Well, since so many others are writing about Helium.com, the Brit and I figured this would be a good time to show off. I joined Helium in February, as Farmer Bob. Saying I've been an active member wouldn't be too great an exaggeration. Possibly, even too active if you're Jim Logan, Sr. Community Advocate. That means he has to read all the posts on the Helium Discussion Board, answer all our questions, keep track of all the requested software changes, and put up with our bad jokes. You should note that he is the Senior Advocate. Helium has at least three. That's the kind of site it is; the Community is so involved that it takes three people to keep up. While it might seem like a good business decision to just tell everyone to pipe down, they're too nice to do that. Everyone at Helium HQ either got their job because they are a pleasant person, or they like their job so much it makes them a pleasant person. Whichever, it's a great group of people.

That's not the only thing special about Helium. There's all the stuff about peer rating and knowledge bases and, well it's on their about page so read it at: http://www.helium.com/whatis/whatis However, that's not what I like about it. Helium is fun. It's fun to write short articles about things I happen to know about. Uninterrupted blocks of time to write longer pieces are hard to find, so writing on Helium fits my lifestyle perfectly. It's also fun to get paid for it ;) Besides, I like numbers and statistics, so watching the ranking of articles change is fun. It's a nice morning treat to see what's changed overnight.

Things happen a lot at night on Helium. That's the other fun thing I need to mention. There are members all over the world. Heck, the Brit is in Brittan, as you may have noticed. Besides him, I've made efriends in England, India, Pakistan, Germany, Zambia, Taiwan, Denmark, Scotland, Italy, and California (which I count as a foreign country :)

Which brings us to what is great about Helium.com; it's not just a web site, it's an experience. See for yourself: http://www.helium.com/

the Grit