Everyone needs help at some point, be it here in the Rain or elsewhere.
I've been here in the Rain for a long, long time and one of the things that differentiates this place from other real estate forums is the general willingness of community members to help other community members.
Things aren't the same as when we first started in the Rain. There's no Bob or Kerrie roaming the virtual halls of ActiveRain or in real life at Raincamps. In that regard, the community has had to develop self-sufficiency, and how we get help has changed.
Once upon a time my advice for help would have been the following:
1. Ask another member (comment, phone, email, text, etc.)
2. Ask an Ambassador
3. Reach out to ActiveRain staff (Bob or Kerrie or Brad)
4. Email support@ActiveRain.com
Options 1 and 2 are still alive and well (but with a caveat...look for someone that is actually active in the community...the Ambassador list has been trimmed to 77, and could probably use some more trimming based on inactivity).
Option 3, there's not really a visible Bob and Kerrie, but there is ActiveRain Member Support. You can tag ActiveRain Member Support in a post, comment or question and they'll typically show up to either give direct help, or send a message to the people that can help. Make sure you use ActiveRain Member Support. Other member names with ActiveRain in the name (e.g. Development, are NOT Support aka ARMS).
Option 4 seems to be broken. There are too many instances of people stating the equivalent of "I've contacted support multiple times and can't get a response". Word on the grapevine is the ticket system is broken, so many legitimate requests are never making it into Support's inbox, or getting drowned out amongst spam. And for those expecting a call-in phone number...no gots. Any number you find with an online search is probably ancient and rings in to a Zillow office :)
Another option that didn't exist at the beginning is the site's Q&A section. Post your questions there and you'll get responses (most of which will be helpful and NOT snarky!).
Bottom line, if you need help, just ask, but use one of the sources listed above that still works. You'll receive help, or be pointed to someone that can help.
Until next Tuesday, just Ask An Ambassador if you need help (or post a question, or ask ARMS, or another member!),
Bill & Liz aka BLiz
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