoloLens 2 as their preferred way to learn.”Zach Reeder, Technology Development Engineer at Toyota Motor North America. Read more about Toyota’s story here.

Person using tools and Hololens 2.

Connect workers with experts to enable always on service

Dynamics 365 mixed reality is helping enterprises deliver exceptional service with personalized customer experiences. Dynamics 365 Remote Assist on HoloLens 2 connects field technicians with remote experts for a seamless collaboration that includes content capture abilities, interactive annotations, and contextual data overlays for easier repairs and fixes. Equip field technicians with all the important, relevant information directly into their line of sight, creating actionable experiences for employees.

Dynamics 365 Remote Assist on HoloLens 2 improves field task efficiency, reduces rework, and improves first-time fix ratesincreasing capacity for work and improving customer outcomes. According to the HoloLens 2 TEI study, manufacturers avoided 240 to 320 hours of average lost throughput per year.

Manufacturers avoided 240 to 320 hours of average lost throughput per year.

L’Oral, one of the top multination cosmetics manufacturers with employees in 150 countries, has a wide range of products that require sophisticated machinery for production and packaging. When a machine requires service, L’Oreal flies out an expert to address the issue, increasing downtime machine and travel costs. To solve this challenge, L’Oreal deployed Dynamics 365 Remote Assist on HoloLens 2 to enable remote experts to effectively collaborate with frontline workers to resolve the issue expeditiously and reduce operational costs. With Dynamics 365 Remote Assist on HoloLens 2, remote experts can see what the technician sees and react to the same image with annotations and share critical information in real-time. Since deploying Dynamics 365 Remote Assist on HoloLens 2, L’Oreal has reduced downtime by 50 percent.

“The time we spend on diagnostics and resolving issues has been cut in half. This has led directly to lower operational costs. It has also allowed us to be more agile and flexible”Georges-Alban Farges, Industrial Performance Manager at L’Oral. Read about L’Oral’s story here.

Person in mask video calling using Hololens 2.

Next steps

Stay tuned as we continue this blog series with a deep dive spotlight on healthcare, education, architecture, engineering, and construction industries. In the meantime, learn more about mixed reality applications on HoloLens 2 and get started today:

Sources:

1- The Total Economic Impact Of Mixed Reality Using Microsoft HoloLens 2 Report, Forrester, 2022

The post Manufacturers are mitigating disruptions with HoloLens 2 and Dynamics 365 mixed reality solutions appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.

Brought to you by Dr. Ware, Microsoft Office 365 Silver Partner, Charleston SC.