At SAP TechEd 2011 in Las Vegas, mark.yolton told the story of “Pay it Forward”, to introduce our Topic Leaders, Mentors, and Moderators just prior to Demojam. Mark explained that “Pay it Forward” means doing random acts of kindness with the only request to the recipient that they do the same for others. This has been the spirit of our community over the past 8 years.
Throughout the month of June, we challenge you to a mission: “Pay it Back – Community Appreciation”. The mission challenges you to reach out to those who have helped you with their knowledge sharing, by rating their content, liking it, and sharing it with others. You can (and should) include comments that thank the author for taking the time to share her/his knowledge, and explain how it helped you or why it was important. Did someone provide a helpful answer or correct answer to your question? Mark their answer as such. Not only does it show your appreciation, but it shows others the answers to focus on. Equally important questions appear as “answered” once you mark a correct answer. That makes it easier for others to find the answers to the questions.
As described in tim.guest/blog/2012/05/16/ratings-likes-for-scn-blogs recent blog, tim.guest/blog/2012/05/16/ratings-likes-for-scn-blogs, he points out, “My last three Posts have had just under 2,000 views but only had a total of 7 "Likes" and [only] 4 people have taken the time to post a rating.” Is Tim looking for points? I don’t think so. He’s already an active contributor with a silver badge for his more than 1100 points. I think his point is that people took the time to read his posts, but left him no feedback. Is it good or bad? Useful or worthless? Correct or wrong? He wants to know.
Here’s what you can do.
- When you take the time to read someone’s posting, rate it. You’ve got the option for 1 to 5 stars with a single click, so if you like it, give it 4 or 5 stars.
- Like the content. Give it a thumbs up if you think it’s helpful.
- Share the content. Let others know about it so that they get the information as well.
- Comment on the content and provide candid feedback. If it’s good, say so. If it’s not so good, offer advice.
Screen shots below show how easy it is to take these actions.
Share, like, rate, comment.
Mark questions that have been answered by selecting "correct answer" or "helpful answer". Once you select an answer as "correct", the question will appear answered with the checkmark icon.
So will you choose to “Pay it back”? I hope so. I’d like to hear your responses to this idea, but more important, I'd like to see you actions that indicate your commitment to the mission.
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