Do you remember your first days here?

Do you remember when you entered/joined PNN for the first time? I joined in late February ~ and was relatively new to this type of thing. Posting blogs, sharing your life with 'strangers', building a site page - it was a little daunting.

I remember going through the Home Page and reading the blogs of people whose titles struck me in some way. And then reading the other blogs too.

I was struck by the calibre of writing and a little envious too. So many personalities and voices - so many ideas, so much information, so many topics of discussion.

It took me a few hours to create a page I was somewhat happy with. I looked at the other community members' sites to get an idea of how a page should look. I also spent considerable time going over the Help Notes that described the Tool Bar that held all the powers of publication.

I remember being in awe of Rosemary - clearly a woman of great intelligence writing about a subject I knew little about. I really wanted to post a comment on her page - and didn't for fear of looking stupid.

Laurie also drew me in yet sparked my inner insecurities with her fact-filled, necessary, health and well-being information. Again, I soooo wanted to leave a comment on her site but fear of having nothing worthwhile to say held me back.

I eventually uploaded a post of my own. I wondered if anyone would read it, or comment on it, or connect to it -- or even think it was good enough to be posted here.

Funny how we can sometimes get too caught up in the hope of fitting in and lose sight of bigger pictures.

I'll never forget the first comment I received - it was so EXCITING! It was gifted by chitowngirl and it was in response to a post called Speedbumps Are People Too. Of course, being the online newb that I was ... I had no idea what her comment meant - so now, in addition to finding effective ways to navigate the community and figuring out how to add images to my posts, and how to bring in text from Word -- I also had to find out what Twitter was and how it works and whether or not having my blog post linked on Twitter was a good thing. (What a crazy name ... I didn't know if I was being insulted or exhalted!)

I'll tell you what changed everything for me though ~ I found a writer that I loved. I looked forward to her posts and wished I could be more like her myself. One evening, as I neared the end of one of her posts - she gave a shout out to me. Me! Right there in amongst the charm and wisdom of this beautiful writer was my name! And not only that -- but she linked my name to my blog site so others could read me too!

I was overwhelmed - with joy, with gratitude, with disbelief ... and also with the mixed emotions of excitement and fear that came from the awareness that you can actually link text in your posts to other sites/locations -- and the frightening knowledge that I now had something else to figure out. I figured it out - you'll find that shining spirit here.

Within two weeks - I felt relatively secure in my technical skills to post, comment, add images, link text and navigate the site. I branched into Following people (I'm a self-professed Follow-a-holic and all-around sucker for emotive, vulnerable, humourous, smart writing), giving Stars, sending messages via Private Contact and loved every moment I spent immersing myself into this community.

I feel welcomed and accepted by people I would never have the nerve to approach in real life. Women who are superior to me in intellect, wit, humour, insight, likability, compassion, ingenuity, environmental awareness, spiritual awareness, resilience, courage and I could go on and on.

What I learned, though, is that in spite of our differences ~ we all love to receive Comments on our posts, we all like to feel welcomed and included, we all desire to learn and laugh and play - and we're not always as competent and capable as others give us credit for.

I admire women who can put themselves out there and ask for what they need, risk vulnerability to reach their goals, and stand confidently in who they are without letting fear or shyness get in there way.

This morning I saw a post from a new Community Member and again heard my inner voice say, "I wish I could be more like her". How much easier my first few days might have been if I'd been able to simply introduce myself and assume that I'd be included.

So, I'm wondering about your first week(s) with PNN. What might have made them easier for you? Were your challenges technically-related? (Is there anything even now that you wish you knew how to do?) Were you awed by the talent? Blown away by the friendliness and kindness?

I'll always remember my first days as "The Hopeful Yet Frustrating Journey of the Dweeb". How about you?