#83 Google Top Contributor Program

Hi ya!

Do you know a little about technology?

Know how to fix browser issues? Know what to do when a printer doesn’t work?

Or do you have an issue with Gmail? Chrome? Google Drive? An issue that you just don’t know how to fix.

Or, do you have a passion for Google products? You may not be knowledgeable about geeky things but you’re eager to learn.

I could go on. But hopefully you understand where I’m going with this.

What I’m getting at is Google has a program. This program is called Google Top Contributor Program.

“What is the Top Contributor Program?”, you ask.

The Google Top Contributor Program is a program for people who are passionate about Google products. For people who may or may not be knowledgeable about certain Google products.

These people voluntarily answer questions at Google Product Forum (GPF).

All different types of Google product users come to GPF asking a question, sharing an idea, reporting a bug, etc.

And these Top Contributors (TC) reply to the users sharing their feedback, helping the user fix their issue, general discussion about technology things, etc.

For example, someone comes to GPF with the question “I’m getting redirects from my Chrome browser. How do I get fix it?”. A TC reads the thread and sees about solving the users issue.

That’s just one example. I could list a thousand more.

To summarize what a TC is:

• A person who is knowledgeable about Google products such as Chrome, Gmail, Google Drive.
• A  person who voluntarily answers user questions at GPF.

“How do I join the Top Contributor Program?”

Being a TC is fun. You get to go to annual TC Summits.

In a way, TCs represent Google itself. So, you have meet a certain criteria before you can be a TC. Here’s a

list of some of the criterias:

1. You have to sign an NDA.
   That means you have to be the age of 18. No less than that age - as I have come to realize.
2. You represent Google. So, that means you should follow GPF posting guideline.
3. Before you can become a TC, you have to become a Rising Star.
   Becoming a Rising Star (RS) is easier than becoming a TC. You can be any age to be an RS. You don’t have to sign an NDA agreement to be a RS. You still represent Google as a RS, so you should follow the posting guideline.
   To become a Rising Star, you should post in GPF frequently.
4. Interact with the Community Manager (CM), other Experts, and the users.
   Having a friendly chat with other TCs and RSes is a good thing. Communicating well with your CM (a Google employee who manages a forum in GPF).
   Answering users questions at GPF doesn’t have to be treated like work. GPF is volunteer work. If you be active on GPF because you have a job, then that’s A-Ok.
   With that being said, I see no reason why you can’t have a friendly chat with the user you’re helping.
5. If you want to become a TC, being active helps.
   The more active you are on GPF, the better.
   However, if you can’t be as active as you want to be, then reach out to your CM and talk to them about it.

That’s a good list to start with. You always reach out to your CM and talk to them about the the qualities of a good TC.

Now, prepare for tons of links!

• https://topcontributor.withgoogle.com/
• https://support.google.com/groups/topic/2546991
• http://www.google.com/get/topcontributor/?utm_source=googleblog
• http://www.google.com/get/topcontributor/join/benefits.html
• https://support.google.com/groups/answer/1649693?hl=en
• https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/docs/jqO8iF03WYQ

Thanks for reading!

Hopefully you enjoyed the read and learned something new.

If you did enjoy reading, then don’t forget to share your newly learned wisdom on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, etc.

Is there anything that you’d me to blog about? If so, then post your suggestion in the comment section.

Best of Luck,

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W.C. Blitzy