“A warm welcome opens the door. Shared knowledge gives us a reason to come in, stay, and grow together.”
Introducing A New Weekly Series: Welcome Wednesday
Every experienced ActiveRain member was once a new member, trying to understand how to navigate the platform and use it to strengthen our business. Few (if any) of us realized how much ActiveRain offered or that it was a two-way street. We learn from others AND share our own knowledge and experiences to help others.
Some of us were fortunate to have established members answer questions, leave encouraging comments, and show us that ActiveRain was much more than a place to publish blog posts. Those early connections often made the difference between simply joining and becoming an active part of the community.
That is the inspiration behind the Welcome Wednesday series.
Each Wednesday, I will combine two important parts of the ActiveRain experience: welcoming new members and sharing educational resources to help all of us use the platform more effectively.
Welcoming Our Newest First-Time Bloggers
For now, the series will focus on First-Time Bloggers because they appear most likely to be interested in learning about the platform and becoming active. The series may eventually be expanded to include other new members.
Each edition will introduce our newest First-Time Bloggers and include a link to their posts. I hope established members will visit, leave thoughtful comments, and personally welcome them to The Rain, and encourage them to become active.
New members may not yet understand the importance of commenting, participating, and building relationships. A little encouragement can help them feel noticed, supported, and motivated to continue.
Sharing ActiveRain Education
Each Wednesday's post will also feature at least one ActiveRain educational resource, such as:
* A helpful post written by an experienced member
* A video demonstrating an ActiveRain feature
* A reblog of an educational article
* A tip for writing, commenting, connecting, or building visibility
* An explanation of an overlooked feature
ActiveRain has accumulated an incredible library of knowledge over the years, but newer members may not know it exists or where to find it. Even longtime members occasionally discover a valuable feature, idea, or strategy they have never used.
I Will Need Your Help
Welcome Wednesday will be more than a list of names. The goal is to help new members form genuine connections while making ActiveRain education easier to find and understand.
If you have written or remember an educational post, video, or other resource that should be shared, please let me know.
You can also help by visiting featured members, reading their posts, leaving meaningful comments, answering questions, and inviting them to join the conversations that make ActiveRain special.
A new member may initially come here simply to publish a blog post. A genuine welcome may encourage that person to stay long enough to discover the relationships, knowledge, credibility, and referral opportunities available here.
Although First-Time Bloggers will be featured, this series is not only for them. Many of the resources may also interest seasoned members. We can all benefit from an occasional refresher, right?
Please watch for the first edition of Welcome Wednesday tomorrow, and help me give our featured members a warm welcome while sharing valuable ActiveRain knowledge along the way.
Do you remember who welcomed or helped you when you were new to ActiveRain? What encouraged you to become active? For me, it was the positive and constructive feedback I received on my blog posts.
If you have ideas for making this series even better, please let me know! Everything I do seems to evolve, so help me make this series the best it can be.
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