Reflections on Being Named Yahoo! Outstanding Contributor of the Year

Being named Yahoo! Outstanding Contributor of the Year is a tremendous honor, particularly in this watershed year.

For many of us, the Yahoo! acquisition of Associated Content last May represented tremendous opportunity. This opportunity did not surface without apprehension, however, as a certain measure of uncertainty inevitably accompanies change. Remember the talk about backing up articles, just in case? That media report saying Associated Content would be nothing but a memory after Q3? Diversify-- and quick-- was the advice heard 'round the forum.

Thomas Edison once said:

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."

That observation might have dictated the outcome of our transition but for the generous spirit of insightful contributors who spread their optimism far and wide. And now, having weathered the challenges of the changeover and enthusiastically embraced the exciting prospect of working with the Yahoo! team, we find ourselves thriving as contributors to a preeminent international publication platform.

To be named an outstanding contributor during this dynamic year is to be recognized for the ability grasp opportunity in the face of uncertainty, to let go of yesterday and envision tomorrow. It is with this forward focus that I gratefully, enthusiastically, ecstatically- and not the least bit superlatively- accept the Yahoo! Outstanding Contributor of the Year award.

Something that's consistently impressed me each year after the awards are announced is the leadership assumed by the winners. Each winner of this respected award (previously known as the Content Producer of the Year award) from Timothy Sexton to Pam Gaulin, Sabah Karimi and Crystal Ray has used the high profile acquired from being named to this honor to benefit the platform and its writers in his or her own unique way.

Watching their ongoing commitment reinforces the realization that "publishing informative and inspiring content based on [ ] knowledge and passion" doesn't occur in a vacuum. The writers who thrive here tend to network with one another and interface with staff to produce a beneficial environment not only for themselves but for the writing community. That environment enlivens the quality and expands the breadth of everyone's content.

The community guide program is one example of how experienced writers here mentor the novices, helping them to master the intricacies of the platform and enhance their writing skills. The success of the cumulative effort of several writers during the transitional phase to ensure our writing was properly recognized and rewarded is another example. Yet a third example- and one which reflects the "inspirational" criteria- is the Haiti content drive through which caring contributors cooperated to create meaningful content whose proceeds were donated to the people of a nation stricken with disaster.

This positive and nurturing writing community is essential to the success of writers ultimately deemed to "exemplify the spirit of the Yahoo! Contributor Network by publishing informative and inspiring content based on their knowledge and passion."

Thank you to everyone who has supported me and my writing. The News, Partner and Community teams along with the Y!CN staff overall have been phenomenal. Thanks to all of you for your everyday assistance as well as for selecting me as Yahoo! Outstanding Contributor of the Year.

There are so many writers who have offered advice, shared expertise, brainstormed and otherwise contributed to my success here that I dare not try to name them and will instead simply say to them, I appreciate all you have done, and I hope I have been and can continue to be as helpful to you in your writing careers as you have been to me in mine.