Two years ago, Microsoft acquired TheGreenButton.com, at that time an independent site focused on Windows Media Center, with an active set of forums and users. The Green Button, according to TheWayback Machine, was most active in 2005, but still retains a loyal following of Windows Media Center enthusiasts. This past week, Microsoft has taken that site and moved it to The Windows Experts Community, with the hopes of continuing the traditions of The Green Button and expanding it to other areas of Windows and Windows Live.
According to a blog post on the Extreme Windows Blog, the new site aims to be an extension of the community at The Green Button (TGB), but for all types of Windows and Windows Live expertise:
The Windows Experts Community will incorporate the users and discussions from TGB as its base but will take the dialogue way beyond Windows Media Center.
At its heart, the Windows Experts Community is a collection of online forums geared for advanced users, enthusiasts, experts and so on – those that are doing fantastic and amazing things with their Windows PCs and other ecosystem devices. We’re also rolling out a community-driven wiki where members can create and edit articles and explainers on how they’ve set-up their PCs, created scenarios, or established their own best practices.
The new site is not aimed at providing support or answering help questions, there are still Microsoft Answers and the Windows Live Help Center for that, but the Windows Experts Community aims to “complement those sites with deeper, community-led discussions on a variety of topics around Windows and Windows Live”, according to Dharmesh Mehta on another Windows Blog post announcing the new community.
Microsoft has made similar attempts to drive community interest in the past, most notably with the Windows Live Clubhouse and its counterpart the Windows Clubhouse, which were then shut down earlier this year. Hopefully this new community will receive more support.