Maybe it's because I'm young, naive, and easily excitable having yet to be jaded by the pointy elbows of Capitalism, but I think WickedFire could be more. You're thinking,
"More? What the fuck does that even mean!?"
And that's fair. But first I'll address your next question:
"Why the fuck did you write this?"
I took some time out to write this proposal because I have a really big chubby for the idea of community. I've always agreed that once I've established a modest level of success in business, I'd strive to be an impact player at the city and local industry level. It's a win-win. I do believe there are differences between a real world, local community and an online, global forum, but I'll address those if a discussion follows.
Secondly, I've spent too much time around this board for the sake of entertainment and not enough time adding or extracting value. That's going to change, and until I write this community off entirely, I will do my part.
In response to your first question, I'll start by defining what I perceive WickedFire to be. Keep in mind that my first encounter with web design was in 1999 while my first meaningful encounter with SEO was in 2011. WickedFire is a shallow knowledgebase and common for internet marketers and related professionals. And of course, all of the meaningful stuff happens between newly-connected members off-site or offline. But in an industry that is particularly gaurded due to constant warring with search engineers, easily exploitable markets, and a wavering level of ethics, I find it hard to differentiate between the who's who. It was Guerilla who told me, "'Peasant' is just a state of mind." Among the "peasant" pool of our active membership, I see people with at least a basic understanding of marketing (exceptions apply), a commendable drive, and the want to work and learn. To me, that sums up potential. To vets, well, I've heard more than a few remarks regarding the "poor" state of this community in comparison to five years ago. I can't attest to that. But I am a witness to the upside, and I'm one of them. So here's my proposal:
This is not a plea for vets to hire out and mentor a new guy. Instead, leverage the membership here at WickedFire (and no, taking advantage of a situation does not require malicious intent). In my short time here, I can't recall the number of moments I've thought to myself, "Oh snap, that guy is a developer/designer/manufacturer/real estate agent/cock fluffer." Give us - small business founders and freelancers - a way to connect and collaborate beyond STS or the many useful sub-forums currently available.
I suppose this should be directed to Jon, but I'd like to hear what everyone else thinks about this proposal.
TL;DR: Give us - small business founders and freelancers - a way to connect and collaborate beyond STS or the many useful sub-forums currently available.
"More? What the fuck does that even mean!?"
And that's fair. But first I'll address your next question:
"Why the fuck did you write this?"
I took some time out to write this proposal because I have a really big chubby for the idea of community. I've always agreed that once I've established a modest level of success in business, I'd strive to be an impact player at the city and local industry level. It's a win-win. I do believe there are differences between a real world, local community and an online, global forum, but I'll address those if a discussion follows.
Secondly, I've spent too much time around this board for the sake of entertainment and not enough time adding or extracting value. That's going to change, and until I write this community off entirely, I will do my part.
In response to your first question, I'll start by defining what I perceive WickedFire to be. Keep in mind that my first encounter with web design was in 1999 while my first meaningful encounter with SEO was in 2011. WickedFire is a shallow knowledgebase and common for internet marketers and related professionals. And of course, all of the meaningful stuff happens between newly-connected members off-site or offline. But in an industry that is particularly gaurded due to constant warring with search engineers, easily exploitable markets, and a wavering level of ethics, I find it hard to differentiate between the who's who. It was Guerilla who told me, "'Peasant' is just a state of mind." Among the "peasant" pool of our active membership, I see people with at least a basic understanding of marketing (exceptions apply), a commendable drive, and the want to work and learn. To me, that sums up potential. To vets, well, I've heard more than a few remarks regarding the "poor" state of this community in comparison to five years ago. I can't attest to that. But I am a witness to the upside, and I'm one of them. So here's my proposal:
This is not a plea for vets to hire out and mentor a new guy. Instead, leverage the membership here at WickedFire (and no, taking advantage of a situation does not require malicious intent). In my short time here, I can't recall the number of moments I've thought to myself, "Oh snap, that guy is a developer/designer/manufacturer/real estate agent/cock fluffer." Give us - small business founders and freelancers - a way to connect and collaborate beyond STS or the many useful sub-forums currently available.
I suppose this should be directed to Jon, but I'd like to hear what everyone else thinks about this proposal.
TL;DR: Give us - small business founders and freelancers - a way to connect and collaborate beyond STS or the many useful sub-forums currently available.
