Observing Proper WA Community Etiquette

Wealthy Affiliate

Because of the dedication and tireless hard work of Kyle and Carson to ensure that WA is, and continues to stay, on top as the BEST online marketing training program in the industry. One the examples of this ongoing effort by WA co-founders was the implementation and the rigid enforcement of spamming and blatant promotions within Wealthy Affiliate environment.

I am sure that we are all aware of WA spamming standards, and if you’re not, then you should become familiar right away. FYI, the link for WA no-spamming rules is:

https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/training/wealthy-affiliate-the-open-education-project/spam-is-a-no-no

The WA Community

However, my reason for this post is not to discuss WA no-spamming rules, but rather the important and sometimes overlooked topic of “Observing Proper WA Community Etiquette.”

As the name “WA Community” clearly indicates, each and every WA member, from Newbie to Veteran, are the ones who comprise this Community. We must, as members, therefore, eagerly embrace and execute the responsibility of maintaining a collective protective custody of our Community and, at the same time, strive for its continued improvement to remain the very BEST. We can do this by closely observing and proactively practicing the simple and common-sense guidelines for proper interaction etiquette in this great Community of ours.

In the short time that I’ve been here, it has been my pleasure to experience and take part in the WA Community family. I have personally learned a lot of things from fellow members, who have kindly shared their knowledge and experiences with me and the Community at large. As a result, I was also encouraged to share the very few things I had learned and some of the perhaps worthwhile related experiences in my personal and professional life. The only reason that I continued to participate in this sharing practice was the constructive, and yet professional and positive, reception of the Community toward my selfless gestures.

The Community Etiquette

I like to, if I may, share with the very small number of our Community members who on some occasions forget to exercise the proper ethics of Community interaction, per my personal and professional point of view and belief. It is up to those of us who do come across and notice such acts of forgetfulness to put forth a quick and polite reminder that a fine line is being crossed and why.

Below is a list of some of the important points on this subject to keep in mind, plus why it matters:

The Like Button – for Blogs

Whenever you decide to read a member’s post or a question that you have chosen to follow through an e-mail notification, pay attention to the green rectangular “Like This” button at the bottom left side of the post or question. Upon reading the post or the question, if you do indeed like it, then be kind and generous by clicking on the button, after which time your can decide if you want to make a comment or not or stay anonymous.

Why does it matter?

Because by doing this, you’ll not only be indicating that you liked it, but also to assist the member to receive possible ranking credits for his/her efforts.

Like Button – for Comments & Questions

If you are reading other members’ comments or questions, you could also click the green “Like” button at the bottom left hand side of the comment or question – if you like what you’re reading – and/or you can make a comment on someone else’s comment or question.

Why Does It Matter?

Basically, the exact same reasons as above, for Posts, are also applicable here.

Acknowledgment of a Member’s Follow

If someone decides to follow you, because of whatever the reason may be, a very simple response, such as “Thank You”, or, if you care to, a more detailed response is highly recommended. The decision to follow back, of course, is your option. However, in terms of professional courtesy, it is the right thing to do.

Why Does It Matter?

Because of the fact that a person who has displayed an interest in you (professionally speaking and as a mentor)) and perhaps wants to learn from your activities, or just to watch your progress, should not be disrespected by being ignored by you. Instead, you should be flattered and treat them with courtesy.

Making Comments – Unintentional Ambiguity

This is the area where most mistakes are made, mistakes that could be due to the ambiguity of the comment made, in which case the target person misunderstands the intention of the writer. Therefore, the comment should be clearly written with a generous degree of information, which will eliminate the chances of any misunderstanding.

Why does it matter?

Such mistakes will have a real discouraging effect on the recipient of the comment, especially if it is a shy Newbie. The toll on Newbies, of course, can be disheartening and can very well force then to quietly refrain from making further comments.

Making Comments – Intentionally Negative

There are those isolated instances when a member “intentionally” makes a comment, or responds to one, in which his/her comment is indisputably arrogant, intimidating, condescending, and belittling. One could, understandably, argue that the comment may have been misunderstood, etc. However, as you note, I mentioned “intentionally”, which leaves no room for any misunderstanding based on the choice of words of the person who had made the comment. The few and far-in-between occurrences of such disparaging comments are further proved to be intentional when the same individual(s) happen to repeatedly be the culprit in such an unprofessional practice.

Why Does It Matter?

Just imagine what effect it would have on you, if you were making a comment to a post or a question with the sole purpose of helping someone, or asking for help for yourself. Then you are targeted, directly or indirectly, insulted in no uncertain terms! How are you to react? Well, speaking from experience, most people would either simply move on and ignore the comment, or become so discouraged that they just cease making any future comments in the Community! Our WA Community must be guarded as a place where we willingly support each other and learn through giving a helping hand – regardless of our knowledge or experience level – without any expectation of reciprocation.

Another important fact, that we may be overlooking, is that most of us, while reading a response to our comment/question or answering one, also glance at some of the other ones in that section. I personally do this on a regular basis. Speaking for myself, this practice helps me attain a better perception of an individual’s attitudes and inner motivations as to whether there is any degree of humility, respect, and care for others in the Community – this will definitely dictate my immediate desire to follow, continue following, or unfollow that particular member in our WA Community!

There is another aspect of negative remarks, intentional or unintentional, that merits our consideration. The tongue, in this cases our written words, can do much damage. Who of us has never felt the sting of a thoughtless or even disparaging remark? But the tongue also has the power to mend. This famous quote says it best “The tongue of the wise ones is a healing.”

Not Responding to Comments

Most of us have busy lives, which could be a daily mix of chores and responsibilities involving; family-spouse-children chores, household chores, personal matters, professional & business duties, etc. This does indeed present a challenge for finding and devoting adequate time necessary to fulfil our WA Community obligation.

You noticed that I said “WA Community” and not “WA.” The reason being that our efforts and the time invested relating to our WA website, affect our individual self and our online audience. On the other hand, our efforts, or lack of it, in the WA Community affect many, if not all, of the members within this community. We should take our interaction and timely responses in our WA Community seriously, by not taking action only when we feel like it! Rather, whenever a comment, question, or a follow is addressed to us personally.

Why Does It Matter?

It matters greatly! It matters because an individual has taken the time to show care toward you by; commenting on a posting, responding to a comment/question, or making a follow comment. We do in turn have a professional obligation, if not personal as well, to show the courtesy of acknowledging such communications. We all understand that it not always possible respond in a timely manner, but we owe it to the member on the other side of this topic to ensure that we do eventually, as soon as out time allows, to put out a response, regardless of brevity!

Allow me to make a simple and common illustration on this subject. Suppose that you run into someone, whom you may or may not know, and that person says “Hello, how are you today?” How would you respond? Well, you could; ignore the person completely, turn your head & give them a nasty look, say something nasty, or say something short and nice like “Thanks & you?” Which one of the above would be your choses response?

Now, you can tell YOURSELF (just yourself) in complete and total honestly… How would you yourself feel if you were on the other side of your response and heard it? Would you, again honestly, expect, or not expect, the other person to: care for you or what you have to say, respect you to the extent as to consider you as a mentor, not be insulted by your rudeness and lack of respect for others, give you the time of the day, etc.? I rest my case!

Use of Real Names

In our WA Community, we are allowed to have a penname, an option that most members exercise. Although there is nothing wrong with this practice, there exist, in my opinion, two issues that I would like to address:

First, we want to establish a trusting online relationship with our fellow Community members, some of whom, because of their varied knowledge and experience, we may consider to make our mentors. I would personally like to easily know my mentor’s first name, at least!

Second, whenever I am responding to a follow, comment, or a question by another member, I often find myself scrolling down the page to see if I can find the person’s first name – completely unnecessary! For example, I would rather say “Hello Natasha” than saying “Hello NBM00254” – Do you see my point?

Why Does It Matter?

Again, in my opinion, the use of one’s first name is not for the sake of curiosity or being nosy, it is simply because I want to show my respect and make my communication with others in the Community more of a person to person online relationship, rather than an impersonal penname one, which seems rather cold and inanimate. By using, at least, my first name, I want to demonstrate that I actually care about the member I am communicating with, especially if it happens to be a Newbie, by addressing them by name.

Some of us may believe that we only have an obligation to care for and establish trust with our website online audience, who may be potential sales. Well, that is totally a subjective point of view, which I do respect. However, I strongly believe that all of us in the WA Community have an equal obligatory duty to extend the same courtesy to fellow members, who are not potential sales… But could be potential follows to build up your Network! Let me ask you this question, if I may… Why the stubbornness to show this minuscule gesture of goodwill to benefit others, and ultimately yourself? This is better known as a “Win, Win Situation!”

Conclusion

Well, my fellow members, there are a lot more areas that I wanted to highlight and share with you here, but I think that I have imposed enough on you time and patience. I hope that I have not wasted your time and that you will, at the very least, take away one positive thing from this posting to perhaps encourage you to reexamine the manner in which you interact with and treat your fellow WA members in our wonderful Community.

I feel lucky and am privileged to be amongst such fantastic people, to whom I extend my heart-felt thanks for all that you do.

Humbly yours,

Jay Barnelli

“Aspire to Inspire Before You Expire.”

-Unknown