Are you a Windows expert?

You are? Then why are you reading this? You should be hanging out at Microsoft's Windows Experts Community.

I dunno how long this thing has been around, but Microsoft blogger Paul Donnelly calls it a "new site." Donnelly describes Windows Experts Community as "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."

With all the newbies on the web -- and I consider that to be pretty much anyone who never used Gopher to search the Net -- there's a mythology that no online communities existed before Facebook and Twitter. The misbelief: Social sharing/social media is something new. Well, it's not. Anyone who used dial-up bulletin boards in the 1980s or 90s (or, gasp, earlier) knows otherwise -- or the cliques that still populate IRC today. Newsgroups and forums all had tremendous traction before Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was potty trained.

Microsoft was built on community -- and, particularly before the U.S. antitrust case of 1998, actively engaged Windows user groups. They were part of the development process, and Microsoft rewarded them with early access to software and free licenses. Enthusiasts have long been one of Microsoft's most important assets. Enthusiasts are also any company's most valuable evangelists. People take buying advice from people they know.

Microsoft should better engage enthusiasts, and to provide them a watering hole to shoot the sh*t. Not since Windows 95 is the time more appropriate. Windows 7 has tremendous momentum, as the huge XP install base migrates. Community can be a great place to learn and to share about Windows 7 rigs -- and to be a little bit peacock blustering your feathers.

"Come join other enthusiasts in the Windows Experts Community, show them what you've got and share your knowledge, stories, tips and tricks about taking Windows further," Donnelly beckons. "Post a picture of your best gaming rig build or your parts list for your totally fanless water cooled system. Sure, Microsoft makes Windows but we love to see the ways our enthusiasts take it places we never imagined."

Yeah, that's the right idea.

By the way, if you've read this far, instead of clicking off to Windows Experts Community right away, thank you! Perhaps while you're still here you could explain what makes you a Windows expert and how you interact with others. While you're at it, boast about your rig or link to a photo of it. Please tell all in comments.