What do you gain from Elpha? Do you feel comfortable recieving advice is you are met with an understanding 'female' audience? Do you trust the advice more? Are users nicer on here? Please, share below!!
Iynna·Oct 21Iynna·Oct 21What a fantastic thread! I'll start: I love this community and the people who make the community. I love that I feel safe expressing opinions. Sometimes my opinions are welcome very positively but sometimes some members vehemently disagree with me and I feel challenged, it can be uncomfortable but it is something I really appreciate. It forces me to think about things in a different way. I have learned a ton from every single member on Elpha, from the way you perceive things, or operate in the "real" world. Sometimes I have a very different approach to situations but reading how some of you approach challenges is really useful and help me learn and broaden my mindset.I have read through every single thread on elpha and none ever gets old/there's always something to gain. Here is a sample of some of my favourite threads: - https://elpha.com/posts/f5vmq1vp/i-would-like-an-open-relationship-but-my-partner-doesn-t- https://elpha.com/posts/d3k1v2dh/what-s-your-ideal-first-date?- https://elpha.com/posts/orawyj8z/how-to-not-feel-like-a-failureThese are all very personal threads but I love the fact that elphas feel comfortable addressing some of these very personal stories and marry them with professional challenges/anecdotes!A bonus point is that I have made some pretty amazing friends along the way :)Lastly, I really have never felt like elpha was an ecochamber because there's a ton of diverging opinions but they are always approached with grace and respect. Some examples of situations that led to some more "heated" than usual debate include: Roe v. Wade which inspired us to put out a statement https://elpha.com/posts/tolyk2rb/thoughts-about-roe-v-wade-and-how-the-elpha-team-talks-about-social-and-political-events, being anti-vaxxed during the pandemic, the choice to freeze eggs vs not, and many others! The diversity of this community is what makes it so unique and special. What about you, Mina? And what would you like to see more of on Elpha?
I like that it's more personal + not spammy liked linkedin. I also like that it's women-only + it's small enough right now where I feel like the engagement is more intimate. I'm getting to know some of the members just from interacting + everyone seems to be pretty supportive of each other. Everyone has been extremely kind.
My heart is melting reading this! :') I love that you still feel like it's small... we're now at over 100K members all over the world (so it's true not quite the 950M users that LinkedIn has haha) :') so deff growing but determined to keep this intimate feel. It's uber important for us!
you're doing a great job. let me know how I can help. xo
So true! I definitely agree with the LinkedIn part... Do you gain experience/advice you couldn't get in a physical professional space? Based on privacy, friendliness, 'all women', etc
I am an entrepreneur so itβs different for me. I only connect through networking ππ½
I like supporting women who look at the state of work and go "No, that's stupid. I don't want that. I want something that works for me."It's like the "I realized I don't want a career" post. On other sites, you would be blacklisted. Point blank. But here, we can go, "Yeah, many don't, because we don't work to live. Let's brainstorm on what we can do."
What other sites would you normally use? Totally agree with this sentiment!!
Slack channels mostly. Basically private places where at least the people doing the hiring understand that people don't think work=life there.
I love that you said this!For those who read this comment and are curious, here are some of the posts: https://elpha.com/posts/4o606gf4/how-to-tell-my-micromanaging-boss-i-don-t-want-to-improve-in-my-next-performance-review#b38tmv5rhttps://elpha.com/posts/34eyotht/lost-all-desire-for-a-career-any-advice https://elpha.com/posts/1kzu35s/relationship-to-work-after-having-a-baby-struggling-with-upcoming-return-to-9-5
I use Elpha because I like being part of a community of women who I can support and who support me when I need it. I joined just over a month ago and have already received valuable advice and made meaningful connections with other members!
Love this @kaitlingraham and thanks to you for being a great contributor already :) Loved reading about your experience here https://elpha.com/posts/7w7h94cc/new-resource-thriving-in-tech-beyond-age-stereotypes
Thank you, Iynna! I enjoy reading your insights on Elpha :)
It's not trust in the advice per se, but the trust that this community won't judge. I also love the option of anonymous posting, as it provides additional safety. Many questions I would simply not ask in the open, since this can be traced back to my employer, or there can be some prejudice on my background. I am also getting a lot of inspiration from all the kick-ass amazing women here. I rarely ask anything in AMA threads, but already reading about female leaders in top companies is a big boost for me personally.And yes, users are nicer, supportive, and understanding, even when people do not share the same opinions, they are expressed without toxicity, which is unfortunately so spread on other platforms.
This really means a lot! We definitely do not want you to feel judged. Ultimately some people will disagree with you but we always want to make sure debate and disagreement happen with respect and hopefully can take into account both sides/where they're coming from. And agreed the AMA are inspirational!
The reason I joined Elpha in the first place is to connect with women who are committed in showing up in their career and life consciously. As I got to experience more, here are a few reasons why I really appreciate Elpha: 1) Safe space. Compared to Linkedin where it feels a lot of shouting, part because of the algorithm, and part because of the personal-focused feed UX, Elpha is a forum where lots of perspectives and questions are celebrated, shared and asked. This makes the community feels welcoming and non-judgmental. And when something makes you feel more accepted and seen, you show up more naturally. 2) Commitment in women empowerment. I enjoy reading and seeing other women's stories and experience, and Elpha does a job of showcasing and giving platform for different perspective. 3) Active community engagement. I noticed members and who consistently engage and contribute to posts (especially @iynna who are an amazing Community Manager!), and that means people are genuinely engaging and wanting to celebrate each other here. So that makes me want to come back to engage, share and help others as well, knowing my little contribution matters :)
This is so sweet of you to say, @ninaynt and it really means a lot!Please let us know how we can continue to best support you.
Hey @minasieb! merry xmas (if you celebrate) and happy early new year :) Wanted to share this with you hopefully it gives you more insight on elpha over the year and years https://elpha.com/posts/tba48sl3/elpha-2023-year-in-review
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