My First WAnniversary - I Made It!

byYvetteC2

10.2K followers

Updated 6 years ago

Well, it is my one year WAnniversary! Joining WA has been a wonderful journey. I have learned so much since I have been here and met some fabulous people.

Over the last year, I have had some great things happen and some disappointments going on with my sites. But that is life in general and as we all know, you have to take the bitter with the sweet. Fortunately, it has been far more sweet than bitter.

I would like to share with you what I have learned along this journey as a recap:

1. Rankings: WA rankings are completely different than Google rankings. While WA rankings are said not to be important, it is my human nature to want to be in the top - 200, 100, etc. I believe I feel that way because it's my competitve nature. However, I also have a longing to help people. It's in my blood to do that. That's why WA is such a great fit for me. I have learned along the way, we are all here to do just that - help others. Therefore, this is an awesome platform for my personality.

I have learned that Google rankings are the ones that matter the most and will make me the money. Without getting into too much detail, I have learned the ways to do that here in WA (with keyword-rich content, being consistent, engaging with our readers, etc.)

2. Being frustrated and overwhelmed: I had no clue of what I was doing when I first started the certification training here in WA. There were many times I felt totally frustrated and overwhelmed - to the point I wanted to quit. But I knew I needed to keep moving forward and that's what I have done. I learned through interacting with others my feelings were common and I wasn't the only one having them. I was not alone.

What I learned was when I felt that way, I needed to step away from my computer for a while and clear my mind. Do something relaxing for a while to shake off the feelings then come back to it later. I knew as long as I didn't get stuck, that was the key.

3. Live Chat: Over the year, I learned it is best to do some WA researching before asking questions in the Live Chat. Things can move so fast there and it's hard to keep up - especially for new comers.

The search bar up above where it says "Need help Yvette? Ask your questions here" is my WA BFF. That tool has served me well over the last year and I will continue to use it.


4. Questions: I found when I post a question in what I call "open forum" (by going through my profile, then questions) it is best to also add screen shots so people can actually refer to what it is I'm asking.

5. My Network: I have read a few blogs here in WA concerning networks. I learned that it is quite okay that this number is totally disproportionate. That's just how it is. I follow 37,943 but I have 7,133 following me and that is truly okay. I won't let that hinder me and I will continue to keep moving forward. I have thanked those in my network before, but again, I say thanks.

6. Notes: I have learned so many tidbits of great information here in WA over the last year, that I have made myself a "cheat sheet" with links, info, etc. that I can refer to when I get stuck. This way, if I run into the problem again, instead of asking it over and over in Live Chat or in my "open forum", I can refer to it on my "cheat sheet".

7. When in doubt, don't: There are plenty of people in WA that will answer questions when you ask. I had to remember that sometimes people make mistakes. Over the past year, I learned if something didn't sound or feel right to me, I'd do some research before moving forward. In these situations, I felt there was no need to publicly embarrass someone about it. If I asked a question, I would then share with everyone in the thread how it was resolved. I learned not only is it more professional to handle it that way, it turns into a great learning experience for everyone else.



8. Training: WA has so much free training. Taking advantage of it made me a better blogger. Even if I have to go back and watch videos...taking the time to do so is extemely valuable. It's worth it! I want to learn, learn, learn.

9. Spam: There have been times that I have had people post totally inappropriate things on my profile. Sometimes I even found them to be quite embarrasing. Several times I wished people would not use this platform as a dating environment, but a learning one. Don't misunderstand me, I am not saying there is anything wrong with on-line dating...but there are other sites that provide that type of service. WA is not one of them.

Along those same lines, there are new comers that don't know there are rules and regulations around spamming here. Therefore, I have my "Spam is a No-No" link available so that I can provide this to members in a PM if necessary. So many times members would thank me for providing the information to them. My mindset is to be a mentor, not a meany.

I feel this blog could go on forever, but I will stop here. I have had a wonderful year and am looking forward to the future with more successes.

Have a wonderful rest of your weekend, WA family.

~ Yvette ~