As Dave mentioned the other day, I’m leading a discussion on the power of users at BloggerCon IV. Take a look at my recent string of Windows Vista and Office 2007 posts. Try to look past the “Chris is really ripping apart Microsoft’s flagship products” angle, focusing instead on the “Chris is really a passionate user” position. This is the foundation of our impending BloggerCon discussion. As a blogger, you have tremendous opportunities to tell developers what you need, what you expect, and what you want. You are the user – power or casual. If you don’t stand up for yourself, nobody’s going to do it for you. And contrary to popular belief, developers aren’t gods – and neither are users. If this is a real ecosystem, we need balance where none currently exists. Problem is, as users, we have to deal with the developers – who don’t always see the world from a user’s perspective. I’m not suggesting a revolution – I’m merely asking for other passionate users to start speaking up for the things they care about. I want to know if I’m the only user out there who isn’t afraid to say something (right or wrong) about the applications I work with (good or bad).

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