Beer With Kyle: Getting Paid for Activity Within Wealthy Affiliate?
Hey everyone,
In today's update, I’m excited to give you a sneak peek into our brand-new interface at Wealthy Affiliate. There’s a lot in the works in the past few weeks of our development, and I want to share the progress with you.
What’s New with the Interface?
We are rebuilding several legacy platforms from the ground up, including our affiliate program and other features. This upgrade is all about organization and simplicity:
- Streamlined Navigation.
We now have a standardized menu on the left with no hidden menus. This makes it easier to access different sections like your profile, your business hubs, core training, and more. - Enhanced Live Chat.
Our chat is getting exciting new features. Soon you’ll be able to send GIFs, emojis, stickers, and even upload images or files. This will make communicating and getting help much more interactive. - Updated Leaderboards & Ambassadorship.
We’re introducing a new leaderboard system that tracks your earnings, points, rank, and AI credits in real time. This update is set to transform the way you engage with the community, giving you the potential to earn back your membership fees and more just by contributing and creating value. - Dedicated Areas for Content.
Expect dedicated spaces for websites, content, and video classes. Your messages and notifications are also now conveniently located in the main menu for quick access.
Beer of the Week
I kicked off the update by featuring a Japanese Lager from Sooke Brewing Company. This lighter beer (5% ABV), reminiscent of popular choices like Sapporo or Asahi, adds to the Friday vibe. Definitely a good one.
Looking Ahead
I am keen to hear your thoughts on these changes.
Do you find the new navigation clear? How do you like the live chat updates and the revamped leaderboard system? Drop your feedback in the comments below, your input is essential as it always is and is the basis of why we update and change the platform in the first place.
Expect more details on the menu structure and additional features in my next update. Stay tuned and have an awesome weekend ahead!
Recent Comments
71
I have commented on this a couple of times about gaming the system and implementing a thumbs-down to wipe out activity points. This is not that.
But another thought hit me... I am a part-timer with a 60-hour Just Over Broke (JOB). Time is my enemy.
I do not focus on any one "community." My answers to questions are all over the map. From WP to Socials to AI, to The Hub, all of which I am a vacuum for knowledge in, and enjoy helping others along this path.
My posts are generally helpful, from motivational to critical, to what I have learned, to Did You Know. I have no pigeon hole. Eric is the King of WP Videos, and Mikael, Roop, and Vitally are YouTubers. I get that. I may be forced to switch to posting videos versus blog posts at a 3:1 clip for points, but that is another topic for another day.
I rewatched the video. I am nowhere to be found in the top 10 in any of the communities, which I sort of expected.
I do promote WA on one of my sites, and make heavy use of "I am a ranking member" or my "Ambassador" status.
With the implementation of this leadership board and communities, has the Ambassador program phased out the "generic" help, for specificity?
One can only hope that not having points across various communities is not a detriment overall.
The image says it all.
I don't believe it is (Kyle will confirm). I think that, at the moment, the rankings shown in the video are somewhat "dummy" rankings until the communities actually launch. I'm pretty sure we discussed this exact thing in Vegas; the importance of recognizing general helpers as well as niche-focused helpers.
Definitely not a detriment to your overall. We have an overall leaderboard, and then specific categories where you can get ranking as well. Your content will automatically go in the appropriate community, so this is not something that you have to worry about either.
There are going to be many people in your exact situation where they create content across many platforms (I think most, myself include). So no worries there.
Those rankings are currently based on Real Time data, and based on activity and contributions to the community.
They are based on the past 30 days, so people that get a high ranking, are not stuck there forever...and so newcomers and those offering value, can actually achieve rankings on a month over month basis.
But the thing is, existing content and value that you have already added in the community, could provide ranking boosts for the long term as it gets visited, and as people interact within it.
Hey Kyle
appreciate the update man. when i joined 11 months ago this place already felt solid but now with all these new updates you guys are really taking it to the next level. watched your vlog and it all just clicked. super impressed
live chat is looking good. i usually pop in mornings and sometimes at night. gifs emojis and file uploads will definitely make things more fun if used right
the new layout is clean. kinda gives off meta business suite vibes which i like. way easier to navigate and just feels more pro
the leaderboard updates are a great move too. real-time points and rankings keep things interesting. and yeah i saw the boards on your video. i’m only on the UGC one right now so i gotta step it up and get on more of those ha ha. i actually just hit ambassadorship the other day but seeing all this and what you guys are offering members is top notch. the more time goes on the more i see the truth and honest hard work behind the scenes. i’m stoked for this ride
overall man you guys are crushing it. pumped to see what’s next
well i got a ton to do was just taking a break from the book so i better get back at it but stellar stuff man behind you all 100%
shawn
Hi, Kyle.
The first thing to mention is the visual aspect. It looks much cleaner to the eye. I like that and feel it will be much easier to navigate. Time will tell, but it seems so.
I am a fan of the leaderboards. I know they don't directly impact our businesses, but in a way, they do, certainly indirectly. I have found that the more time I spend on the platform, the more progress I make with my businesses. So, for me, it is a good thing.
Also, I find it adds to my motivation. Let's go!!!
I also like the idea of creating environments for the different aspects of online business. It brings people together who are interested in the same topics, making it easier to identify who is really succeeding in these categories.
I feel that someone with a high overall ranking does not necessarily translate into someone who is successful with their business. They may just be very active without earning a bean. I am interested in following and learning from those who have built successful businesses and earning well from their efforts. I believe this will help with that.
The live chat? I dip in and out of that and have never been a great fan. I think it is great for socialising and maybe getting an immediate answer to a question. Personally, if I have a real issue, I would tend to use the "ask a question" facility, and if it is more complex or a real issue with my website, contact Site Support, who have always been brilliant with me, btw.
So, in conclusion, I am excited to see this rolled out. I am certain it will be a huge improvement.
Bring it on!!!
I have mixed views on the live chat.
I have mentioned this on another BWK feed that I don't particularly like live chat especially in its current form with popups about who is currently writing. However, I do see the value to help new members - the idea of Gifs is something I don't see any value in at all. It is just something being posted for the sake of posting. If leaderboards are based on activity then I can envision Gif after Gif appearing in the chat timeline with no value or purpose except to improve activity.
On a positive note, I do like the new layout. The menu on the lefthand side. It is simple, clean and one people are familiar with. It ties in with WordPress layout and practically anything online these days - I like consistency and not having to search around to find things because a website is different.
The leaderboard is something I will wait and see how it progresses. It looks promising broken down into different segments.
Overall, I love the development going on keeping members engaged, education fresh and embracing change - fantastic!
To be honest, as it stands I find too many people ask questions in chat which would be better served if they were actually posted as a question. I think the chat taking a route of more light-hearted friendly banter that fosters connections between likeminded entrepreneurs could be a good direction to be headed as it will encourage people to post questions, thus getting better responses.
Even when questions are posted as questions and not asked in chat, they are still always answered just as quickly (if not even more quickly).
Building connections in itself is valuable. GIFs are a way to better express yourself. All too often people's comments are misinterpreted in chat & arguments arise. A lighthearted GIF can better portray the true meaning of a message.
Dale,
I usually agree with you. Just not on GIFs.
I am not a fan of GIFs (meaningless me, toos!). A lazy way to express yourself when words mean more. That is the Boomer Blogger in me speaking.
But if I get points from putting a quick thumbs up for everything, when I have time to be on, I'll be lazy if it means keeping my status.
Let the New Games Begin!
I am not a huge fan of gifs, and I use them infrequently. But all social platforms have them, so they are common place and I think typically during conversation they are not typically used, as there is a time and a place (and there are serial users of things like this).
But having the feature there could livin' up the chat, and make it more interesting at times. But time will tell. :)
Thanks for the feedback Karen, I personally don't use gifs frequently either, but many do. Gifs could make more fun, and like Dale said chat is often times about creating connections here within the community, and it is not always a "business" related task.
Questions is a great platform for more specific questions and we are going to encourage the use of that (because this way the community can learn as a whole from a questions, versus a transient chat).
Glad you are liking the organization, it is a big improvement over the current environment and it is set up so it can expand, and be tweaked very easily (and that is exactly what we are doing now leading up to the launch).
We are looking forward to getting this into your hands, and I will have more updates giving a sneak peak into other aspects of the platform leading up to the launch. :)
See more comments
Hello Kyle,
Thank you for the update, as always, it's appreciated.
It sounds like a great idea to be able to add a file, or picture, to the chat area.
I like the leader board area, Kyle, and the different rank score on each category. Although the ambassadorship feature is great, I'm sure at times it might bring headaches (maybe a slight exaggeration!) However, I do like the idea of members being scored who are bringing genuine value to the platform.
To conclude – as you know, I'm very set in my ways, but at the same time appreciate the effort you put into try and continually improve the platform! I think it looks very good, Kyle, there will be the initial shock of a new interface, but I'm sure members like myself will quickly get used to the interface and the benefits.
Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.
Roy
Yeah, I have had a real use and I know others have for sharing screenshots. You often times see people heading off to image sharing platforms, and then dropping the link in chat. This will streamline people's ability to efficiently help others out, and share value.
As for the leaderboard, people have different skills sets here, and there is an absolute ton of expertise here within the community. The thing is, it is pretty disorganized right now, so the community element will organize it and allow people to specialize, and the points system along with the leaderboard, will motivate people to interact, create, help others, and ask for help when they need it.
Glad you like the overall direction here Roy, and like you, we all get set in our ways and processes. Part of the reason I am updating things here in these videos so there isn't that "shell shock" that can come with new platforms.
It's amazing how just adding the feature to share a screenshot or a file can really improve and help things.
This sounds really good, Kyle, as I genuinely believe that most people have something to bring to the table. In this way, we can share our strong points and learn from other members strong points, etc.
I genuinely think it looks like the right direction, Kyle, which is good from someone like me who doesn't particularly like change! That's a brilliant way to introduce new features, by sharing what's happening on the platform, Kyle. It's much better than suddenly arriving on the platform and saying that everything has moved around. Excellent and clever thinking!
Have a fantastic and productive week.
Roy