Can Being In The Top 200 On WA Be A Bad Thing?
When I logged into WA a couple of weeks ago, a box popped up with number 150 and "Congratulations for being in the top 200." Three things came to mind when I saw that box. I thought...
1. So that's why people post about making the top 200. WA asks you if you want to share your accomplishment with the community.
2. The Top 200... that's cool!
3. The Top 200... oh crap! Am I spending too much time on WA and not enough time doing the training and working on my website?
Freaked Out!
So yes, making the top 200 freaked me out a little. My biggest concern was whether I made it for the right reasons. Am I truly a contributor to the community, or am I spending time here as a distraction?
I still struggle writing content. Sometimes it takes days to write one post. I take many breaks and spend that time on WA. My reasoning is that I'm still working as long as I'm training or doing something on Wealthy Affiliate.
Positive Vibes... The Feel Good Feeling
I love spending time on LiveChat. It's a great feeling to help others. I enjoy the comradery of the platform. There are so many that share their knowledge and insight. I almost always learn something new when I'm there.
I get a lot out of leaving Site Feedback and Comments. It's incredibly important to help others with their sites. The pay it forward concept at WA is phenomenal. One person wrote to me about the quality of feedback I gave him on his site... "Yeah to be honest it has been some of the most useful feedback I have received." Yes, that made my day.
Prioritizing
Like a good chunk of people here, I work a full time job that can go beyond the regular 40 - 50 hour work weeks. With my commute and other obligations it can be a struggle to find time to research and write. I'm getting better at eking out even small pockets of time to work online. But, sometimes I wonder if I'm doing the right things.
At this point in my online journey, I feel the majority of my time should be spent, as Kyle says, "building my brand." I've cut back a little on LiveChat and doing a couple less reviews each week. As I become more established, I will spend more and more time on the platform.
Thank you!
For those of you that are ambassadors, in the top 100, in the top 200, and even in the top 500. Thank you! Thank you for all of the time and energy you put into the community. Your support is immensely valuable not only to new WA'ers but to all of us, regardless of the amount of time we've been members.
What About You?
Where are you on your journey? How are you spending your valuable time? Do you get distracted by WA or, are you using your time on the platform as a distraction instead of working on your site?
Recent Comments
77
All valid points - I think time spent on my own website is #1 priority for me.
I really don't know how you do it with a full time job as well - heck I struggle to get stuff done and I don't work.
And I suspect I love being distracted because I seem to permanently be just that!
Back to work Baldie
Hi Suzanne
I love WA and love helping people out a lot although I have my daily tasks written down and stick to them otherwise I would be distracted as well
It's great to be here and its also great to build
Priorities are so important
I am fortunate that I love writing so content writing doesn't take me long really, however, I also like to fiddle around adjusting my sites and doing other external work as well
All the best and continued success along the way
Vicki
I know I will get better and faster as I write more content. I've spent years writing technical manuals that were very direct and to the point...which was the point of them. lol. So writing more conversationally is a bit of a challenge. I am making progress though. :)
Writing my daily tasks help me as well. I'm also setting a timer when I do certain things here on WA.
Thanks!
You need to ask yourself, would you rather see "Congratulations you are in the top 200" or would you rather see "Congratulations, a new member has decided to accept your invitation"
Winner, winner, chicken dinner! That's my point exactly! The ranking here is not a big deal for me. I do like networking and helping others and will continue to do so.
I'm looking forward to seeing "Congratulations, a new member has decided to accept your invitation". That's the goal!
Thanks, Gordon!
You bring up an excellent point. A lot of people who are ranked highly take it pretty personally. It's a source of pride for them and is way more important than it should be. In the end, our ranking here on WA is the equivalent of "fake internet points". It doesn't really matter. Our rankings here have absolutely no bearing on how successful we actually are with our online businesses.
With that said, I don't think rankings are necessarily a bad thing, either. Whether someone is new and asking lots of questions or seasoned and giving back to the community, the benefits of being active with a community of like-minded people shouldn't be understated. I learn new things all the time here by answering questions for people, getting new perspectives on topics, and quite frankly I just enjoy conversing with others who have similar goals.
I think the key is to delegate your time, and as you said, prioritize. Your business should be #1 when you have time to work on it. I'd say set aside maybe a few hours per week to spend networking on WA (or however much time you think is reasonable), and let the rankings do whatever they do. If you end up ranking highly due to your contributions, great! If not, it really isn't a big deal.
I think you've got the right idea. :)
Thanks, Mike! Prioritizing time is key for me. I've started setting a timer on phone when I do things on WA so that I don't get to wrapped up. :)
I just joined the top 200 a day or two ago and had the same initial thoughts going through my head. Am i spending too much time on here and not enough on my site, or is it balanced. I work around 50 hours a week, and have no idea how it is achievable to contribute so much time to various things, all while balancing family life as well. Here's to us achieving our goals so we can eliminate that 40+ hour work week and commit here fully!
I would like to say that I'm also looking forward to seeing this message pop up, and I totally get where you are coming from. :)
Congratulations on becoming a top 200 WA member, well done!
See more comments
Thanks for sharing, Suzanne.
:)