Hello all,

Today we have made an oft-requested change, allowing all members to view all replies to TechHelp requests, regardless of their membership or participation level. Previously this was a premium-only feature that could be unlocked by basic members with a certain level of participation in TechHelp.

Our ability to make the replies available on TechHelp started back in 2001, when most activity in TechHelp was still taking place via email. Therefore it was seen as a premium-level feature without giving it much additional thought through the years. While working on our mobile app, we decided it was time to make a change to this policy.

Over time, most communication on iATN has shifted away from email to the web (and soon, to mobile), and everyone being able to see all the replies in a discussion is simply the only sane option at this point, so it makes sense to take the effort to remove these restrictions now. Over time, the differences between TechHelp and forum messages will continue to blur, starting with the way the mobile app works. This is just one step in that regard.

Although we closely monitored replies over the years, and rarely had to deal with any intentional abuse of the way the reply system worked, we hope this change will alleviate any concerns some members may have had about the motives of those participating in the discussions.

We look forward to providing more rating capabilities in the near future, which should help raise the highest quality responses to the surface in all discussions on iATN.

Thomas Winzig
Administrator
iATN
Brea, California, USA