Today I answered a question on the @atlassian #community and the moment I pressed the submit button I noticed something. There is a count on the right hand that shows the number of posts, which changed from 999 to 1000. There was no loud bang or colourful animation but it felt so good.
Some statistics as of 28th December 2020
Likes received: 311
Likes given: 183
Answers submitted: 611
Total posts: 1,000
Question asked: 1
What is Atlassian Community?
It is a place where you can ask questions and help others around Atlassian tools. People who are super active and answer lot of questions (like me) are called Community Leaders but anyone can post answers. It is a great place to seek information which might not be easily available in the official documentation.
Benefits of posting on the community
Today I thought I will write about what you will gain from helping others on the community. Although I talked about this in the past as well but there is no harm in repeating I guess.
Lot of learning
This is my number 1 reason to be active on the community. I think that I know Jira really well. I have good knowledge of various apps as well, of course there are so many ways of using Jira in different situations and many other things that I really don't know. When I look at questions on the community I try to fill gaps in my knowledge. If Atlassian tools are part of your job then by not being on the community you are missing out plethora of information.
Update yourself
Related to above. Now Jira and other Atlassian tools are ever evolving. There are new features released regularly. There are new apps in the market and so much new to consume. Even by just monitoring the questions regularly you are giving yourself chance to update yourself with what is latest and what you don't know yet.
A reason to learn
Let me explain. So you are new to Jira and want to learn it. You may want to become a great Jira Consultant get a job and live a happy life but how do you start learning Jira? You can enrol yourself in an online course or buy some books but you don't feel motivated to keep going. You need a reason to learn Jira, we all need a reason to do anything in life. I find it very difficult to keep myself focused on a goal. Now by helping others you are solving their problems and giving yourself a chance and a very good reason to keep yourself abreast. This is of course apart from other benefits that I am talking about but they are all connected. Life is a series of interconnected events.
Showcase your skills to potential employers
Ok you are certified, great but employers do consider your contribution to online communities. It not only shows your skills but your commitment towards your skill set and the tools you use to get things done. If you are a community leader then even better, more below. If you work for a partner or you are a partner then just by mere being present on the community you are exposing your company to thousands of potential clients. I think most partners (not all though) would want people from their company to be present on the community. Make yourself more desirable ;)
Special benefits for Community Leaders
If you become a community leader you will get some extra perks. They sent me some goodies earlier this year, which is always good.
It is nice to help others
Honestly I don't think I am nice guy, I think I am quite selfish. I always think about myself. That's how I feel and I am probably right. Apart from the above benefits which are all personal reasons I think it is a bit nice to help others, even if in real life you are not nice like me. Again I do it for personal reasons and may be people who benefits from my posts solve their problems and thank me which I believe is good. You need more people who thank you. It makes you feel good about life, that you are doing your tiny little bit in this big world. I am more or less a geek, I don't mind sitting in front of computer for long hours. This is something I am really good at and I prefer to utilise my time in doing some productive that will help me in long run. If I learn something new everyday then it will always help me.
Learning never goes waste. It always gives you back a lot more with interest.
Still not convinced?
It is ok, I understand not everyone has the time and energy to do that. At least when next time you find an answer to your question online, or find a video that solves your problem or find a script that save many hours or yours then simple thank you or retweet or like will be more than enough. These days knowledge is freely available online, to learn a new skill all you need in a computer and an internet connection but when you find an answer online do consider giving something back. Participating in online communities, writing a blog post, sharing how you solved a problem and saying thank you will be much appreciated :)
Enjoy!
Thanks ☺️