Purpose
We here at Microsoft recognized that our interaction with User Groups was inconsistent at best and terrible at worst.  This is an effort by a couple of people in Windows and Exchange to create a company-wide set of offerings for our valued User Group partners.  This is meant to be an organic project - we will change the offerings based on your feedback.

Overview
We are creating two distinct programs to serve our User Groups better.

User Group Basic: This program is open to anyone who is a member of a User Group.  The intent is to provide you with information and tools to make your user group meetings more successful.

User Group Premium: This program is open to any group who gives us some basic information about their user group and who is a member of the Culminis network.  Joining Culminis is free and provides your user group with valuable benefits (like software, swag, speakers, etc).  We aren't going to spam you when you give us your info, we just want to know who is using our stuff and how active your group is.

Offerings

User Group Basic:

• Speaker Request -> Coming soon!

• Recent MS Announcements

• Product Roadmap
• Presentations in a Box -> get access to all the decks, scripts, and media for key MS products as they are made available

User Group Premium (this is "coming soon"...in other words, we don't have everything worked out yet, but will soon)

• Presentations in a Box -> Get the same as above, but also the Virtual PC images so you can really demo the PoBs

• Better speaker request capabilities - access to more MS people and better turnaround time

• Hands-on-Labs - this is "coming soon", but you'll be able to get access to all the Hands on Labs that you usually only see at MS events

• MS Learning content - we're working on getting discounts on books, e-learning, etc

• Swag request

• NFR (Not for Resale) products - you can use these as prizes, or in the community

• Local Office Support (where available)

To sign up for the Premium offerings, use this form.

 

Product Specific Networks - Exchange Server

Culminis Exchange Support Network

Culminis Exchange Support Network (CESN), a program under the Culminis ALLIANCE, which provides support services for Exchange and IT Pro user groups looking to provide Exchange specific information to their members who are messaging administrators and Exchange Server IT Professionals.

       Content Support: Assist user group leaders in delivering the most updated and accurate technical information related to Exchange for their organization

       Infrastructure Support: Provide tools for user group leaders to facilitate discussions and knowledge transfer related to Exchange in their organization

To assist user groups and their members with accurate and in-depth technical information around Exchange Server, CESN offers content support for your meetings and events as well as ongoing Exchange-specific content from the Microsoft Exchange Server Product Group and experts in the Exchange Server community. Additional benefits such as guest speakers, hands-on lab requests are included in the premium membership services of Culminis Exchange Support Network.

To sign up for the CESN, please click here.