Forum Discussion

AngelaIp's avatar
AngelaIp
Ideator I
3 months ago
Solved

Future of the Aras Community Forum - Any Insights?

Hi community,

I’ve heard rumors that Aras is planning to move the forum to a different platform or provider.

Does anyone know what changes are actually planned as part of this transition?
For example:

  • Will the forum remain publicly accessible, or be limited to subscribers only?

  • Will existing content and links still be available?

From what I’ve seen in Aras blog articles, the forum has become a valuable resource - especially because it’s well indexed by search engines. You can just Google (or use AI...) and find answers to almost anything.

That wouldn’t work anymore if the forum becomes restricted or goes behind a login wall.

If it’s just a technical platform switch and everything else stays the same - great, no problem at all.
But if there are major changes planned, I think the community should know in advance.

If this change does happen in a more disruptive way, I personally might consider switching over to the Reddit r/ArasInnovator forum instead.

I’ve tried to get some insights directly from Aras, but as always... they like to keep things mysterious. Or maybe everyone’s just on summer vacation... [emoticon:4191f5ee34e248a29fa0dbe8d975f74a]

Thanks in advance if anyone has more information!

Community
  • eli_donahue's avatar
    eli_donahue
    3 months ago

    Hi all [emoticon:b7bcfd5903f14440addb24344907da6e] Don't panic - the community forums aren't going anywhere! We're just migrating platforms to improve the community experience and integrate with other Aras services. We'll share more as the switch gets closer, but here are some key details:

    • Community forums will still be for the community
    • We're migrating over forum data from the last 8 years. We'll archive the older content offline as it's less likely to be helpful to users (or AI).
    • Aras will contact active community users about accessing your account in the new system.
    • Migrating systems often comes with hiccups. We'll ensure folks know how to contact us about issues arising after going live on the new platform.

    Delivering a quality experience where community members can learn, connect, and grow is important to Aras. So much so, it's actually a key part of our strategic objectives and Build with Aras initiative. I'm really excited about all of the plans we have for our community in the next 12-18 months, and I'm looking forward to sharing more soon.

    Side note: I hadn't gotten back to Angela's email yet because I'm currently at a Developer Relations conference in NYC to connect with other folks who empower developer communities and draw inspiration for ours. [emoticon:c4563cd7d5574777a71c318021cbbcc8]

3 Replies

  • eli_donahue's avatar
    eli_donahue
    New Member
    3 months ago

    Hi all [emoticon:b7bcfd5903f14440addb24344907da6e] Don't panic - the community forums aren't going anywhere! We're just migrating platforms to improve the community experience and integrate with other Aras services. We'll share more as the switch gets closer, but here are some key details:

    • Community forums will still be for the community
    • We're migrating over forum data from the last 8 years. We'll archive the older content offline as it's less likely to be helpful to users (or AI).
    • Aras will contact active community users about accessing your account in the new system.
    • Migrating systems often comes with hiccups. We'll ensure folks know how to contact us about issues arising after going live on the new platform.

    Delivering a quality experience where community members can learn, connect, and grow is important to Aras. So much so, it's actually a key part of our strategic objectives and Build with Aras initiative. I'm really excited about all of the plans we have for our community in the next 12-18 months, and I'm looking forward to sharing more soon.

    Side note: I hadn't gotten back to Angela's email yet because I'm currently at a Developer Relations conference in NYC to connect with other folks who empower developer communities and draw inspiration for ours. [emoticon:c4563cd7d5574777a71c318021cbbcc8]

    • AngelaIp's avatar
      AngelaIp
      Ideator I
      3 months ago

      Hi Eli

      Apologies for my impatience regarding the email. Thanks for the prompt update! Rumors always play a key role in my long-term PLM strategy, so I was expecting the worst.[emoticon:98f842990f454422aa6a04953955f9d9]

      Hope you had a great time at the conference and were able to take away some useful ideas! I really appreciate the work you and the team put into supporting and enhancing the community!

       

      I know everyone’s tired of me posting this over and over again, but Aras really needs to find a solution regarding the Open Release. For me, currently the only remaining option is to switch the vendor or build my own PLM.

      However, I really don’t want to accept that this is simply how it ends. I find it hard to believe that Aras hasn’t yet found a more flexible approach.

      On GitHub, in these forums, or on various websites, you can find solutions from all kind of people who are happy to share their ideas with others. Many of them are too small for subscription. What will be left if SMBs no longer have a platform or foundation to contribute from? Due to strict internal policies, large companies are often unable to share even a basic screenshot. As far as I know (from rumors…), even the famous "Innovator Admin" tools originated from a user working at a company without a subscription. In the past, Aras even rewarded these kinds of contributions regardless of whether the person was a subscriber or an Open Release user - because it helped move the product forward.

      I genuinely believe a more flexible solution is needed. Above all, I think it would greatly benefit Aras to keep creative users engaged within the software. Having some rules around the Open Release is perfectly reasonable, but the current restrictions feel overly rigid.

      And with >1,800 (?) posts here, I do have the stamina to keep raising this issue - but I’d much rather use that energy to contribute in more productive ways.

       
       Ichiro_Mizoguchi : I found that line of thought really interesting! Thanks for the feedback!

  • Ichiro_Mizoguchi's avatar
    Ichiro_Mizoguchi
    Ideator I
    3 months ago

    Hi Angela,

    I don’t have any insider information, so this is purely speculation. But I wonder—are there any examples of community management approaches that differ from the current Aras model and are widely recognized as successful?

    If such examples exist, perhaps the team at Aras is looking at them as references and considering changes to improve the community experience.

    After all, “running a community well” may not be their ultimate goal in itself. They might be aiming to support broader strategic objectives, and learning from proven success stories could be part of that process.