Hey Joe, I have to agree that WA has helped us to see what is the most important factor for our overall business success. I think that it all too often, people place way too much emphasis on their rankings here inside of the platform rather than the rankings of their websites.

Best of luck to you as you move forward throughout the year with your business!

I used to blog on here regularly. Before this, I spent most of my time in the Forum. I thought I was doing my part by helping and spent a lot of time doing this. I became overconfident both in this and in my new-found ability to be able to communicate on a forum like this.

Over time, I had a number of people telling me to stop doing this. Some was out of genuine concern for doing the important thing - working on my campaigns instead, and others out of pure resentment - and everything in between, including the accusations I have gotten for gaming the ranking system.

In my eighth year here now, you don't see nor hear much of me anymore. I do not blog at all but I will contribute as I am now. I found that there are far too many people on here who do a far better job helping and I have sat down to let them do this job.

I have quieted the pens of the resentful and those who assume, as well as those with rightful, genuine concerns, by complying. My objective now, in the way of WA ranking, is to stay under the radar. Sometimes it goes up and puts me in the top 200. I simply stop contributing in order to return to my place below these top lists.

Rankspanking is not as prevalent as it used to be. We can thank the changes in the algorithm for this. It still isn't perfect, but it did help. I have left that ranking quicksand and have washed myself off. My take is: It's for those who deserve it, and should NEVER be the prime objective for being on this platform.

We are here firstly to focus on ourselves and learn all there is to know about our internet business. In time we become competent and confident in handling issues we had difficulty with in the beginning.

Now ! when someone else asks you for help to a question or give feedback you can actually do so confidently because you actually understand the dynamics and how it works.

I will only answer a question if I know it and if I don't know I will ask someone who can as I also want to know the answer to that question

It's a privilege to help another fellow member because I remember my mind was a complete blank when I started .. it still is (joke!)

Ranking is the last thing on my mind - its something you work towards and you will achieve it if you do this

Work on your business every day
Write quality content
Do the lessons daily
Watch Jays webinars with a bowl of popcorn and coke - I like watching him in action
Give feedback/ comments
Answer live chat questions
GO to bed knowing that you have put in a hard day's work
Wake up feeling refreshed - and get back to business

Thanks for sharing this post with us

Richard

I got into the "top 200" about 10 days ago, and it did perk up my enthusiasm. However, I realize that in itself ranking won't increase traffic to my website, or help me financially. It's good to be more highly ranked, but I still have loads of work to do in order to attain my goals.

Hi Joe, I agree. I've been in the top 200 twice. The first time took me by total surprise. I wasn't expecting it. Then I dropped over a hundred places, I figured I was there by mistake anyway. Then I made it again later. I was there a week or two and dropping out again. I feel I haven't learned enough to be there anyway. I learn a lot here every day, someday I'll know enough and been through the trenches long enough, I'll have earned that rank and be able to hang onto it. Great post Joe. That attitude will take you far.

Don

Keep in mind your rank dropped because you are new. Kyle explained the time a member has been here accounts for some of the ranking now so if two members are doing the same amount in the community but one member has been here for years, they will be ranked higher.

So, don't feel bad at all! Many new members dropped down. It will go up in time. Just do what you want to do and ignore the rank.
Jessica

You are on the mark Joe, I dropped 2000+ places. It was no big deal though. For the last 2 months or so, I watch my ranking out of curiosity to see how my work here at WA affects my ranking. My site earns $ my ranking does what it does...mostly goes down quicker than it goes up.
May you have great success with WA

Regards
Bryanb

Joe, I will always try to help someone in need, if I can do so. I believe I owe that to the WA community, since everyone here has been so helpful to me. So my attitude won't change because of my ranking. My ranking makes absolutely no difference in what I do or don't do with WA, whether my ranking is 12 or 112,000. It's good to recognize those who are most helpful. They deserve the accolades. My reason for joining WA was to learn everything I needed to be successful with my own online business. The community here is a big plus, and I want to be a part of it and contribute, but it can't be the focus of my energy.
For those to whom their ranking was important, it may seem to be a bad thing, but I think Kyle & Carson's reasons for changing the ranking method were valid. To a newbie like me, I should be confident in the information I receive from a member with a low ranking number. But it seems there are newbies being ranked very low, and they don't know any more than I do. That just doesn't seem like a good plan to me.
Perhaps that's what needed to be addressed. I don't know the answer to "why". All I can say is the change doesn't affect me in the least. I just want to learn, have fun, and grow a successful online business. Everything else is secondary to me.
I will now step down from my soapbox!

Frank

I agree ranking here at WA is nice to have but not necessary. I went from ~340 to over 1000 in a day. This is a reflection of what I have contributed to WA not a reflection of my worth.
If I want/need a higher ranking than I need to contribute and help more.

I am ok with my ranking, I am here to learn and make money online.

Yes, all in one day I realized I was spending more time here helping than I was building and that can never happen again. To be honest I was just curious to see what these supposed perks were for achieving to ambassador but when I dropped 115 in one day so did my curiosity haha.

In one quick morning, I realized how misplaced my priorities were and that was as they say the end of that. I still love this place and will build one of my site niches around it but I could care less if my ranking went to 362,456. The training is still awesome and I will hang on to a few of my follows like you, Mr. Lennon. I always liked the Beatles anyway.
Damo