Incidentally the First time I ever Organized a Webinar
I have party-planned a couple of times before. My sister's and sister-in-law's debut party were products of my control freaking organizational skills. I've also organized some te building events that have activities that challenged the heck out of my teammates. Those were the days when my brain cells functioned as an extroverted, fun-loving, challenge accepting individual. I'm still all of those except for the extroverted-ness.
I noticed as I age, I slowly plunged into introverted-ness, especially when meeting new people. I notice too that once I get comfortable, the extrovert in me slowly creeps its way out into the conversation.
I've been to meetups with my closest circle of friends here in the blockchain. They are the ones I interacted with in Tagalogtrail and also dragged into the HivePH pool. Those meetups weren't business or formal at all. I'm happy to have been able to cook for them on one of our staycations. This HivePH webinar though is nothing like those meetups.
Just in case you missed it, take a look at the First ever Hive PH Onboarding Webinar. The HivePH webinar is a targeted seminar with the goal of bringing new blood into the Hive community. We looked for people who would bring value to the blockchain and would keep the community going. Months ago, @adamada was pushing for webinars like this. That was when I put him as interim head for HivePH back when I couldn't find the balance of homeschooling, family life, and blogging. I am thankful for all his contributions and for keeping an eye on the community when I had to attend to my other responsibilities.
Always be Open to Learning New Things
Then I found Cebu people getting onboarded here and there. I was admiring their efforts and wondering how they do it. To be honest, I was inggit. I envy how they manage to get good people into the blockchain and how these amazing new bloggers learned to love Hive instantaneously. There was a saying going online "Kapag inggit, pikit. (When you're envious, close your eyes.) That's not what I did. I opened my eyes, looked at what they do, and tried to learn from them and with them. @indayclara and @ybanezkim26 were really so nice and helpful and patient with all of my questions. They even allowed me to join one of their webinars just so I could observe and learn.
Equipped with the knowledge from the wise, I went ahead and put my guns to work. And by guns, I meant the guys in the HivePH onboarding team: @tpkidkai, @adamada, and @juanvegetarian. They really gave their time and effort to making this online event a reality. Each of them went above and beyond, approaching the gaming communities they belong to, even posting on their Facebook pages about the event. (On a side note, @juanvegetarian had a taste of what a centralized platform feels like.)
Control Freak Planning and Panicking
I am secretly a control freak (now, it's out in the open) and I want to ensure that everything goes according to plan. Plus there should always be a fallback. I prepped a Canva presentation for the webinar. That file has been edited so many times it looked from plain white to pink, to black, to green. I just couldn't find the right colors, thankfully, @tpkidkai swooped in to save the day. The planning was a bit rushed, but the execution was superb in my book. I know, there's still more room for improvement.
We reached out to the farthest reaches of our friendships and connections. Some responded with a yes, some with a maybe, some with just a smile (which might be their nicest way of saying no). There were some that said they're going but ended up missing the event. Nonetheless, I was really overwhelmed in a good way with the attendance!
We are but one ripple in the water
It was proof that if people band together with a common goal, even the smallest efforts result in big changes. Ours is but a small ripple in the waters hoping to make big waves in the vast ocean. It may be ambitious to hope that we make a difference in the lives of the people that joined in our webinar, but we do hope that through Hive, we help them cope with their troubles, be it financially, emotionally, or mentally.
Hive has made so much difference in my life in the past few years that I've been in the blockchain. I realized how much change it could bring in to someone. I'm not just talking about the monetary benefits that comes with blogging in Hive. I'm referring to all the other good things it brought to my life. During the time I was losing myself when I left the corporate world, my blog has been my comfort. The different gaming frontends in the chain helped me have fun even within the comfort of my home. I've experienced being stuck at home as a stay-at-home mom since 2018 but I'm with my daughter and I have my blog to help me cope.
I have gained friends along the way and not just friends as in acquaintances, I'm saying friends who confide with each other, cry with each other, laugh with each other, help each other. Those things don't just come easy. But Hive brought that home to me. And this is the very reason I am aiming to bring in my friends, my friends' friends, and their friends' friends into the platform. They are good people who deserve the best in life.
It has been a fun filled experience planning and facilitating an online webinar. I learned a lot and enjoyed every moment of it. There were some bloopers like me, forgetting to record the first part of that 2-hour webinar, forgetting to address people as they enter the meeting, or addressing the questions as they come in. I still have a lot to learn but I know with the team we have working on the background, we are sure to deliver more webinars like this in the future. Hopefully, we make Hive even better so that this community could continue bringing in the best in our lives.
Cover Photo is a screencap of the wacky pose from our webinar
@romeskie is a full-time stay-at-home mom to a homeschooling toddler. Loves crocheting as a hobby. Maintains a mini food forest, aiming to grow more to achieve that farm-to-table homesteading. Learned how to cook after leaving the corporate world to take care of her family and is now starting to acquire basic baking skills. Learn more about her adventures and misadventures in the world of motherhood.
Connect with her through her Facebook Page: The Leftie Crocheter and on Instagram. Feel free to subscribe to her Youtube Channel: The Leftie Crocheter