Google Cloud Innovators and Community join forces to boost your success

[Lauren_vdv]

Hi Google Cloud Community, 

We’re excited to announce that we’re partnering with the Google Cloud Innovators program to create a more unified and comprehensive user experience amongst our community programs - for developers and cloud practitioners to learn, get help, and connect globally. 

Whether you’re just starting out on your cloud/dev journey or just need easy access to tools and information to expand on your knowledge, this partnership offers you the community and resources you need for a strong foundation and continuous growth, with access to new benefits, including: 

• A more comprehensive user experience
  In a previous announcement, we shared that Innovators will receive a special verification icon when participating in the Google Cloud Community. This verified status icon will help you stand out to potential employers and clients, take the guesswork out of finding experts and connecting with your peers, and it will also give you access to exclusive events, opportunities, and resources as you climb the community ranks.
  
  The verified status icons - recognizing Innovators, Champion Innovators, and Innovators Plus members - are now live! Learn more here.
  
  
  
• Triple the learning opportunities
  Learn the latest product updates and best practices from Developer Advocates and Champion Innovators in our expanded digital event series. We’ve tripled our live events to give you more opportunities to ask questions and get hands-on experience with Google Cloud technologies, no matter the time zone or language.
  
  See our upcoming Cloud Events here and let us know if there’s a topic you want us to cover in the comments.
  
  
• The latest Google Cloud news right in your inbox, weekly
  Access The Overwhelmed Person’s Guide to Google Cloud, a weekly newsletter written just for Innovators by Forrest Brazeal to help you more easily stay up-to-date on the latest information and navigate all that’s happening in the cloud.
  
  
• Be recognized for your contributions
  With your verified status icons, we can more easily see and recognize you for the impact you’re making through your Community forum activity, contributions to the knowledge base, or when you’re participating or leading a Community event. This will make it easier to offer you custom rewards and opportunities to help you reach your goals even faster with Google Cloud. 

As a Community team, we’re thrilled to announce this new partnership with the Innovators program, as we see it maximizing the value we can provide for you - our valued community members - as you work towards achieving your goals in the cloud. 

Learn more about how to get started with the Google Cloud Community and Innovators in the FAQs below. 

Have questions or feedback? Please leave a comment below or reach out to gc-customer-community@google.com.

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FAQs

How do I become a Google Cloud Innovator?

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Go to the Innovators program home page, click the “Become a member” button, and follow the steps to create a Developer Profile and sign up.

How do I become a Google Cloud Community member?

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Go to the Google Cloud Community, click the blue button in the top right, “Log in to ask a question,” and then follow the steps to sign up. You can refer to this help article for additional details.

I’m a Google Cloud Innovator, but I don’t see my avatar icon in the Google Cloud Community. What should I do? 

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Upon joining the Google Cloud Innovators program, please wait up to 24 business hours to see your verified status appear within the Community. 

Make sure that you use the same email to sign up for both the Innovators program and the Google Cloud Community for the verified status icon to be applied. 

Still not seeing your verified status after 24 business hours? Have other questions? Please reach out to gc-customer-community@google.com.

[muntima]

Nice to be part of inside innovators community and tech learners!

[marcoiusi]

How to link this cloud community account with my innovator plus status?

[Lauren_vdv]

Hi @marcoiusi, given I can see the Innovators Plus icon by your avatar, it looks like your accounts are already linked and good to go! But please feel free to message me directly or respond if you still have questions. Thanks!

[johnerickson]

I believe I am an innovator plus member as well as a google cloud community member, but I just looked at my profile for the first time and it says I have 0 badges which looks kind of lame.  Are these badges different from our google developer profile badges and our google cloud skills boost badges? Sorry if this is a stupid question but all of the various communities becomes a bit overwhelming. Thanks for any clarification someone can provide.

[Lauren_vdv]

Hi @johnerickson, thanks for your comment and great to see you with the Innovators Plus icon by your avatar 😎  

I also see you've earned a community badge for your first comment! Currently, the badges you earn in the Community are representative of your accomplishments and milestones here, including publishing posts, comments/replies, authoring accepted solutions, receiving kudos ("likes"), and sharing ideas. 

You can learn more about community ranks and earning badges here. 

By partnering with the Innovators program, we're continuing to invest in a better user experience with stronger alignment across the Google Cloud community ecosystem, including 1) our communications with you, 2) how you find answers and information, and 3) recognizing you for your achievements and contributions across channels (e.g. developer profile, community badges/ranks, certifications, skill badges, etc.).

Your feedback is much appreciated and will help us as we continue to focus on improving your experience 🤝

[johnerickson]

Hi Lauren, I appreciate the clarification. Understood that these badges are simply different and that there is an opportunity for synergy in bringing the community and innovator program under the same umbrella. Makes sense, thanks!

[candice]

Amazing update - I love that there are triple the events for us!