The more things change ...

"We value responding to change over following a plan"
- Some guys in Utah, 2001

It's been fun posting at "Testing at the Edge of Chaos", over at Software Test Performance Magazine, and also fun contributing to a monthly column with Chris McMahon.

At the same time, the magazine is changing. I'm happy about the changes, and I hope you will be too.

I talk a fair amount about web 2.0 and user created content; heck, in my day job, I test software for an Social Media Company. Yet when you think about a magazine, a website, and a conference, the model is something out of 1953:

A) Assemble 'content' for magazine
B) Deliver 'content' in magazine as one-directional communication
C) Sell advertising to slip in between articles
D) Assemble 'content' for conference ...

... You see where I'm going.

I don't think there's anything wrong with that; magazines deliver value, that's why people read them.

I've just wondered if there were a more democratic way to do that.

Turns out, there is. Or at least, the folks at STP want to try, and I'm excited about that.

First: The website is changing to SoftwareTestPro.com. Yes, we'll require a signup, but you have to have some sort of login to track your contributions, just like Facebook or Myspace or anything else.

Once you are in, you'll be able to read the community blog, a place where many people can contribute to STP, not just me. So yes, "Testing At The Edge of Chaos" is going to be split in half, replaced by the community blog and, yes, a return to "Creative Chaos." Yes, my RSS feed is back to http://feeds.feedburner.com/CreativeChaos.

Second: The whole SoftwareTestPro website has been revamped, including the creation of 'crews.' Crews are a professional membership feature, something like a special interest group. The folks at STP are also throwing some support behind a local chapter program, so you can create local user's groups. A professional membership costs $100 a year, but to get a test, they've opened up my "Ask the Tester" Crew for anyone with the free basic membership -- at least for a limited time.


Third: The monthly column I share with Chris McMahon is changing, from a sort of encyclopedia of testing into "Ask the Tester" -- were we invite experts from the community to be interviewed. Chris wants to move on to writing features and other content, so instead of a on-man interview crew, we'll ask the community to come up with questions -- that way, our experts answer your questions. Our next interview will be with Michael Bolton; but to write the article I'm afraid I need, well ... the questions.

So please, leave a comment with a question for Michael about testing, along with your name, city, and state/province or country.

It's an exciting time for STP, and i'm pleased to be able to dual-blog now.

Thank you for bearing with our construction in progress. I hope you have questions, especially for Michael. Please, ask away! :-0