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appreciation
November 2009 
My personal Tips for new (and seasoned) Gaia members
Posted on Oct 20th, 2009
by 
Terrill
Terrill
Still practicing -the wink- after all these years
Recently, a delightful new Gaia member asked me for tips and advice on "how to have an effective and positive experience here."
Now, there are various discussion threads around Gaia and there are our Gaia Community Guidelines but in addition, here is my personal tips list.
Also, what would you add to this? Any other links to resources around Gaia? Something else that has worked well for you?
Tips:
Give fully and freely from your heart - post comments on other members blogs, write original blogs frequently, connect members to others who inspire you.
Make Gaia your home-coming community - draw others to Gaia through twitter and facebook - link or tweet other members' work that fits your readership. (All my new post are first blogged on Gaia)
Remember balance - find times that work for you and zip in and out of the Gaia community frequently but remember you don't want to spend all your time out and about in community - or do you?:) Some days I spend more time than others.
Use grapevine and status updates - epsecially when you have limited time to read and post comments on other member's work or to post your own.
Gaia is a community - be in it as you would any community you love and respect.
Let the community know who you are beyond your business - not so much in the telling but in your being and doing. You can promote your business by being client-focused and respectful just as you are in a face-to-face community. For example, if everytime you went to a community event you cornered someone to prompt your latest products… pretty soon people would RUN when they saw you enter the room.
With gratitude, I am honoured to be part of the Gaia community and blow a kiss of appreciation to Gaia friends and others who connect with me here.
warm regards,
Terrill Welch
Executive Leadership Coach
Terrill Welch - A Woman behind Women
web: http://www.awomanbehindwomen.ca
blog: http://terrill.gaia.com
twitter: https://twitter.com/terrillwelch
email: tawelch@shaw.ca phone: 1-250-539-5877
A vision not lived remains only a dream.
"I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as 'making a life'." Maya Angelou
© 2009 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.
You are welcome to use and share material from this Blog in whole or in part, as long as you include complete attribution, including live web site link and email link. Please also notify me where the material will appear.
The attribution should read:
"By Terrill Welch founder of Terrill Welch – A Woman behind Women. Terrill Welch is an Executive Coach, providing leadership services designed specifically for women leaders. To learn more, feel free to browse through the www.awomanbehindwomen.ca and http://terrill.gaia.com websites."
Access: Public
I love these, Terrill. Just wonderful tips!
Thanks Jodie - as a long time Gaia member… anything to add?
hmmm, you summed it all up so well. :)
Sometimes when I struggle to blog or have that 'blank page' feeling the best thing, I have found, is to join in on the Question of the Day. Especially for newcomers: This is an easy, relaxed way to join in and get a feel for what thoughts resonate through our community. I just love it.
Oh! That is a great addition. I did that the other day for first time and experienced exactly what you described. I also enjoy reading the variety of answers my “friends” give to these questions.
Exactly! It is such a wonderful way to connect and be in touch with your friends in this community. :) Always interesting.
Sometimes I walk around for days just thinking about one question… Thinking about what is important and the things we dwell on. Really inspiring.
These are great tips even for seasoned members. Great reminders, maybe I should say. Thank you. Ruth
This IS great, Terrill. I so think that what you put into this is what you'll get out of it. When we put our heart and soul into this community, we'll get back even more than we dreamed. We give…and our hearts will be filled so many times over! Thank you for posting this.
I have found that also Jodi.
Ruth, thanks for stopping by and endorsing “reminders” for seasoned members - we all can benefit from refreshing our intent and commitment - at least I know I do.
Kathy ”When we put our heart and soul into this community, we'll get back even more than we dreamed.” this has been SOOOO very true for me.
The tips are simply tops.
& The wink is simply wicked!!!!!
Thanks,Roamer
Thanks Roamer on both accounts! Glad you had a moment to stop by. Any further wisdom of your own to add?
Just be your true[authentic ] self.
Oh my gosh, Terrill - I love The Wink! Additionally, this is a great post, filled with lots of practical tips. Thank you.
Ah yes be “your true[authentic ] self” an essential Roamer.
Thanks Laurie - the goddess of creating an effective and positive experience here on Gaia. Do you have anything to add as well?
Terrill, this is marvelous; and you know what I'm going to say - right? could you please post it somewhere on your Gaia Networking group?
One of my tips is - look at your My Groups page for the quickest updates to your group.
Thanks Meenakshi and for those that don't know what she means by Gaia Networking group it is Gaia Networking~Enhance your Community Experience
and can be found at http://groups.gaia.com/z_network. Please wander over and have a browse… remembering my third tip - balance:)
And yes Meenakshi, will look for a perfect place to cross post.
Terrill - you asked for my two-cents:
Grapevine - if someone has placed a 'grape' on your vine, reply in a timely manner.
Blog - if someone as placed a comment on your blog, acknowledge it. Then go to their blog and leave them a comment as well.
Status - Let people know what you're up to. Make it positive, uplifting, constructive and healing. If someone has done something that deserves recognition, post it in your status line with a link to it. Post it on their grapevine with a link to it as well.
Friendship invitation - don't wait for one. Reach out to other people with invitations of friendship.
Groups - find at least one that you would like to be actively part of and then join it. It's okay to join other groups that you can't be as active in, but be active in at least one group.
And always - Listen with your heart
Oh, Terrill. What a wonderful gift of a post–and I love how it models exactly what it's teaching. (You've got a certain talent for that…) I'll be sharing this with new members. Thank you thank you thank you!
(I'd toss in a gentle recommendation for the Gaia Minute, too, both as a daily practice and the weekly calls, as they really do help bring a sense of connection and community and purpose in being here. :)
You have out done yourself yet again Laurie - fantastic tips. What a recipe for success you have provided.
Siona, thank you! For your leadership and personal integrity I am grateful.
I am going to have to show up for a Gaia Minute Monday just find out first hand how it works and what it is about. I have been hearing great things.
Terrill - I was able to join The Gaia Minute this past Monday and in addition to a wonderful experience, I learned something else.
You wanna know what it was? Okay, I'll tell you.
If you call in a wee bit early … before 9:09 … there's a brief bit of time to visit with the other callers. I actually got to put voices with faces and that was wonderful. I felt like I could have reached out and touched them. My schedule won't allow me to join every Monday – but this was a gift, indeed. When you call in, do it a bit early so that you can hear your Gaia friends.
Laurie if you keep sharin' I'll keep askin'.
In all seriousness - thank you so much for showing up in full colours here and tipping your hand in full view for the of the rest of us.
If Laurie isn't already one of your valued friends here on Gaia - ask her!
Terrill - Thanks for sharing the tips (and the wink), and thanks to the others, as well, who have added valuable tips to the mix. Great implementable ideas for connecting within the gaia community.
As someone who spends a good amount of time in isolation or hovering quietly on the sidelines, it is a nice and gentle reminder that PARTICIPATION is a key ingredient when making the most of the gaia experience.
It is one thing to be shy or reticent about revealing oneself, but when we push ourselves to move beyond the boundaries of our inhibitions, we find that the rewards of community more than make up for the sqeamish feelings of hesitation that keep our fingers hovering inches away from the keyboard. Much better to plunge in and let the words find their way to the page. Creating a space for diaglogue is a great way to expand your horizons.
As a relative newbie, here's my own tip: Take some time to share a bit of personal information when you create your profile. Add a few quotes that resonate with you. Share a brief story about something that impacted your life. Add some keywords in the category prompts. Tell us why you joined the gaia community. Your profile is often the first thing that people will see as a way of introduction, so make it easier for them to get a sense of who you are, as this helps like-minded people find each other. Use your profile to connect with others.
That is a sweet additional tip Nancy! Wow! Glad you named it… so easy to overlook one of the first ways to be effective and positive here. Thank you for your thoughtful contribution.
All are invited to post on the special thread created for you all at Gaia Networking so that the tips are always there for other members as well.
How to make the most of your Gaia experience
[Terrill, as you're a moderator there, pl feel free to edit the post and/or title of that thread!]
Great post, it is so helpful! I'm glad I could help inspire this one.
I hope you are having a great weekend!
-Susan Mead
Thanks Meenakshi for putting a stake in the ground here on Gaia Networking to hold the ideas and energy we manifested on this post. I encourage readers to drop by the Gaia Networking thread and add their tips.
Susan, I am so glad that you dropped by and took a bow as we have so enjoyed the inspiration of your question.