Chuck - the water is perfect, I'd dive on in.  :-)

Kathy - thanks, we'll do our best to get that corrected right away.

Mike - make sure you submit the form, this is a great opportunity, I can personally guaranty it.

Nick - you'd make a pretty good ambassador yourself buddy.  I'm just sayin...    :-)

Neal - Checks in the mail... wait a minute, what about all those drink tickets I gave you in Florida???  LOL~

William - looking forward to your August submission.

Erica - that's the plan exactly.  Making new members feel warm and welcomed here.  Our "Pay It Forward" culture working at its best!

Marcy - if you still need any assistance, let me know and I may be able to help you turn eventually into much sooner.  :-)

Erica - was that still in there?  haha..  Too late to take it out now.  That's too funny.  Still waiting for TLW's comment too, I'm sure I'm gonna get it for that one.  I'll just blame it on Bob!  :-)) 

Tim - time is the greatest gift one human can ever give another.  Though I really do understand it's value, the rewards in most cases are immeasurable.  Call me if you have any questions, this ambassador is always available and will make time for you if needed.

TLW - OMG!!  I told Bob I should have put shotgun shells. I knew it!  That is too dog gone funny! 

Hey Anna - just got off the phone with Earl.  Great guy, sounded like he has a lot of experience too.  Thanks for ambassadoring Earl my way.  I think I got most of his questions answered and explained AR and the benefits.  There's some great "Rain" value here once he signs up. Thanks.  :-)

When I started here there didn't seem to be any resources . . . except older members' posts.  I have bookmarked dozens and dozens of instructive posts because of the value of the information they provided.  I think this is a great way to help newbies and give official recognition to many who've helped so many others.

Margaret - that's perfect! You are on it.  We know that having a program like this in place will only continue to make our community better and bring more value and resources to our members.  We can never have too many resources, and now with Ambassadors, the value and benefits of AR will get propelled into new and exciting times for this place.  Can you tell I'm stoked?

BTW - I apologize for not being the one to call when you started here.  With this new program launched, now maybe I can.  :-))

Victoria - that's awesome, let us know if you need any additional followup or help with that.

Rebecca - this applies to many of the folks who have been here, not just new members.  You'll find out more soon if you signed up.

David - you are a great candidate, submit it to the council, then Blog and comment your butt off, meanwhile, I'll see how stiff the rules are going to be about the points, I see Bob is already bending from the 3 google posts.  I agree with Bob, an 11 passion for AR beats a threesome on Google. :-)

Donna - awesome and thanks, I think you've put alot into this community and have seen first hand the unique values and rewards to be found here, what better type of member than yourself to be out there helping others.  So many of us do this everyday anyway, now it can just be much more rewarding for both members.

Heather -GREAT Point!  Now, maybe we can get to all of them before they have the chance to ask or post about it.  Now that's a goal I'd love to accomplish, it would sure make for more quality content on the network and alot less question type posts.

Don - fill out the form and submit it.  There's a committee or council to review all this, Just Do It!!  :-))

Teri - love your idea and we're working on something already.  I think you'll be quite impressed.  We have already had a couple webinars, but I don't want to give up all the thunder here, submit your request anyway.

Brian - don't worry about the 3 google posts right now, as Bob said above "Passion vs Google" passion wins handsdown.  Trust me.

Patricia - you would need to invest some time, but for the return, i think you'd find it very much worth it.  We don't want anyone to feel like this is about selling or promoting, it's all about "Paying It Forward", helping members, and allowing the natural course of "Paying It Backward" to take place for our Ambassadors.  My opinion?  This is shear genius.  Implementing it is just the beginning and the fun part.

Lanre - yes!  :-))

Lisa - You'd be great.  I'll let TLW pick out the shoes and surprise you!  I should probably cover the shipping if you're going to send her those shells...  lol~ 

Lana - You are an ambassador to all those who read, know, and love you already.  We're really happy you're here and enjoying it.  I don't think there's anything that makes ANY of us happier, (and I speak for the entire AR staff) than hearing comments like yours.  Thank you.

Nyssa - Well I'm not waiting to see if and when an ambassador calls you, I'm calling you now.  :-))

Jason - My buddy, ActiveRain Dreams have a way of becoming reality for those who believe!!!  That's how I got here...remember?
Just make sure you selected 11 on that passion thingy...  hahaha, I know you did! :-)   We need to catch up soon too, this week?

Julie - You can be Brand new here, or an existing member for some time, that doesn't really matter.  Either way, I can help you. 

Give me a call tomorrow and I'll show you how to get those top google listings.  707 718-6773.

Kristin - that's all great stuff.  Paying it forward to others via this (A)mbassador program will also have some nice monetary value to those willing to accept and who get approved for this role. There really is so much to share here, it's nice to be in a position to reward those who want to take part in this program.

There is no deadline for submitting your request to become an AR Ambassador.  If you are close in points, submit it.  If you are passionate about AR and your successes and experience here, submit it.  If you love helping other people, submit it.  If you want to see how "Paying It Backward" works, then "Pay It Forward" ...  submit it.  :-)

Tonda and Steve - Ambassadors can and will work with any member from their area, new and old.  :-)

Brad, thanks for calling!  I really enjoyed all the information!  (I'm so glad I had my notebook handy-Whew!)  Now I am officially a Rainmaker!  Thanks so much for sharing so much information with me!

Nyssa - welcome aboard and Congrats on being the "Featured Member" in the AR Newsletter today. 

"One of our newest Rainmaker's Nyssa is a wife, mother, sister and friend to many in her community. Let's give her a warm welcome to our community. Stop by and say hi and let's show her how lucky she is to find her online family! Welcome to ActiveRain Nyssa."

ok... I'm back now, got some more reading to do, but I "love" the discussions that are evolving around this program.  Great stuff!  :-)

Mike  - be sure to fill out the form and submit it.  Thanks.

Mama Liz - your passion is evident.

Hi Brad...Real estate is a personal business and the Ambassadorship program fits nicely. 
Kathleen - thanks, I totally agree. 

Nyssa - you can sign up for the newsletter on the right side of my Blog here.  I will send you an email copy of the Newsletter you were featured in as well.  You will receive the newsletter daily once you sign up for it.  Congrats again.  :-)

Chris - the newsletters are not kept online, they are created in an outside program and then emailed to members.  If you let me know the date, I have been saving them for months and would be happy to forward you the copy you are looking for.  Just let me know.

Alex- just be sure to fill out and submit the form. Thanks.

Karen - does not have to be the top of google, but in the top 2-5 is great.

Brian - pack your bags!  lol~

Roland - you nailed it. "Building relationships, helping others and a little fun too."

Jeff - we'll have posts to assist Ambassadors and we are already doing training and webinars.

Diane - yes, many of us have already been doing this for a long time. Now, times have changed and our growth here continues to soar.  You'll see many comments here that say "I wish this was here when I started" so that tell me though it may be long over due, we're certainly on the right track here.  :-)

Kimberly - call me, I will help you. 707 718-6773 at your convenience.

Brian Brady - you said "It's good marketing to call potential referral partners and introduce them to Active Rain, regardless of the title"
Now that's a profound statement, and I couldn't have said it any better.  Thanks.

Lora - everyone has a place here in the community and everyone finds their way to provide the best value to other members and their readers, associates, and subscribers. Ambassador helpers are everywhere and we'd love your help in any capacity that works for you.

Mike - would love to see that book.  I think there is huge value in each member and the way they approach supporting and helping other members.  Just like Blogs here on AR, each member is unique and have a variety of gifts and talents they can share.

Debe - not to worry, we have a plan and a program in place that will prevent that from happening.  This is just the roll-out, there is so much more to come. It has been well planned, and we're confident that this is going to work great thanks to our members, not us.

William - yes, let it rain, let it rain!  :-)

Lisa - yes, absolutely.  This could be the first place you start calling even if just to say thanks for all the support to the newbies.  There are so many new members daily that don't even know the newbies group exists.  The Ambassador program will help us as a community to reach out to nearly every member sooner, and share this great information with them instead of waiting and hoping they find it on their own eventually.  The rewards and forms of recognition you mention will be great in this program.  There is alot of truth in the statement, "It really is better to give than to receive!" 

To everyone - thank you so much for all your responses, comments, support and ideas.  I wanted to respond to every one of you, but my poor little fingers and brain are done for today. I'll be back in the morning and also calling many of you, so till then, keep the submissions coming and thanks again for being willing to extend a hand and lifeline to those members in the "rain" who might otherwise sink without it.

This community and network is great, but it's the members and YOU that make it the BEST PLACE TO BE if you're in this industry. :-))  Thank you all.  :-))

Matt - that was an awesome comment, how's this?

Gita - there is no criteria for the amount of posts you do per week to become an AR Ambassador. 
Richard - being shy should not stop you. You have so much to share and contribute, just your photos alone speak "Downpours" of how you could assist and support members here in the rain.
Melody - you are a true hearted and sincere ambassador to have taken the time to notice CTS, and then to want to help her seeing that she had great potential without any expectations in return.  Just look at her now. I hope you'll continue doing this exact thing with others as an Ambassador in the rain.  Any person here would be lucky to have you helping them.  We see and value that very much. You Rock!
Loreena - you're not too late.
Debe - we want this program and network to continue to succeed!  We will all work diligently every day to see that it does, but without the support and help from our members, we are but a few visionaries with only dreams. Thank you for helping us make these dreams become a reality.
Deanne - I am calling you now.  :-)
Cathy - thank you, the feeling is mutual.
Sandy - tell me you submitted the form!

Deanne - it was great meeting and talking to you today. I hope the call was helpful, feel free to contact me or an ambassador (TBA) in your area if you ever need anything at all.  :-)

David - consider yourself considered for sure!!  :-)))

Trish - looking forward to your growth and successes in the "rain!"  Thanks for such a nice comment, that was very sweet of you.  It's Members like yourself that make this place... and I'll quote you, "I always thought AR was an awesome community, NOW I KNOW!"

@CT - can you keep it down in here please, some of us are trying to get some work done around here!!  lol~  This is my library and there'll be no hijacking or yelling here ok?  Awhhh shucks, never mind...

YOU YELL AT THAT WEISSER ALL YOU WANT AND GET HIM OFF HIS MULLING BUTT!  ROFL...

@Sandy - what you lack in points, you make up for in passion and personality.  Just keep plugging away, you'll only benefit in the process. :-))))))

Dale - saw you submission come in, I know there are still many being submitted so thanks for your patience and thanks for taking the time to send it in.  Sounds like you have a great understanding and passion for being an Ambassador on many levels. Nice. :-)

Vanna - it's very exciting to receive comments like yours, your time and efforts here really will payoff in more ways than just business, the relationships you'll establish and personal rewards are unmeasurable.  Congrats on connecting with consumers and clients with your AR Blog.

Great Job!!  :-)

We are currently reviewing the submission forms you have all turned in and we'll be posting the outcome and first round of AR Ambassadors shortly.  I can't thank this community enough for the outpouring of "Rain" and support with this new program.  We are really excited, especially now that we've reviewed some of your submissions and your comments.  To just say "Thank you" doesn't seem like enough. 

Ambassadors will be contacted via email to go over some of the legistics via a quick webinar training.  This will assist you all in getting setup and started.  If you are not in the first round selection, please be patient, we've only just begun the process.  We're ALL looking forward to rolling this out and are happy that so many members wish to take part in it.  Thank you all again.  :-)

Marianne - Thanks so much for your comment, I really appreciate it and it really got me thinking, so here I go...   :-)))))

I'm glad you had the chance to see Jenny's concerns and Bob's response.  I don't think I could have said it any better or made it any clearer.  This is not about selling something to someone who may not even need it any way. 

You had said, "I don't like to encourage some one to use something that fits for me if it's going to cost them money and might not like be suited to them.

Part of "Ambassadoring" (if that's a word   lol...) simply means extending a welcome, and helping members determine what it is they are after, why they are here, and what they expect to get from being here.  It may require a moment or two of fact finding.  Some of our more experienced veteran AR members might be able to assist new members in obtaining and achieving their goals much quicker and more efficiently. 

Example:  Nyssa above has written nearly 20 great posts that bring super value to the consumers in her community and area, but since they were "members only" posts, the audience they were intended for was not getting to see them.  I respect and value her time and could see she had clearly invested much of that time into her AR Blog.  Her time is money!  I merely called her to welcome her and explained how AR and the Rainmaker program works.  I did not try to sell her on anything to get any personal gain, I sincerely saw her potential, made sure of her intentions, and simply wanted to share and show her how she could achieve what it was she started out here to do. 

Why? Because I honestly didn't want her wasting any more of her time or efforts here.  We can't put a price on the support and direction that she may have needed that I or another member "ambassador" could or is willing to provide her.  What's worse, she may have not even known she needed it, whatever that help or support may be.   

Encouraging and supporting others doesn't have to have a monetary reward nor does it have to cost someone else, sometimes just helping people, creating bonds, building trust and growing relationships IS the reward.

I hope others will see this Ambassador program transparently for what it truly is and for what we are trying to accomplish here.  Activerain is about helping people, paying it forward, sharing and building relationships.  The business that can and does come from it is just a by-product of our great members and the culture here. 

If someone calls you, asks for help, and asks you why you are here and what you get out of ActiveRain, I don't see any harm in you telling them.  Instead of waiting for someone to call and ask, we're just being proactive and making that call to them first. We need more people to help do this because Bob, Jeremy and I just can't get to all 200 new members everyday.  We now have "ActiveRain Ambassadors."  This will also help free us up so we can take the time to help assist and support our top members, and focus on building and creating an even better Activerain Network and Community.  It's all good.  :-))

Ambassador:
results from a google search....

• a diplomat of the highest rank; accredited as representative from one country or person to another
• an informal representative; "an ambassador of good will"

Steve - whatever time you feel it takes, is the "right" amount of time.  This has to work for you as much as it does the receiver.  :-)

Marianne - LOL~ Did it wear you out too?  haha, seriously, thanks for inspiring me to write a post within my post!  (BIG SMILE!)

Roland - I have the "Announcement Post" in draft right now and should be posting it sometime tomorrow.

This is very exciting and we have some awesome plans for this program currently in the works.  :-)

Hey Cathy - as you probably know, this is a new program we're launching. This is just the first round of ambassadors selected.  We still have many others to go through and hope more will consider joining us.  Take a moment to submit the form, there are a lot of things being considered as Ambassadors are being selected.  We are currently working on some of the backend training and support for our ambassadors in an effort to help ALL members to benefit. 

It's about passion and paying it forward much more than it is about points.  I think the points criteria was added just so we'd know that there was some time and effort spent by the candidate member here in the rain.  It would be hard to have 100,000 points and not have 100,000 success stories.   As far as the areas where ambassadors are located, we hope to eventually have one in each area AR is represented, that would be all 50 states and beyond.  Some areas are much larger and will require more than one ambassador. 

We'd love to see more members like yourself wanting to, and getting involved with the ambassador program.  It is already making a HUGE difference and in so many ways.  Every member is already an ambassador on AR in their own right, this just makes it official and the rewards a bit greater. :-))

William - any placement on Google is just a portion of the criteria, your passion for the network and helping others is just as important. :-)

William - Let me turn the question back to you.  Are your posts showing up on Google?  #1, #10, #30, maybe page 5?  To help others be successful, it helps if you are doing it successfully yourself.  The criteria really isn't that stiff, we're even taking the time to help train and support the ambassadors who fully want to understand all this so they can help others benefit from AR as well.  Call me if you have any questions, it may be easier to go over details and explain over the phone. Too much can get lost in the translation of text in a comment. :-))

Tracy - I'm convinced you'd make a great Ambassador!!  Not just because you said it 3 times...(LOL)  But your sincerity, passion, and drive come through loud and clear in your comment.  :-))  Hope you filled out the form, there is always time.... we'll can show you some tips that may help.