The day I became a Super Hero

A few weeks ago I was in the car with my family. It was a weekend and we were going away to see the penguins at Phillip Island. I was casually checking my emails on my phone when I did the biggest gasp I have ever done. My man nearly had a heart attack: He wasn’t sure if I’d had a heart attack myself, if someone had died, if I’d seen a giant kangaroo coming straight at us, or some other disastrous thing had happened.

Request

After realising the worry I had caused, I managed to say “It’s ok, it’s good news” in between gasps… I then said:

“I’ve been asked if I want to be a Super Hero!”

At this point, my children who were headphoned in the back seat perked up their ears… “what? super hero? what?”

Explanation

Articulate, the company who created Storyline and other awesome e-learning products, recognises community members who “go above and beyond to help others by contributing to forum discussions, sharing ideas, and pointing people to helpful resources. The Super Heroes program recognizes these top contributors and their powerful contributions to the community.”

When I first starting using Articulate Storyline back in 2012, I taught myself how to use the software. I painstakingly went through every single tutorial, demo and sample I could get my hands on. I subscribed to Tom’s blog and all other Articulate newsletters. I could not get enough.

Of course, when I say I taught myself, what I really mean is: the e-learning heroes taught me—all the wonderful people who regularly contribute to this amazing community. I noticed that a few select members had a Hero badge next to their name. I wondered what that meant… until I realised they would pop up everywhere in the forums helping out, discussing things until the wee hours, sharing freebies, and so much more.

I remember being so scared to post anything… but the more I read the more I saw that people were genuinely nice and willing to help. Comments were positive and welcoming. It was so cool to find an online community with little-to-no negativity or snarky comments.

I was hooked.

Slowly but surely I started to ask questions, make comments, share work and even answer questions! I started to participate regularly in the weekly challenges, wrote a few articles for the site and got know the members and community managers. I started this blog which largely features Storyline demos, tutorials and freebies.

I work for myself, so it was especially great to have people I could go to for help or suggestions.

Funniest question ever

So, back to the car… after explaining, I was still in a bit of shock. I could not believe the honour that was being bestowed upon me. Surely I’m not like those people?

The funniest thing about the email was the bit that said “If you decide to accept a Super Hero cape…” !

IF?! There was no chance in hell I would ever decline this invitation.

Announcement

So, after a few weeks, it was made official. Wow, what a ride! Congratulations to the 10 new super heroes on earning their capes.

My friend Matt Bibby thought it would be hilarious to show up at school pick-up wearing a cape… I thought about it, but I think my kids are embarrassed enough. And, congrats to Matt for his cape too!

See you all in the forums!