I propose the creation of an additional forum under "Extending DayLite" for requesting new features. This seems (to me) to be a logical extension of this area.

For now, feature requests should be sent by email to daylite-feedback@marketcircle.com - as I understand it, this ensures that requests make it into the internal systems MC uses to track such requests.

I do like the idea of a place where we can share our feature ideas with each other; but it's important to make sure they also go through "proper channels" to make it into MC's "ideas and todos" lists, or tracking, or whatever they're doing. If they have to manually track requests posted here, that's taking time and effort away from them being able to implement our requests.

My concern with having a specific forum for feature requests is that most people would assume that posting there was enough, and unless there was some way of integrating that one forum topic area into their internal tracking systems (possibly quite a technical hurdle), then a lot of requests could be missed, or not get on the list as early as might be ideal.

Scott, I agree that it is better that the actual feature requests get sent into Marketcircle by e-mail for immeadiate insertion into their tracking system. However, a feature request discussion area would still be a good idea for hammering out exactly what should be sent in to Marketcircle amongst the users. That way, good ideas can be refined by the people that are affected most (the users) and not-so-good features can be laid to rest without eating up eyeball bandwidth at Marketcircle to read through the request and discuss it.

I definitely agree that a feature request discussion area would be great for fine tuning ideas, as well as guaging interest... the challenge is how to get the ideas from here to there - either:

• someone has to closely monitor the discussions to make sure they're not missing anything, or
  
• someone has to decide when an idea is "done" and should be forwarded, or
  
• all posts get automatically sent to MC - possibly greatly increasing the "eyeball bandwidth," or
  
• somehow topics are summarized and sent to MC on some regular basis
  

I suspect there is a way to do it... I just don't know how much additional manpower would be required to manage it.

I just had another thought -- polls could be used to guage interest levels for feature ideas. Right now, MC probably has to guage interest by the number of requests for an idea they receive to the email address - and I'm sure there are things I'd wholeheartedly endorse if I thought of them, or heard about them... I can't imagine every good idea myself!

Polls are a good tool, if they are worded properly.

Back to the discussion area: I am not suggesting that Marketcircle post any additional manpower to manage the forum. Rather it is the responsibility of any who participate to decide what they want to send on as feature requests. All Marketcircle needs to do it to put up instructions in the post for how the forum would work. Discuss until your heart is content, then send them an e-mail. They could even put the feature request e–mail link in the directions for the forum use.

This is an excellent idea. I would whole-heartedly participate and would also be willing to assist in the management of such a forum in whatever way I can.

Did this idea get anywhere? Post if it did

Not yet. Hopefully we'll see something come of this. For now, I am using the Using Daylite section for posing ideas to discuss, since new features are about how we use Daylite. Not the best but it is also the most active general section.