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Apple’s new Community+ program is designed to recognize the “positive attitude, expertise and curiosity” of frequent contributors while helping other posters solve their technical problems.
The Apple Community+ program, which is quietly debuting, is global and limited to select invitees. On a site for the program, the company does provide guidelines on what they are looking for.
“Participation in the Apple Community+ program is by invitation only,” Apple says. “We look for shining stars — high-level community members who embody the qualities that make our space warm and welcoming.”
“They are engaged and active in the community. They share quality content and helpful answers to build their reputation,” the company continues. “And most importantly, they are role models whose character motivates others and uplifts our community.”
“Program members share useful insights and endless knowledge, make everyone feel welcome, and inspire others through thoughtful collaboration,” the company also says.
Apple goes on to say there are “special benefits” associated with the status. In addition to a series of Apple Support forum badges, the program’s landing page also says there are “white-glove experiences” and more for select people.
It’s not clear exactly when the Apple Watch Fitness-esque badges were added. Apple has had a variant of badges for counting points for quite some time now.
Apple Support communities are mostly user-led, with employees getting their heads up from time to time. They’ve been gone, in one form or another, for over two decades.
The Apple Support Community forums offer a variety of troubleshooting options and sometimes compassion from other users about technical issues. The forum users’ best answer to a question is highlighted at the top of a forum thread to make the information discovery process easier – if one is found and available.