Presenting a United Front to New Members
Presenting a United Front to New Members
Let's face it, at one time or another everyone here will be fielding questions from newcomers to the platform. That's not a bad thing. The true secret sauce to WA is the community. The training is great; the hosting, top-notch but it's the community where WA really shines and offering that warm response to those who are new to the experience only makes it better.
When someone new joins the fold, chances are they're looking for direction. Much of the time I see the "Where should I start?" question pop up almost immediately. For the most part the answers are the same "Start with the OEC course" and someone tosses in the link to lesson 1. That's a great response. Other times I see people ask questions such as "Why are you here?", "Do you have a niche or direction you'd like to go?" or "Do you need a product or service to promote?" (that one usually ends up recommending Bootcamp).
Any of the above is OK but I'd argue that providing a unified response (i.e. the same or similar response across the board) gives the platform a more cohesive and on on-top-of-it appearance, especially to the newbie that asked the question an hour ago and sees someone else asking the same question yet getting a different answer.
Now I know this is a large gathering of people from all over with different experiences and objectives so asking for something like this is probably asking too much. Not to mention, coming up with a consensus on what to say and training or getting everyone on the same page would be quite an undertaking. I just think the over-all first impressions of WA might be better served if we had a semi-canned response to some of these questions.
Don't think that I think I know it all or even what's the best way to answer such a question. I, myself, have answered it in varying ways before. I try to get an idea of why the person is here but ultimately say something like "Welcome, I suggest you fill out your WA profile first and let us know a little about yourself and why you're here. Once you've done that, check out <insert link to lesson one of the OEC>.".
I might go on to say something like "If you have any questions, reach out to your referrer/mentor and to the WA community as a whole. That's the beauty of WA. There are so many people here, all looking to be successful online and all coming from diverse backgrounds and experience, there's bound to be someone to answer your questions or bounce ideas off of.".
The whole idea of my recommending them to fill out their profile is so I can take a look and see why they're here (assuming they tell us). I am then better prepared to offer them guidance as to where to start.
I don't know, maybe this has been touched upon before and I'm just repeating someone else's idea from yesteryear. What are your thoughts on it? Is it doable? Can we come up with a reference page with canned responses to common questions? I'd love to be able to load that page, look up the question and copy the response with link to relevant material.
I don't know, maybe by doing so, I'm taking away from the diversity of the community. I'm just trying to come up with ways to make it an easier and more consistent experience.
I'd love to hear what you have to say on this. Thanks for reading,
Scott
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Totally against FAQ. Nothing personal about it. WA is unrivalled with its warmth and caring. These people are in need of a personal touch. They joined because they resonate with individuals.
How about training for us members to refer to so we can go in on the same page with our own touch?
I would love direction however with my spin on it. What do you think?
Cheers AJ
I was thinking the FAQ would be more for the person responding to the newbie, not to refer the newbie to. That way, the person with a bit more experience can ascertain what's really being asked and then come back with a semi-standard response.
I hate the idea of just sending someone to an FAQ. I was thinking more of a reference for those responding.
This discussion seems arbitrary. No real clear definite answers. The platform can be confusing for a newbie. Especially learning about no spam rules 3 months later after I joined. Rules here and there. That is one of the major criticisms about this platform. WA is far from being perfect. Trainings does not completely answer the all of the technical questions. Many of us have to ask and get a field of different responses and suggestions. Its like a workshop in progress. Its up to the owners to improve the platform. For them, its also a work in progress as well. We are in it for the long haul. Like an employer, we are working as a team for the purpose of building a website and its interactive unlike others that I have seen. Thats a blessing.
When a brand new member asks where they should start, I always refer them to the training with a link.
There's no point skipping ahead to discuss issues that will be covered as they progress with the lessons and site building. It may even do a disservice by overwhelming them with information prematurely, which can make the whole process feel intimidating.
True. I was just looking for a more unified approach. I don't want them to think, ha we got your money, go here to learn more. I don't know, I just want to make it simple and consistent.
Hmm. I don't know if we can (or should) be unified.
Because live chat is open to all members, there will always be a variety of questions and responses. Participants shouldn't feel that their comments need to conform to other members' approval.
Live chat isn't a place for standardized answers; rather, it's a public forum for open discussion.
As long as one is answering with good intentions and reasonable accuracy, the platform is working as it should.
True. I just recently had a chat with someone who had brought up the "why was I told this and that person told that" issue. That's why I brought up this post.
It's kind of like people wanting to be helpful but not fully understanding what's being asked or how to respond properly providing inaccurate information, etc. Kind of like people jumping into SiteComments but offering SiteFeedback instead...
Yes ... that's the rub. Because it's largely been left to members to provide answers and information to each other, there will inevitably be instances of inaccurate and conflicting advice. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear to be a solvable situation.
I love your idea! I joined WA through a link on twitter and the person whose link i clicked on to join this awesome community never reached out to me...not even once. It would have been nice for this person to reach out to me to check how I'm doing or even to offer a few tips. I have to say that I feel lost sometimes. Life has been busy but I'm following the training slowly...
I'm sorry to hear that...WA even offers a lazy way to reaching out...autoresponders. I hope you found help in the community. I know https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/merlinregis was working on a list for his own use but I wonder how many others have. Maybe we can get them to post their lists and we can work on a merging of the minds, if you will, to create an official, unofficial document.
Reference page is a good idea, we must look after new starters, they are someone else’s referral. Personally I’d use the reference page
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A simple hint to a question is not enough. If answers come from different angles , there is a greater possibility to better understand a topic - quality instead of quantity. This is my experience as a newbie - i needed various answers to get the picture.