Has your community brought you any real-life recognition?

Has running a community been beneficial for your real life social life or career? For me, I'd say it has made me several real life friends, but not so much in the way of career advancement.

 

Not much. I'm probably going to meet and play against two of the GMs this summer in vermont though.

 

I run an Australian based Sports Website, and although I have not won any real life awards like businessman of the year or anything like that lol, I have attended numerous major sporting events around Australia and spent many of hours with some of Australias' leading sporting players and officials.

Thanks to my website which officially started on Jan 01 2009, I am now media accredited with most of the leading sports in Australia, have attended the 2009 ICC Women's World Cup, and am media accredited to the FIFA World Cup in South Africa if I can get the money together to go there.

So although the site is not making money I am actually not spending money - apart from travel and accomodation to events - we have a sponsor who is a web hosting company who we get a dedicated server for our sports network, we have a sponsor who donates all the prizes for our competitions, and next month we are being featured in an editorial that gets distributed to 80 000 people in return for some advertising on my website.

So the quick answer to your question is no real life recognition - unless you count news articles being printed in newspapers that are taken from my website, but even though my forums are still relatively small (they werent added to the website until about 2 months ago) the website itself is popular and being a sports nut I am is very rewarding - if only I could make a living from it and quit my full time job to run the site 100% would be fantastic but hopefully that will come in the future.

 

My online communities almost 100% never go beyond the internet. Maybe one day, though.

 

Yes, actually.

A few years back, I created a localized discussion community for a car fanatics club that I founded. Shortly after doing so, the discussion forum was recognized not only locally, but also out-of-state. It was quite excellent.

I just recently created a Mazda 3 enthusiasts club - I may do the same for this.

 

One day! You will all see.... e.e

 

My first forum did bring me real-life recognition, but it was not in a good way.
One of the reasons that I sold it.

 

Nope. I know a few of my members in real life. But I would never suggest the members meet up.

Would be dreadful, I can imagine it now.

 

Yes, I'm nationally known in my area

 

Tee he.

 

on one of my forums i now see the members outside of the forum, we are mostly a good group of friends we talk on the phone regularly and sometimes meet up.

on the other forum, because the members all come from different countries, we couldnt meet up or anything.

my biggest real life recognition from the forums was when i was in the toilets of the train station, and someone from a forum i post on recognised me from my pic in the members pictures thread, and my unusual dress sense.....for me a bright pink tutu is normal to be worn on the streets! it was weird.....although i was on my way to a forum meet up! :rofl: