I was on the math team in high school. (Haha, I love telling people that!! The irony is, I can't even add numbers over ten together anymore without the use of my reverse polish notation calculator) Having just moved to a new school my junior year, this was my first experience with the math team. I can remember our first meet (is that what we called them?) being a humbling experience for me. At the awards presentation at the end of the meet, it came down to our team and another team as the last remaining teams. One would take first, one would take second.
When it was announced that the other team had gotten second, I let out a little "YES!!"(if you've spent much time around me, you know it probably wasn't little.......or quiet) and a fist pump, quickly followed by an attempted five with a friend of mine on the team. My attempts at celebration were met with a look of astonishment from my buddy and some frowns from pretty much everyone else in the room. I was new, how was I suppose to know you didn't celebrate a math team win in our league? This wasn't the last time I would be new and not know the ins and outs of how to act in certain settings.
- Do you remember the day you got your invitation to ActiveRain? (or stumbled across it after reading something on the internet)
- Do you remember thinking "if I play my cards right, I can have the most points in my city in 1 week, my county in 4 weeks, and my state in 2 months"?
- Do you remember setting up your account and only being able to put your name, number, and some simple text in the 'about us', 'areas of expertise' and 'testimonials' areas?
- Do you remember thinking "how the heck did he get his to look so good"?
- Do you remember typing up your first blog and struggling to figure out how the other people get those cool pictures and links in their blogs?
- Do you remember thinking "I will never produce a post that looks like hers"?
If you remember anything like this, or ever had any thoughts similar to this running through your head, you are not alone. In fact, there is someone out there right now, as you are reading this, that is thinking the exact same thing you were a month ago, six months ago, a year ago. A month later, six months later, a year later it must be hard to look back and remember what it felt like.
I'll bet that more than a few of you had someone reach out to you and attempt to show you the way. I'll bet some of you got a call from someone saying, "hey, I saw your recent post. I thought it was great, but maybe you could break it up a little bit, add a link to this word here, and throw in a picture right here....................oh, you don't know how to do a picture, let me show you".
I know this happens. I've had members tell me that another member did just this for them. I've had them tell me they are so grateful for the 20 minutes that senior member spent with them.
Every day I get to speak with, or exchange emails with someone that really wants to participate the right way. They didn't know it wasn't OK (wow, bad double negative) to send contact emails to everyone telling them about their programs. They want to know the right way, but they just signed up today. They were blinded by the seemingly endless possibilities to network.
Every day I get to speak with or exchange emails with someone who thinks it's OK to post all of their listings to the professional category. They don't know that listings are only suppose to be in the consumer area. They want to know the right way, but they just signed up last week. They relished the idea of having 1000's of agents browse past their listing as they read other blogs.
Every day I get to speak with or exchange emails with someone who thinks it's OK to do something that if you've been here a month, six months, or a year you know it isn't OK to do. They want to know the right way. This place, ActiveRain, has so many little nuances that it takes a long time to figure them all out. We at ActiveRain like to assume that people in general have good intentions. Sometimes, because they don't know the ins and outs, it doesn't come off like that.
So I ask you for two things. If you see someone that looks like they could use a hand figuring something out, reach out and offer one. If you see someone that could use a gentle reminder that that's not how we do things here in the rain, reach out and offer a solution and help them understand why. Don't be accusatory, don't be rude, don't call them out in public, but reach out to them because they probably wish they knew how to do it the right way.
And of course, if all else fails.................please, call me, I'll reach out to them :)
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Thanks Jason.
Someone is going to very lucky to have you as a mentor on here!
Bob, wow! I thought I was the only one here who was on the math team -- my wife likes to chide me for this every once in a while. I guess math is not a big thing for most Realtors seeing the paltry response I got to my blog post Math? When Will I Ever Use This?: A Realtor's Guide.
Moving on...
Thanks for your post and for taking such an active role in the management of the Active Rain community. I've been on both sides of "helping out" and enjoy helping others as much as I can and still have a lot to learn from many of the more experienced members out there.
Do you need a babysitter? My kids won't give me grandkids ....so the least I could do while you're working so hard...and to give the wife a break...let "gramma sally" help you out. Oh, you want me to reach out to someone ....
I remember...oh, boy do I remember. Sharon Simms helped me with the pictures, Neal Bloom got me more addicted, Randy Prothero (friend and in the same office) invited me four months before I joined. My first post was lame...so was the second, third and fourth and pretty much all of them until I really got the hang of it. (maybe a few months later) I have helped countless and there are people who still reach out. Colleen helped with my titles, LAURIE (This was an EDIT....I entered Colleen's name and it was supposed to be Laurie! oops!) and another hard core lady helped me with SEO, keywords and such, TLW and BB slap me upside the head when it's time to take a step back, okay...book getting written here...sorry.
I'm there...
Brian,
Haha, I wear it on my sleeve like a badge (with my friends). They are always giving me a tough time, because now, my skills are long gone.
I'm glad to hear that you have had some people reach out and offer to help. Like Craig Schiller says........stage it forward!
Vicky
Math is no longer my friend either. It's why I have a reverse polish notation calculator.........no one knows how to use one, so it's always right on my desk :)
Sally,
Find someone who could benefit from that same help they gave you. I bet that you couldn't thank the people you mentioned enough, pass it on to someone else.
my better half and the kid are at her friends house tonight. It's the only reason I am allowed on the computer at 8pm pacific time. :) But if you were in WA, I would take you up on that offer in a heartbeat!
Edson,
funny thing about calculators............I have the same one I have had since 1994. It's a HP........(I forget the model, 48C I think) but they still sell that same calculator. Thanks for stopping by :)
Very encouraging words Bob...share what you have learned, pass it along, be kind to those who don't yet understand and help them to learn the way.... : )
Joan,
Pay it forward! :)
Bob,
You almost had me spit my milk out of my nose with the abacus comment, HAHA
Gena,
You are right, for those of you who have been along for the whole ride, it is certainly easier to learn the ropes one thing at a time. I have some level of technical savvy and I must say, I would be pretty lost coming here today on my own.
Jeff Turner is actually working on a great project where he is doing video tutorials on a variety of subjects. We are going to be highlighting it in the next few days on the home page.
Still, I don't think there is any substitute for having someone who knows the ropes reaching out and extending a helping hand to someone new.
Bob - Nice reminder. We were all new once, and we all learned from someone else. I'd rather spend time helping someone do it right than watch this network degrade.
Remember - you need to come fishing in Alaska next summer :)
Thank you Deborah,
I hope that people will really take it to heart. As AR grows and more and more people join, we have to have members help each other to keep the same community feeling. AR (the staff) can only do so much, and since AR is really about the members.........they need to step up :)
Debbie,
Somehow my better half got an "Alaskan Cruise" bug and has been looking at them online for next summer. I remember you saying they stop in Juneau.........I'll make sure to let you know if she pulls the trigger (haha, who am I kidding..........if, yeah right, when I meant)
Math Team???.....what a panty waste!...I guess you didn't read my post on too much transparency?
I remember very clearly the things you refer to here. And I can recall quite vividly the ones who gave 'me' a helpful hand up - Maureen Francis, Kristal Kraft, and Ines Hegedus-Garcia. I will forever be indebted to those three incredible ladies. And then, of course, there was Buckwheat (aka Mark Flanders). He was firmly entrenched and OWNED the State of Washington. I wanted nothing more than to KICK his butt. But more importantly, Mark and I learned A LOT from each other, and still do. Ever since joining AR, I have strived to provide the same helpful and kind assistance that was bestowed to me. Imagine what even greater potential this platform would have if everyone did the same?
Bob,
Right on! Gena was so helpful to me so many times as she continues to be for so many!
Sarah is always reaching out and touching someone with her wit in writing.
Karen has been unbelievable to see her persistence in helping others.
The list goes on and on!
Long live the mentors in AR!
Lucky :)
Bob - I had been on here awhile when you called me. I have to say it's gets lonely in NM. It's nice when someone reaches out to others in the rain. I lurked around and posted quietly and have made a few connections from here which has been nice. Well I could say more but I want to stay positive on your post. I had a blog and didn't know what to blog about and for that I am grateful to have found AR. I no longer suffer from writers block with all the good ideas floating around.
Bob- When I started I didn't know diddly...I just kept reading, the positive posts and the negative ones...they all taught me. I swear I didn't know about contacting any of you....and followed the rule of not sending unsolicited e-mails....but I did break that a couple times, and actually asked if I could link their post :) :) Now that got probably gave those experienced AR'ers something to laugh about :)
Anyway, I do send e-Mails to newer people trying to help them. I also help several people I have invited here......it makes a better community.
Lastly I want to say, not everyone that says they "didn't know" is being honest....learning the rules is part of our obligation as a member :) :) And your job is figuring out who "just didn't know" or " who just didn't care." I think your job is harder........
Christiane - I got your email and emailed you back. Give me a call tomorrow if you have some time to talk.
Bob....uh, that's what I meant by "I'm there". I've helped from my first month...when I didn't even know all what I was doing.
In any case, hug for baby and keep up the wonderful pep talk posts!
Christiane meet Jason, Jason meet Christiane
Rich,
I have personally heard from many people how influential you have been in keeping them on the right track and also lending a helping hand. I really appreciate that about you. There are lots of people in the Rain who do this, I know that. As we continue to grow though, we need to continue to have people step up and take on this role.
Kathy,
The "just didn't care" people don't last very long around here. They are in for instant gratification. Taking away points for "just not caring" has a way of making them just leave.
Ashley,
You can say whatever you want. If you have something not as positive, I'm a big boy, I can take it :)
Oh, I gotcha now Sally..................
Ok, we just had an nail clipping accident with the baby...............I may be gone for the night, we'll see............Thanks everyone for the comments so far,
Remember, tomorrow instead of thinking "what the heck is this person doing", call them and ask what they are doing and see if you can help them do it better :)
Oh, geez. That's why I take my cocker to the groomer...can't deal with nails. I can't imagine what I did "back in the day" with my own kids. Oh, memory just came back....I made my son have a hang nail on his toe from pulling the cuticle or something. Ouch...now look...I went way back in time and still feel it.
And if I wonder....I'll flag em from now on. I try not to say anything until the person insists that plagiarism is permitted. How about a follow up post on that Bob?
When I stumbled into AR I was completely clueless, still am sometimes. These described me to a tee:
Just keep reading, it's all here folks, use the search engine there is a wealth of information stored on the archives of AR. We have all contributed to it, you will too in short order.
I went from knowing very little in Dec. '06 to coaching members to 1st place Google positions on their outside blogs. It works. The relationships developed here are precious, just splash around.
OK, what the heck is bunya-bunya
ok, it was just a minor nick with the nail clippers. (which by the way have the red cross symbol on them from target. The red cross is now being sued by Johnson and Johnson over that symbol............
bunya-bunya............isn't that what you get on your feet when you do too much walking?
Thanks for the reminder. When I first joined a/r I was called out on a few things that I wish they would have just e-mailed me first. A/R has so many areas it is easy to get lost going from post to post
Bob I don't have a problem with you. Just some of the usual crap you see on a social network. The clique, in-fighting, name calling, bullies, etc. I am biting my tongue on the one I really want to say and I am not going to do. I had the same problem 15 years ago with a BBS so I am use to it. Doesn't make it better just use to it. And just like the BBS the owners/guys/gals of AR are great.
Baby nail clipping is a dangerous thing. With my second one I made a nasty nick in her finger. Now don't get disgusted but from there on out with her and my youngest one until they had bigger fingers I bit their nails down.
Hi Bob - I'd bet the vast majority of us here wouldn't be where we are here in the Rain without more than a couple of people reaching out to us and lending us a helping hand. I know I had a number of great members reach out to me, and in turn, I've done the same for as many as I can. And it's still going on - help coming my way when I need it and help going out to others when I see someone I can offer some tips and suggestions to.
It's what life is all about - none of us is as good alone as we can be together!
Ann
Bob, very good reminders for all of us...I've been pretty busy lately and haven't been extending a welcome to newbies the way I used to. Your post is just what I need to re-focus some of my AR time on newcomers.
Thanks !
I enjoyed seeing the picture of your little guy sitting up smiling on Katie's post....he's a sweetheart.
((-:
Jo
Bob,
Same here...when I was invited I didn't really know what the whole blog thing was for and what AR would do so I just started writing...then I see these total strangers start to leave all these comments and was wondering why they even cared about me...well a few months later I became more active here and now look what you did:) I try to help when it is needed..I really do not like to email or call people unanounced..."hey I'm shy" to ask if they need help...I seem to get calls from many without inducing it. Interesting when they call just to touch base...I always think they are selling me something but that is not the case.I am flattered to be seeked out. I just think that when new members read the guidelines...they really don't let it absorb. So I would tell people read it a 2nd and a third time if you can before you go and put things in the wrong place....thanks.
I love helping the Newbies, but I hate telling people they're doing it wrong. If anyone ever asks me, I help -- but I rarely ask them if they want it. Regardless of what you might hear *ahem*, I am not that bossy.
(Until I know you.)
Bob,
I appreciated the "kind" tone of your post. Yes, we all need help from time to time--it's always about the way that help is administered.
Bob,
Doe this place attract math nerds? I was on my math team, except in Russia we did not have calculators. Have you ever heard of a logarithmic ruler-I would not know what to do with it now, but in the old days...
Being a teenager (in AR years), I don't expressly reach out through e-mails, because I am not sure if it's welcomed. I try to comment on new people's blogs, but sometimes it's hard - a lot of uninspired writing. It could be good if people can ask questions outside of the blog comments,i.e. e-mail or call without overly burdening anyone. Otherwise there can be a bigger divide between the "veterans" and "popular" and the rest of the gang.
WOW...another couple of math nerd!! I was on the chess team too. Active Rain is a super place to learn and share. Many people have helped me, and there are groups where informative posts are arranged by category so that we can find what we need easier.
Thanks Bob for all your comments. THis place is great, and with 52000 members and growing, a lot of people think so too.
Mike Norvell Sr..............Mikenorvell.com
I remember the kindness of Kristal Kraft and Maureen Francis -- their encoragement, their hand out to me who was completely clueless shaped how I went forward. I in turn helped many, Neal Bloom, Brad Andersohn and Midori Miller to name a few. A few that in turn took my little request "Pay it forward" and turned it into an artform. Each time I see Pay it forward, I am reminded by the the small acts of kindness from the leaders at the time to me.
Not only that the friendships and business relationships that I have made through ActiveRain are absolutely priceless.
Bob...
The only person that ever helped me when I first started blogging was Blog Boy (Broker Bryant). Getting questions answered around here was like pulling teeth.
That is how it was way back then. I am so pleased that now there are so many members that there's always someone willing to lend a hand or in my case a paw :)
I think the fact that I kinda threw myself at the wolves is the reason I am always there to help someone learn the rain ropes.
By the way...I am still very much astounded by the continual growth rate. Man...This place is huge :)
Careful with those nail clippers New Dad. If you need to get a pair of bifocals when it's time to clip those itsy bitsy nails :)
TLW...ROAR!
Wow...you hit the nail on the head. My feelings exactly!
Thanks for sharing....AR Newbie of 1 month.
Thanks Bob!
I wish I had seen the light long ago! Sometimes we all could use a little guidance and support. It is easy to see clearly in retrospect.
I wish I had someone giving me more than the odd suggestion... but I probably did and wasn't listening. But, not only do I remember when I said I would be #1 in my city, county and state... but I'm still working at it. I'm #1 in my city, #2 in my county, and #6 in my state. Give me a couple of weeks, and the state goal will be the only one I'll be pursuing. And, Jim Crawford puts up awesome posts with regularity, so I have my work cut out for me.
I'm happy to help anyone that I can. The only thing I worry about is that some of my suggestions aren't greeted with a "thanks, great", but rather "go back under your rock, troll". Even the simple ones like references to bold/italic/all cap posts.
Oh well.
You are so right and that is what so great about AR --members reaching out and helping each other.
Oops! I didn't realize I was not logged in when I made the comment above. Sorry!
Hi Bob, Active Rain has certainly helped my business. This is why TruClose will continue to Sponsor Active Rain and we hope to remain in the top rerferrer status each month!
Thanks for all you do.
Everyone,
Thank you for the comments. Someone mentioned that they are more inclined to reach out and help someone than to reach out and point out what someone may be doing wrong. That's ok. We have lots of different types of people here. There are some people that are just as likely to be more comfortable letting someone know when they have misstepped.
Jason,
One of the little nuances about ActiveRain is to NOT advertise yourself in the comments section of another members blog. If you would be so kind as to edit your comments so they aren't an infomercial for your company I would appreicate it.
Do not advertise yourself or your services in the comment section of another members blog post. (It's the first bullet point in the community guidelines, which everyone should spend some time looking at if you are not familiar with them.)
Beth,
You mentioned the Q&A section. That revived a thought I had some time ago about having a members only Q&A section where members could go to ask questions about ActiveRain. I think it is time we have that feature. I'm going to talk with Matt, Jon, Jerry, and Ben and see if we can get that implemented rather quickly.
As far as your specific mention of the Q&A section and the post about not answering questions from other states.............I believe it is just prudent to only answer questions targeted at an area that your licensing covers. You are really leaving yourself exposed if you are answering questions outside of your licensing area. Some general questions may be alright, but for the most part, I would stick to my area.
As far as the name calling, we don't condone that sort of thing, I'm sorry it came out like that.
Did somebody actually leave advertising on BOB's post? LOL
Yes he did.
but they are gone now :)
Jason - YIKES! Tone it down a bit, buddy!
Bob - I have thought that there should a a separate "Q&A" for members, and one for consumers.
Beth - you definitely are NOT stupid. Grace should always be extended, especially to people who are new to our network. As a rule, I think it's wise to only answer questions within your own State, and that relate to your own speciality - i.e. real estate, mortgage lending, staging, etc.. But if the question is one that relates to ActiveRain, and not a consumer question, then I don't think there is any reason why you can't respond.
Bob, wonder if I could get my request in again from last year and see if it's possible for Active Rain to help out with the following:
In "Groups" there is heading entitled "POSTS" on the sidebar.
In my opinion, based on how many NEW members tend to think this is where they write their blog article, it needs to be removed. I can't tell you how many times this happens and when posting there, the blogger receives no points and they end up not knowing where their article is since it is NOT in their home base. I see no reason to have it in groups...perhaps some other moderator could chime in as to their take on the subject.
I would also like to see a separate section in groups where the moderators could put pertinent tutorials and information for the members. It would be a place to refer new member to for reading rather than have the articles lost in the array of submittals.
"If wishes were horses...beggars would ride."
Gena,
I will answer your concerns in an email to you. (That way the whole crew isn't able to hold me to what I say, only you.........haha)
Everyone,
I am always available for suggestion directly to my email.........bob at the name of this site.
Gena,
You silly lady...........you need not apologize to me. I appreciate you bringing these things up. Like I said in my email to you, I agree, some of that stuff is confusing for a new person. I have a post that I am working on that is the start of ActiveRain's efforts to give our new members a solid support area to be able to rely on for figuring out the nuances of the site.
(please reserve any comments about this for that post :) )
Gosh Bob, everything was going so well here until you chastised Gena for making a "criticism" of a functionality. I think this is the correct place to do that because we would all like to hear what others think is good or bad or otherwise about the platform.
As for the math team, we didn't have one (it must be some new fangled invention) but if we had I would have been a member. Are you left-handed by any chance?
And I too like HP calculators but my newest one doesn't use Reverse Polish Notation and sometimes I push the operands in the wrong sequence.
Keep up the good work. We all appreciate it.
Bill Roberts
Sorry Bill,
It wasn't my intention to chastise her. I just wanted to try to keep things on topic (haha, but you are right......it looks like it killed the conversation). My response to her was (in a nutshell) that I agree with her suggestions, and that I needed to check with Matt to see why things were set up the way they are currently.
Yes, I'm left handed :)
The reverse polish notation is great. No one else in the office knows how to use it, so if they come by my desk and pick the calculator up, they usually set it down in about one minute. haha, it never goes missing.
Bob:
RPN is just so....logical ...it still just feels right. Screwed me up for years though with regular calculators...
I can only hope that the above can be construed as an ad for RPN calculators... :)
Tony
Tony,
Yes, it was an ad for RPN calculators.........if you have ever had your calculator disappear from your desk, it will not happen with a RPN calc.
Roberta,
Thank you, your kind words are much appreciated.
Awesome post in so many ways, I hope a lot of people read this! And BTW, I was on the math team as well - although I may not have been as excitable as you, it still bring back some great memories!
There is no way to eradicate a learning curve. Mainly because there is no one best way to blog.
There's no one better to read and or emulate than Laurie Manney when it comes to SEO.
There's no one better to read and or emulate than Sarah Cooper when it comes to learning how to put yourself out there and let people get to know the real you.
There's no better read than Jeff Turner's writings from start to finish for everything you ever wanted to know about things that make your blog POP, with complete tutorials as well as offers to personally assist.
Not necessarily a tutorial, but there's no better place to learn about making each and every post visually entertaining than Lenn Harley's AR blog. But don't even THINK about cut and pasting one of her fabulous maps when you get there!
Broker Bryant and TLW will give you the distinct and screaming message that you can't take yourself too seriously! Playing in The Rain is just as important as working here.
And just when you think you've got it all down, Rich Jacobson comes along to remind you that it's a journey that never ends, and is only limited by your desire to be done. It's never done. Rich's sense of community reminds you that Singing in the Rain is like living in your geographic community. Always something new happening to enjoy.
For more than what you were looking for and ever hoped to find, just search the word Tomato. If you ever run out of ideas, anything ever written by anyone associated with the word Tomato will keep you growing and gaining for the rest of your life!
You would pay tens of thousands of dollars for the info contained in The Art of Marketing YOU if you spent untold hours getting this info by attending and paying for individual seminars.
And just when you thought you had it all down, you go to New Subscriptions THIS WEEK and you find
Jennifer Allan Selling With Soul
Adam Waldman and OMG Eye Candy!
Truth of the matter is that ActiveRain is the BEST and BIGGEST One Stop Shop for all things Blog.
There is NO END to the learning curve of Blogging, because it is still in its infancy and every single day new people enter to teach us one more thing and to inspire us one more time.
Anyone who doesn't like Learning Curves, doesn't like LIVING! Understanding that people you meet and greet and associate with on the Internet, are just as important as those you physically meet, is the learning curve.
A blog isn't a thing that you HAVE...blogging is a thing that you DO. Each is as valuable as the next. Even those with one post that says, Hi...I'm new here.
I get calls from agents all the time and I really don't mind helping out when it comes to certain questions. We all progress in how we right blogs, I recently went back and looked at my first ones and had to laugh at how bad they were written or presented. But, with time and watching others, I think I have come a long way baby! There is no underline in green or red like in Word to tell you that your blog formatting is wrong! Maybe you can look in to that - lol
Bob,
I feel the essence of Active Rain is people helping people. I have been an advocate of that since I joined in July/06 which is why, when the Groups arrived, I started the Newbie Group. I have a moderator group for the newbie group and a Greeters group for the newbie group. (Anyone who would like to join the Greeters group, are certainly welcome)
As of this comment, there are 3,231 members in that group which is more than the total of Active Rain when I joined!
Because I spend literally HOURS monitoring and trying to help newbies in that group, I have barely been able to spit out a post. The moderators give freely of their own time and take their "job" very seriously.
All the tools are already here in Active Rain in the Newbie Group. All the links on the sidebar tell everyone what to do and newbies can post their questions in the Group and everyone can either greet them or help them.
When one first signs on to Active Rain, one link to that Group would be very helpful
Tracy Santrock has a suggestion about a Welcome Letter to newbies. I mentioned that same thing on a previous post by you and you said that they already "do" get one. I think the problem may be whatever the welcome letter is saying is not quite directing them to the appropriate places to start out.
Many people who join Active Rain are new to blogging also and when you first sign on, it's tough to understand.
It seems that there are many people willing to help out here and simply need some direction.
The people, that just out of consideration, pull up the new member list and welcome them are the real Givers.
Just a note to say how much I appreciate all you do and give to this community. Yesterday you took the time to comment on my post and come back 2 more times trying to provide me with information. It's people like you that makes this a successful community. Thank you.
Hi, Bob!
There's a group that serves the welcome wagon function here--the Active Rain Newbies. It has been welcoming and giving directions to new members since it was founded by Karen Hurst. In fact a few of the members who commented here were welcomed there and been featured there.
If there were an official AR welcoming letter, perhaps it should mention the Newbie Group as a place to start them off. The newbies like myself naturally progress from there to blossom, or not, somewhere else on the ARsphere. : )
Members can help by mentioning to those who didn't know that they will be welcomed and get their questions answered in the Active Rain Newbies Group whether by newbies themselves and/or by veteran AR bloggers who have helped before and would like to continue to do so.
Like you said, without volunteers to help out, it will be difficult to learn and blog in this community.
This is a funny post :) I have thoughts like this every day. I am new to AR, so I actually calculated out how many times I would need to post or write a blog in order to get to the top of my city! Pathetic, right? Hahah. I thoroughly enjoyed this post. Thanks for sharing.
Awesome picture for this subject! Nice touch!
An extra 250 points for you Bob! :) It is about playing it forward and about remembering where we have ALL been. Being new on Active Rain is not for the faint of heart; some members can be brutal. If it wasn't for a few positive voices that I found two years ago, I would have given up on AR.
Well shoot!!! You havent reached out to me latley!! I think you should put that on your to do list!!~Stac ;)
Bob ... thanks for this post and to Jason Crouch and other nice folks who have emailed and called to help me to understand and use AR, blog bash, Twitter, PDF exchange, etc. Best wishes. Harrison
One of the things that continues to impress me about Active Rain is the generous help that is consistently offered by the AR veterans. The system is so huge it could be downright intimidating if it weren't for a generous and helpful attitude within the membership. It begins with the leadership and filters down to our newest member.
I have ten bucks that says Crouch will be the next hire. Any takers? :)
TLW...ROAR!
Karen, What a great idea! I wasn't aware of the Newbies group or of the Greeters.
TLW, Yes, he'll be in charge of the Welcome Wagon department!
Hi Bob, Nice Retro post- I'm a newbie, yet I'm seeing the value of this network. I've already invited many to join. 3/4 of them were already members but didn't really do anything. Maybe they will w/ a few nudges...