What It Means to Be A Google Product Expert
Name: Spencer Wade
G+ Profile Link: https://plus.google.com/+SpencerWade
Product(s) You Are a TC: Platinum Product Expert – Search, G+, AdWords, Google Mentor & Universal Product Expert
When you first started using Search, was there a Product Expert who helped you out a lot? I was a Rising Star in a variety of platforms and made connections with a few great members when Eric G. was given Product Expert status in Search. He encouraged me to increase my participation in that particular forum – thinking I would be a good fit. I agreed and immediately met Shannon, who everyone knows is the best friend you can have, and the rest is history. They became all the help and support I needed, though I was fortunate to have many who assisted me. I was lucky to find such a welcome and do my best to foster the same environment for the new members I meet.
What was it about Search that got you interested in contributing to the community/forums about it? This is a simple question to answer. We’re talking about Google Search – one of the most frequently used tools in the world. Every single person I know, and an entire planet full of those I don’t, use it every single day for everything they need – information, entertainment, enrichment, etc. As far as reach, there’s nothing that even comes close, so it felt like the right place for my beginning in the program. I’m a big-picture person.
Contributing to a Google product forum is a lot of work—why do it? Again, a simple answer will suffice here. I do it because it’s rewarding. I do it for the experience in interpersonal, interdisciplinary communication and conflict resolution. I do it because, at the end of the day, I feel better about myself and the ways in which I choose to spend my time. I do it because I can help others and that, as my Mother would say, means I should – no matter what. My Mother was very wise.
What’s one of the most common questions you get asked about Search? In Search, there are questions that cover almost everything under the sun, but, easily, the most common question revolves around removal. I say removal in its most general sense. Whether it’s an image or content, result or duplication, there’s probably no bigger mover of the forum needle than removal issues.
If you could wave a magic wand and change one thing about Search, what would it be? With Search, that’s a difficult question to ask. It’s a complicated and mysterious algorithmic entity that defies neat and tidy explanations or definitions. If I could change one thing in the forum, it would be the tendency people have to overlook the search function in favor of creating a new thread. I can only imagine how much time and frustration could be saved if people had to search before typing, but, alas, it’s not ever going to be that way. So, we all adapt and answer the removal question by redirecting which, as all TC’s know, never gets the response you’re looking for.
Bio: I’m Spencer Wade. I run a digital marketing agency in Chicago, Illinois, so I’m used to wearing many hats: strategist, creative designer, content writer, general fixer of things, etc. I’m a hands-on, solutions-oriented person. This mindset led me to reach Product Expert status in Google Search, Google AdWords, and Google+, to become a Google Mentor, and Google Partners North American Ambassador.
As a veteran of Paid Search I’ve used AdWords for years. It led me to the Forums where I found a place with like-minded people. People who find answers to problems, who are willing to take the time to help someone, and who, in the end, move the whole world forward. That sense of helping others, coupled with the virtual troubleshooting experience, has kept me coming back.
The sense of camaraderie and achievement that can be found sent me from Forum to Forum in order to broaden my skills within each platform of interest , and get the chance to help more frustrated people reach a resolution they were happy with. So, I completed all of Google’s tests – Search, Display, Video, Analytics, and Mobile – to be better suited to solve the problems I encountered. Now I hold RS status in Chrome, Maps, Help On Social, Hangouts, and Photos too!
My agency Lift Conversions is a Google Partner and an Official City Partner with Instant Verifier status allowing us to immediately verify a business’ listings. I’m a firm believer in building both personal and business relationships, and Google has provided an excellent resource for both. In fact, they themselves have become one of our key relationships, and we couldn’t be happier.
