IBM's three official user groups have formed a single entity called Interaction.
Two years in the planning, Interaction is the consolidation of the platform-based ASG, Common and Team RS/6000 groups.
Denis Vaughan is Interaction's first president. The move was announced yesterday at the IBM User conference in Sydney.
Vaughan said traditional user groups had changed from "how to" and platform-based forums to an method of exchange for business solutions.
IBM's e-business mantra is strong in the new user group. Vaughan said e-commerce was at the top of the agenda for most users at this week's conference.
Interaction will host conferences, bi-monthly meetings and facilitate information sharing between users.