3 Ways the Trailblazer Community Can Help You Stay Connected

Supporting and inspiring one another has always been at the heart of what this community is all about, and that is on full display more than ever. Here’s how the Trailblazer Community has come together and how you can get connected and stay involved.

It’s been a tough beginning to 2020; there’s simply no other way to put it. We’re all facing uncertainty. But, there’s hope too. Inspiration. Creativity. Togetherness. It’s been beautiful to see the Trailblazer Community come together, virtually.

While we all navigate the coming weeks, let’s focus on how we can lift each other up, stay connected, and try to make the best of the situations we’re in, together.

1. Join the online community

The best way to connect with the millions of global Trailblazers is through our online community at trailblazer.salesforce.com.

Here, you can ask questions and discuss topics or product interests. It’s also a great place to give back and share your expertise. Check out a few of the ways you can get involved:

• Answers — Ask your questions in Answers and get the support and expertise of the entire Trailblazer Community. 99.9% of all questions asked are answered within 24 hours by a fellow community member. Are you a Salesforce expert? Head to Answers, share your knowledge, and help a friend!
• Collaboration Groups — Join fellow customers and Salesforce employees in thousands of active Collaboration Groups. Featured Groups is a great place to start, with Salesforce-led groups like Lightning Now, Customer Success, and Release Readiness Trailblazers. Anyone can start a group, too.
• Salesforce MVPs — Salesforce MVPs are exceptional leaders and lifelong learners who go above and beyond to share their expertise and help the entire community blaze trails. Find a Salesforce MVP in your local area and say hello!

2. Attend virtual community gatherings

The foundation of the Trailblazer Community has always been supporting one another through community gatherings, with a healthy dose of gratitude and giving back (we like to call this #Trailheart).

Here are a few ways to engage virtually:

• Trailblazer Community Virtual Calendar — Amy Oplinger-Singh launched this crowdsourced list to help community members find virtual events, sessions, meetups, and gatherings that they can join to engage with other members, learn, and connect.

• Gemma’s Salesforce Training — This story touched my heart. Gemma Blezard, Salesforce MVP, wants to help people who have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus. What started with two simple tweets led to more than 570 people signing up to get started with learning Salesforce skills. Gemma, along with dozens of volunteers, is now helping hundreds of people within the Salesforce ecosystem. This is true #Trailheart.
• Virtual Dreamin’ — On May 16–17, there will be a 24-hour online community conference, filled with incredible learning in three content tracks. This is a free event, so all you need is an internet connection and compatible device. Join wherever you are and learn from members around the world.
• Trailblazer Community Groups — With more than 1,300 Community Groups globally, virtual meetings take place nearly every day and Group Leaders welcome members from all around the world. Click on the link and find a date, time, and topic that you’re interested in!
• Salesforce Saturdays — For years, community members have gathered in-person, on Saturdays, at their local cafes and libraries to learn Salesforce via Trailhead. Now, Salesforce Saturdays are going virtual, so anyone can join! Check out the Virtual Calendar above, or search via #Salesforce Saturday.

• Ohana Coffee — An online social gathering where you can talk Salesforce, meet members of the global Trailblazer Community, and have fun.

3. Take care of your well-being

Taking care of yourself can be overlooked while you take care of loved ones and deal with the tough realities of this pandemic. Please be sure to focus on your own well-being, too. You aren’t able to help those closest to you if you aren’t doing okay yourself.

I want to leave you with a few resources I’ve found to be particularly reassuring, empowering, and rejuvenating:

• Creating Peace While in Pieces — Leah McGowen-Hare created this trailmix featuring content on mindfulness, virtual collaboration, and personal wellness. Check it out!
• Strategies for protecting our employees, customers, and communities — Another valuable trailmix where you’ll learn how to promote wellness, collaboration, and engagement at your own company.
• Trailhead Live — With recurring content such as Motivation Mondays and Wellness Wednesdays, there are a ton of opportunities on Trailhead Live to center yourself, stay in the present, and inject positivity and learning into your life.
• Junior Ranger Activity Book, Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3, and Volume 4 — For hours of indoor fun, plan some Trailhead arts and crafts time. Whether your art is digital or you print out the workbooks, you can color, connect the dots, and create mosaics with #AstroAndFriends.

Most importantly, our top priority is keeping our employees, customers, and communities as healthy and as safe as possible. Here are the other ways Team Trailhead is providing support during this unprecedented time.

That’s it from me. Thanks for reading (connect with me here).

From the bottom of my heart, I’m sending love to you and your families.

Stay safe. Take care. Talk soon.