ConnectOnDemand Feedback
I have had a chance to check out ConnectOnDemand (thanks to Mark for inviting me). It is a really nice idea and I appreciate Salesforce’s efforts in putting this together. As a consultant looking to gain exposure to a wider audience, I like the idea of having ConnectOnDemand as a tool to communicate with Salesforce customers, prospects and developers.
I cannot help but think of LinkedIn when I use ConnectOnDemand and there are a number of things that I really wish could be in this system that are in systems like LinkedIn and other similar tools. I am hoping that only a fraction of the functionality is exposed. Right now, you can do some searching, but there is no real way to connect with someone. I am assuming this is because the system is in beta right now and being deployed.
Below is a list of recommended improvements that spring to mind.
- Provide the ability to search by first and last name. I have no idea whether people I know are signed up.
- Ability to see first name, last name and company in the search results.
- Ability to add a person as a connection. I envision this being a request that can be made through the site. That person would receive an email with the request and could approve the request via a link in the email. Upon approval, you each would see each other in a “My People” list. You should be able to see the contact information of your connections.
- Ability to subscribe to the discussion groups and topics via RSS. Is this forum replacing the existing forums? If so, then I have a lot more recommendations since it doesn’t seem as robust as the current forums.
- Ability to create a custom group. For example, I might want to create one called “Independent consultants on the West Coast” and allow people to request joining the group. Like a Yahoo! Group of sorts. Within a group, you should be able to see members, connect directly with them and have discussion groups.
What are your suggestions?
Erica Kuhl Said,
March 31, 2006 @ 9:31 am
Scott,
I am so glad that you joined the Connect On Demand network and you are spot on with your suggestions. I currently manage this project and the community networking as a whole. We are currently working with a 3rd party vendor to deploy this tool. I am working very closely with them to ensure the functionality is aligning with our users needs. The next release of their product will have MUCH greater chat board type functionality in order to better communicate with other users on topics of interest. Search is another area they are focusing on that needs great improvement. Your suggestions such as: having the ability to add people as connections, and seeing members of a group are examples of features that I am communicating directly with the 3rd party vendor to implement. I have noted each of your requests and have added them to my running list of feature enhancements. Keep them coming. You can have a direct impact on the future of this tool and making it an important part of connecting with the community. If you are interested in hearing other feature requests that have been made by me and other users, I am happy to share that with you. I can post them here or you can email me directly: ekuhl@salesforce.com.
Thanks again the feedback and get back in there and keep connecting!