- Name:
mnvwvnm - Short title: Super-helper mnvwvnm has helped build a strong community of practice with the help of Obsidian.
- 237 words
- Contact: @mnvwvnm
Within the thriving Obsidian community are the special few who always show up with a helpful suggestion or a new way to think about Obsidian. They always deliver when they hear a desperate plea: “How do I attach a picture to my note??” or “I want to switch from Roam to Obsidian!” or “My vault has disappeared!!!” This nomination honors all these super-helpers, and one in particular: mnvwvnm. You may recognize them as the help behind the tragedy theater mask profile. But the help they’ve given aint no Greek tragedy. Since arriving on the forum, mnvwvnm has shared 69 official solutions. Yes, sixty-nine. That’s 1.5 solutions every week for the entire year. Can you imagine if each of us had a solutions rate of 1.5/week in our own work sphere? We could end hunger and have world peace within the decade! Plus, it’s more than 69 unofficially because not everyone, leave alone newbies, knows how to mark a post as “solved”. Super-helpers like mnvwvnm have built with Obsidian what is called a community of practice. That is, they welcome new members, invite them to share their concerns, guide them to a solution, emphasizing what’s important and steering them away from what’s not. This is crucial community-building because it draws in newbies with their fresh perspectives from the edge and into the heart of the community where all the experts are, and where they too can become experts. That’s also one way that innovation happens. It’s why we all get so much value out of Obsidian, even if we never post to the forum. And that’s why I call mnvwvnm a super-helper. I’ll close this nomination by linking to a handful of examples that show just how well they build community with Obsidian. They listen first, then ask questions, with patience. They respond with precision, modesty, encourage cooperation, sometimes succinctly, sometimes meticulously, always thoroughly, and occasionally like a dog with a bone. They respond to both the ordinary and the esoteric; give the big picture or dig deep; share personal expertise but knows the limits of that expertise, in which case they refer to another expert. Incidentally, they offer all this in four languages (Portuguese, Italian, French, English) and maybe more.