How to Conduct yourself here at Wealthy Affiliate
No, I am not a watchdog or Mrs. Perfect, but I do watch and observe a lot since I have joined WA in November 2014.
And No, I haven't made it to the Ambassador, yet, because it is my choice not to force or rush it. If it comes natural, that's okay. This doesn't mean either that I don't like to see my Ranking to improve (hint hint), especially when active on a daily basis.
Anyway, what I mean by conducting yourself here at WA are simple, common sense rules of conduct if you like.
Kyle does mention these things in both courses too and there are a lot of written posts from other WA members as well.
But whom I'm kidding? Who really is looking for posts of this kind? So I thought I will write about it the way I think it could be important to know.
These points are not exclusive, though!
1. Always be polite and fair in any form of conversation.
2. If you reply to someone's post be also polite, kind and still honest in what you are thinking and don't forget to push the green LIKE button.
3. If you do come along with a post you have thought, from the title, was interesting, but now you have nothing to comment on, it's totally okay not to. But, push the green LIKE Button anyway, it doesn't take anything away from YOU but will help the Author.
4. Comments vs. Feedbacks, oh do I love those two. Encyclopedias have been written already on how those two buggers should be used. It never gets old though, to repeat it now and then.
5. Feedback, as the word so beautifully says, is a Feedback, not a Comment. When a Feedback is requested, the person will ask for a feedback, either on its whole website or just for a particular post.
Under the feedback option when you request a feedback, you can see and choose from a drop down menu. So simple!
Be honest with your feedback, but not hurtful or even bashing it. A feedback is, or so it should be, is always a "constructive" critique to help the web owner to improve its site.
6. Comment, is a comment where a web owner wants some, again, constructive, honest thoughts on a particular post/article. The comment is purely about the content of this post and therefore, the comment always needs to be written as such. NO FEEDBACKS HERE!!!
Comments are visible to the online world and the more a particular post or website has comments to show, it will be noticed by Google too and will push the ranking of this person's website as a whole or just the article, preferable, on page 1.
Therefore, misusing the comment section (accidentally or otherwise) as a feedback is a big NO, NO and will subsequently lead to be "disapproved" by the person who has actually requested a comment and not a feedback.
7. Disapproving a comment is okay when it turns out (as mentioned under #6) to be actually a feedback. No discussion necessary. But, when a real and well written comment gets disapproved with the remark that for a particular post, the person already has received "enough" comments; that's also is a big NO, NO and to me also unethical.
Why? First of all, when using the comment section and offering a comment, no one has it in its power which website/article comes up. Period! And second of all, how can someone have enough comments anyway????? Just saying.
8. When someone needs help with something and uses the “Ask a Question” option, then they need a good and qualitative answer. Nothing is more frustrating for this person to read, what should be an answer, but reads something like “oh, great that you asked, I like to know the answer too.”
What happens here is the fact, that when a question has been answered, no matter how good or bad, it counts as answered, because someone has replied to it. Leaves the person, who asked the question, in limbo and perhaps will re-write the question once again.
So, if you don’t know the answer to a question, just don’t answer it. Plain and simple.
9. The Chat! The Chat here at WA is for the purpose to ask a question and perhaps get an answer right away, but of course it is also a place to connect with other members, get to know them.
What this chat doesn’t mean is to hook up with your new bff and chat happily away, forgetting, that there are still other members too who like some, I don't know, Help? But instead they are being ignored. It did happen in the past. Not cool at all.
10. Personal Message! It is ok to message another WA member, perhaps say Hi or like to ask a question if you know that this member is the right person to give a good answer. But it isn’t cool or okay, depends on how you see it, to PM a person to “flirt” with them or “hit” on them or like to “sale” something to them.
I don’t or can’t speak for everyone, but I do believe this isn’t appreciated by anyone, at least for those members I do know a bit better.
So folks, this is my today’s contribution and it was on my mind and chest for quite a while.
Wishing you all a great day
Recent Comments
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Thank you for your blog - yes, some folk need lessons in manners and yes, we all like to think - it's the other guy so a timely reminder is always a good thing.
Other than that I have a question for you - of an ethical nature:
You say above:-
"3. If you do come along with a post you have thought, from the title, was interesting, but now you have nothing to comment on, it's totally okay not to. But, push the green LIKE Button anyway, it doesn't take anything away from YOU but will help the Author."
Then in Point 5 you say: "Be honest with your feedback,"
-----------------
I appreciate that it will "help the author" but... what if I don't like the content? What if (IMO) the content is twaddle, unrelated in any way to WA or our presence here and a complete waste of my and everyone else's time because we had to click in and read it to know that?
My question is this:
.... Should I just be nice and lie? (ie. press Green Button.)
.... Or should I offer my honest feedback in the least hurtful and most unbashing manner by - just not pressing good ol' Green Button?
.... Of course, I could complain about them - ie., waste more of my time by complaining about my time being wasted... has a poetic ring.
Now I realise I have a fairly abrupt manner so please don't take this personally because I am not referring to you or your blog here - but I have seen some real doozies on this site masquerading as "blogs."
I have not been clicking Green Buttons on them and I have no intention of doing so precisely because "it will help the author." "Authors" who are upping their reps with nonsense by hijacking the Green Button.
But what is the point of the Like button if we don't use it as it was intended to be used? After all, it's labeled "Like" not "I Read this."
;-)
No one is required to like a post who is offensive, totally out of touch with what wa teaches etc.
Sometimes I come along a post who is too long too detailed in a technical sense. I will star it for a later read, but will click the green button. Why not.
Giving feedback on website posts has nothing to do with pushing the green button on a WA post.
You have combined two different parts of what I have said.
No one is forced to do what they feel or think is against their better judgement.
Thanks for the reply.
Agreed - no-one is FORCED to to anything they think or feel is against better judgement .... but that is what you ASKED us to do:
3. If you do come along with a post you have thought, from the title, was interesting, but now you have nothing to comment on, it's totally okay not to. "But, push the green LIKE Button anyway," it doesn't take anything away from YOU but will help the Author.
Because you made no distinction between worthwhile content and not - I explained to you why I sometimes do not.
Peace?
Cate, I can't and won't set any rules here.
I wrote what I do think and believe is some good approach to work together, one way or another.
You or anyone else don't need to agree with me at all.
Just do what you probably would do, ignore it and move on.
I still stand on what I have written and won't dissect word by word any longer
It's my opinion and like anyone else, I am entitled to it.
Namaste :)
Thanks Sylvia for sharing this blog, a good reminder, it's always nice to be polite.
Have a great day.
Great reminders there Sylvia. I have been PM'd many times since becoming an Ambassador by people asking me to review their whole website, give them recommendations for affiliate products and suggestions for content or KW!
This certainly is also unacceptable Jude. Make me wonder sometimes what people actually do think before going into action. I guess we will never know for sure. :)
All great points Sylvia. #8 is the top of my list. #10 is just wrong. I can't keep up in chat so why bother:))
That is a good question.
I know that is why I asked it.
But you sure didn't answer it.
Tim, I too don't engaged in this chat very often, almost none.
As you said, too fast. lol
Thanks for posting :)
Thank you for this reminder, Sylvia, it's a fact of life that things need to be repeated from time to time.......
This is a very good service.
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Very good points, Sylvia! Thank you for the reminder. It is always important to think before you speak. Everyone here at WA, for the most part that I have had the pleasure of interacting with, are truly wonderful and sincere. I have only had one person try to do the chest puffing, leg lifting thing which I responded politely to and now will just ignore. Considering how many people there are in this community that's really amazing :) As for the like button, I haven't really read any blogs that I feel weren't deserving of it. If it helped me or made me giggle (which I consider helpful) I hit the little green button.
Thanks for commenting and sharing you opinion. :)