I’ve been thinking about the regulars I‘ve gotten to know here in AAC and how much time they spend helping others. Why do you do it?
I know it’s not for the high pay and medical benefits, or the fame—so what brings you here, and keeps you here?
For me, AAC is a continuation of a long career as a technical volunteer, here on the Internet and even before it. Technical work in amateur theater and amateur radio preceded the Internet but as soon as that was a thing, I got involved.
Why? There’s not one reason.
First, I feel naturally inclined to help people solve problems when I have the skills and knowledge for it. I find it intrinsically satisfying to solve a problem, and also to do it so someone is helped. It’s kind of double-dipping, both things motivate me.
I have volunteered for disaster relief work, for example even when nothing technical is involved, and I enjoy problem solving in the abstract as well (though not nearly as much as practical versions).
Second, I love to teach. I am a hyperactive autodidact, I learn all sorts of things I’ll “never need” (until I find an unexpected application). I love to learn. It seems that is the other side of the coin of loving to teach. My kids will attest that asking me a question might just get you a lot more information than you ”need”. But, I’ve learned to employ something of an inverted pyramid method of imparting the information so they are not hostage to the long explanation if they want to flee.
Like all of you, I also learn from teaching. Explaining clears up a lot of fuzziness and fills gaps I didn’t know were there. Answering questions about things I know about often involves research to confirm and clarify that knowledge. I also learn from the answers others give in threads and directly to my own questions.
Third, I love people and social interaction. I love community. Some of my volunteer work has been in community building. I have started many online groups and nurtured them, watched them grow and evolved, and sometimes had to move on as the community changed in a way that was good for it but no longer included me. I’ve learned that happens.
So, that’s at least part of why I am here, how about you? Why do you invest the time and energy, even though the recipients aren’t always grateful or even civil?
Why are you here?
I know it’s not for the high pay and medical benefits, or the fame—so what brings you here, and keeps you here?
For me, AAC is a continuation of a long career as a technical volunteer, here on the Internet and even before it. Technical work in amateur theater and amateur radio preceded the Internet but as soon as that was a thing, I got involved.
Why? There’s not one reason.
First, I feel naturally inclined to help people solve problems when I have the skills and knowledge for it. I find it intrinsically satisfying to solve a problem, and also to do it so someone is helped. It’s kind of double-dipping, both things motivate me.
I have volunteered for disaster relief work, for example even when nothing technical is involved, and I enjoy problem solving in the abstract as well (though not nearly as much as practical versions).
Second, I love to teach. I am a hyperactive autodidact, I learn all sorts of things I’ll “never need” (until I find an unexpected application). I love to learn. It seems that is the other side of the coin of loving to teach. My kids will attest that asking me a question might just get you a lot more information than you ”need”. But, I’ve learned to employ something of an inverted pyramid method of imparting the information so they are not hostage to the long explanation if they want to flee.
Like all of you, I also learn from teaching. Explaining clears up a lot of fuzziness and fills gaps I didn’t know were there. Answering questions about things I know about often involves research to confirm and clarify that knowledge. I also learn from the answers others give in threads and directly to my own questions.
Third, I love people and social interaction. I love community. Some of my volunteer work has been in community building. I have started many online groups and nurtured them, watched them grow and evolved, and sometimes had to move on as the community changed in a way that was good for it but no longer included me. I’ve learned that happens.
So, that’s at least part of why I am here, how about you? Why do you invest the time and energy, even though the recipients aren’t always grateful or even civil?
Why are you here?
Last edited: