The Daily Bee

Melissa, Bee #188

August 9th, 2008

By Ashley

It takes many bees working together to make The Quilting Bee run as smoothly as it does. Without each and very bee, The Quilting Bee would surely not be as successful as it has been in the past and as it is now.

It is my extreme pleasure to “interview” our staff bees and find out more about the jobs and tasks they have and how The Quilting Bee plays a part in each of their lives.

Probably every bee knows the staff member I have chosen to take a closer look at for this first staff profile. In fact, many of you have gone to her for help with everything from specific WordPress customizations to general website design tips. She is a very knowledgeable bee as well as a down to earth friend. I am, of course, talking about our very own Melissa, Bee #188.

Melissa was actually born in the country of Panama and lived there for almost a year. Her family is a military one, so when she was growing up she had the opportunity to move around a lot. She’s lived in some exotic locations such as Japan, Mexico, and Suriname. She’s got to visit a lot of neat places too, such as Guatemala, Barbados, Aruba, and Costa Rica. “I wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything!,” Melissa says.

Melissa joined The Quilting Bee back on July 4, 2006. In the two years she has been a bee, she’s really made quite a name for herself. She holds several staff positions including: Princess Bee (BBS Moderator), Honeybee, Workerbee, Pixel Team Member, Daily Bee Staff member, and most recently Melissa has become a Programmer Bee.

I asked Melissa what staff position she felt was most rewarding and she said being a Princess Bee. Melissa loves helping out with the more intricate things that go on behind the scenes and knowing that she is a close part of a great community. It really makes her feel quite fulfilled.

Each staff position comes with its own challenges (even the easiest staff position for Melissa – being a Honeybee). Melissa feels that even though she’s just become a Programmer Bee that it will be her biggest challenge. She was sure to point out that she expects it will be super fun but at the same time, it will challenge her coding skills and help her learn a great deal more.

I asked Melissa about her job as a WorkerBee. Melissa really wants her bees to have a trade log to make her job easier. She said, “That’s the only thing that ends up frustrating me when I do the monthly checks. Trade logs in list format by date are the best ones. I’ve seen some try to keep track by putting the trade date in the ALT attribute of the patch image, but its frustrating to have to hover over each patch to get the date. Just a regular, listed log is perfect.”

If you’re not a Quilting Bee member and you’re thinking about joining, Melissa has some tips for you. As a Honeybee, she looks for obvious requirements in voting on potential newbees, but she also looks for someone who is personable, interesting, and who she feels would enhance the club community. She is really impressed if the applicant makes an effort in their quilt or patch design before even being accepted. She adds that following the general rules is always a plus too.

Melissa has real life experience with bees as well. Her parents actually have a honeybee farm. Melissa has helped them take out comb and harvest honey. She’s also helped her mom make beauty products from the beeswax! She’s been stung as couple of times, but it was nothing serious. She was stung for the first time when she was three or four years old. She said, “I remember I was at my grandparents’ farm and one stung me right on the thumb! I was shocked!”

Melissa always is willing to go above and beyond to help fellow members of The Quilting Bee. I asked some members for their thoughts on Melissa. Here are just a few things members had to say about this kind hearted bee:

Hev, Bee #78 said, “”Melissa is willing to help someone no matter how many times she has to explain the same thing over again. She is always there to talk to. She has this uncanny ability to figure out any part of WordPress that isn’t working and make it work, lol. Basically, she is a all around wonderful friend, that I am so happy that I have met. I don’t know what I would do without her sometimes.”"

Joni, #24 said: “Melissa helped me install Word Press on my domain. She is extremely knowledgeable and a great help!”

Mendifae, #31 said, “Melissa has made me feel welcome into this club from the very first time I met her. She is sweet, caring and sooo funny! I don’t think the Qbee or the IRC chats would be nearly as much fun without her!”

Arien, Bee #88, was lucky enough to meet Melissa in person! Arien had lots of stories and comments to share including this: “She never makes you feel dumb when you ask what could be viewed as a question you ought to know the answer to. And she has all the patience in the world until you either “get it” or she ends up doing “it” for you. Not that um.. I made her do anything for me… no, not me!”

Melissa thinks about The Quilting Bee all the time! She says she really loves the club, and her goals are to get The Daily Bee as customized as possible and to get Lean Bee back up and running. She also adds that she wants to help newbees feel welcome and to get to know everyone even more!

The Quilting Bee just wouldn’t be the same without Melissa. Like Rachael, Bee #222, says, “Melly is adorable. She’s funny, and intelligent, and completely round the bend! She always knows how to cheer me up when I’m not feeling so great, and she’s always up for a laugh.” If you ever need a helping hand, Melissa’s always there to do whatever she can.

Posted in Staff Profiles