My mind is blown!

[Steve Rindsberg]

>> To add insult to injury, if I follow a search engine link that takes me to the Microsoft site, hitting the "Back" arrow doesn't take you back to the search results page like it's supposed to.

It doesn't even work *within* their own site. SO annoying.

The paid help are .... variable. Some of the ones with MS in their "tag" have turned out ok. Others are useless. The MVPs and some of the other volunteers are quite good, know the product well, communicate clearly and don't waste screenspace with feelgood BS. Some of them are also what are called IAs (independent experts). Most of the IAs are just random folks who pass a technology test that seems mostly to cover questions like "Can you pick random words out of a poster's question and google them?" and "Can you copy/paste from whatever the first result is. Don't worry, we don't care if it's relevant or not." Idiots.

I'm one of the volunteer moderators there. While I'm not supposed to just delete the crapspew from the IAs, I can edit. Frequently by the time I'm done with the edit, there's nothing left but the intro BS about "I'll happily help you" and their signature.

On the whole, though, what used to be a VERY lively and useful community has been driven into the dirt. My days there are numbered. In single digits, I suspect.