How do you feel about WA Gold?
I for one miss that the WA Gold has disappeared. I appreciated that it was a way to say thanks to those members that provided help.
It also was a nice way to know that people were getting value for your efforts.
How do you feel about the WA Gold System?
Recent Comments
15
I agree with everyone, I miss the gold too. I liked being able to give it to people who helped me. It would be nice to have either the gold back or a comparable system that accomplishes the same goal of being able to show appreciation to those who help.
I personally, want to show my appreciation for something I learn from etc to a member and I think GOLD was a good way of showing that. This is one change I will miss and personally think should not have been discarded.
Their are many benefits to giving. The power of giving can be related to many aspects of our personal lives. Showing appreciation and giving recognition is something we do to loved ones, family and friends. It is also something we do to people who take their time out for us.
I recognize the point that expecting something back in return for your help should not be the reason why you shared your input in the first place. I understand the argument that receiving should not be the reason for giving. However I think what gives GOLD value is not the monitory gains, it's the appreciation it gives and I think K&C have overlooked this. Giving not only shows appreciation, it is very similar to gaining a sense of accomplishment.
I miss having the gold and the affiliate quick stats right on the dashboard. Is the gold system COMPLETELY GONE?
A day or so ago I was told in chat that the "Gold" system was being terminated and that everyone who had any would be cashed out. I can't remember who made the statement but it wasn't K or C, so not sure if that is valid.
I liked the gold and the ability to spread it around to those I thought earned it, however what ever is decided is fine with me.
Getting "gold" let me know that I really helped someone and it made me feel good. It's definitely an asset to WA. What happened to the money we lost in gold?
I did not know it was gone. That sucks, I agree that it was a nice way to say thank you for helping out.
I'm a strong believer in the WA gold. And you're right, it was a way for people to say "thank you" and it made me feel that my efforts were appreciated.
For me the gold system went even deeper though. Many of you have noticed that I came up with my own use of WA gold. My strategy was to help as many people as I could, building up my own little Fort Knox where I could then do something even better for the community:
> I used 200 gold to help abailey and danwardrope launch their first product last September.
> I used over 200 gold for the "competition" in Canucks' thread last month. I can't think of a better way to use WA gold.
> I've used the gold to help a few people pay their memberships dues.
> I've used gold to donate to charities.
> And sometimes, for the heck of it, I just distribute gold to members active in the forums so that they have gold to pay out to someone else.
I still have about 500 gold left and had two more "special events" planned and scheduled. Doing away with the gold system without sufficient notice wasn't right.
I'd love to know K&C's rationale for killing the gold system.
Bruce,
I think they are using the Vegas conference as an incentive to get people to help others out.
I also think they are trying to change the whole mentality to one of helping each other out. The success of WA-OEP is going to be based on everyone helping each other.
The gold has many applications, not just to say thank you for help received, though that too. Whenever someone needs money help, or is collecting for a worthy charity, the gold provides some revenue. We can all contribute, and it feels good to pay it forward. I amassed some gold and spread it around, but I never cashed it. I think if a person has earned gold by doing something nice, then it belongs to them. Done deal. Should not be taken away.
I think it should be bought back.
Research has long since shown that people are motivated in large part by someone saying thank you for what they have done. No one's going to make a fortune through the gold, but I think it's important people have a way of saying thank you when someone has helped and WA should acknowledge that.
Otherwise there is a real risk that people who answer lots of questions on a regular basis (and we are a relatively small band who do) will feel used and may be reluctant to keep giving our time for nothing.
I agree with what you're saying Beverly, for me WA Gold was never about the value but the thank you acknowledgement.
I agree that it was useful for saying 'thank you', but if someone I was helping just said 'Thank You' in chat or on the thread, that was good enough for me. I don't need a 'symbol' of thanks.
So the gold system disappearing doesn't really bother me that much as long as people here at WA stay cordial and at least SAY thank you to each other.
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Yes, WA gold and the 0.10 value associated with gold has been removed, but replaced with a much more valuable, and in-depth system. In the new WA (OEP), every time you visit another member's training resource, comment on it, or like it, you're giving them a lot more opportunity than Gold could have ever provided.
Training Center: People who educate others earn credits based on the user calculate value of their resources. Comments, Likes, Visits among other metrics are used to determine if others find a training resource valuable or not. As these metrics add up the authors gain points towards achieving the credit level. When this is achieved they earn dollars not cents.
Followings: one of the most powerful aspects of WA is building your following and offering value so others will follow you. As you build your following your actions within the system gain exposure and reach more people. If anyone wants to say thank-you, following the user is the ultimate form of praise! 10 cents means nothing when you've only got 10 pieces to give out each month. In the WA Platinum system gold was not being used, was not being exchanged, and this is why it has been removed.
Every aspect of the OEP platform has been thought out in great detail and has been done with a purpose. Showing appreciation happens by simply being active in the new system
Ambassadors: let's not forget about the Ambassador system where everyone has the ability to achieve this status and unlock many doors. Followings, quality of resources, activity, and interactivity within the community are what contribute to becoming an ambassador. This cannot be achieved without the input of others...and this again happens without having to click a button.
Show your appreciation by interacting with others, liking their training, following their actions.
I understand 1000% that the ideologies, methodologies, and direction behind the Open Education Project are difficult to comprehend because we are only in version 1.0 and a few days into the system. As the weeks and months pass it will become more clear why decisions have been made and why certain aspects have been changed.
Accomplishment happens when someone interacts with you. I log into the OEP probably 50+ times a day now to check up on my dashboards, to interact and reply to comments. Not because I have to, but because I'm now greatly immersed in the system. Before OEP, I would be logging in but had absolutely no way to know what was happening, and really couldn't even find where people were trying to communicate with me. When someone replies to my comments now in OEP, that is a sense of accomplishment worth 100x what a tiny piece of gold could ever do.
Engagement stomps monetary reward in every way, furthermore in OEP we offer a lot more monetary reward than the Gold system ever could - this will become clear with time.
Great discussion here.
I understand your point about giving should not be about "expecting a thanks", so to speak. Sharing and giving should be a part of your character and not because you want to wait for a praise or reward. Someone following and interacting with you and what you share in training is something which was being done before and we had the ability rate submitted training with a star system. That also gave me a sense of appreciation but I think it's still nice to show appreciation for other blog and forum input. Change can be indeed a bumpy road. You guys are obviously not doing things for your benefit, there would be no gain or point changing something to the detriment of our learning so let's see how this road with bumps even itself out.