Welcoming a New Member to the THWACK Team

On the heels of the SolarWinds Service Desk announcement, we thought it was only appropriate to formally introduce a new member to the THWACKRegistered team who is joining us from the recent Samanage acquisition: yumdarling​!

Yum’s new role is focused primarily on Community Management of both the THWACK and ITSM communities. If you haven’t already, you’ll start seeing her name pop up all over the boards, but until then, here’s some getting-to-know-you facts about her.

I can’t say I’ve ever come across the name Yum before. Is there a story behind it?

Yes! My name means "beach" in Hebrew. I was born in Israel. When my parents moved us abroad (the first time), they had to decide how to spell my name in English. The options were Yum and Yam. Yam would have made more sense to Hebrew speakers, but thank goodness my parents both knew a little bit about English and knew that Yum would be closer to the correct sound. (Yam... could you imagine?). The name Darling... well, I married into that one.

How did you get into community management?

Well... I was always the "forum mom" even before I knew what community management was. I went to college for something completely different (ask me about bioarchaeology and forensic anthropology). I got a job out of college doing marketing for a small IT MSP, and then found out that people are actually doing community management for work! My whole life changed in an instant (or, like a year-ish) where I was in charge of a small community of IT business owners. The rest is history (or it will be one day, when I'm famous).

Can you tell us a little bit about why you love your job as a community manager?

The best thing about life is connection. The best thing about working is making a difference in someone else's day. Community lets me do both! I can meet and talk to a bunch of people and make a difference in their day (hopefully an awesome difference).

I’ve heard you speak in several tongues. How many languages do you know and actively practice?

I love languages! Hebrew, English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Arabic are my best languages. I'm actively learning Chinese, Japanese, and ASL. I've got a couple more that I can have get by with if I have to (and understand what people are saying if they feel the need to talk about me) and I've attempted to learn French. Maybe I'll go back to it one day, who knows?

What are you most excited about joining and supporting the THWACK community?

I have to pick one thing?! I love how active this community is. There is so much going on at all times and so many people to chat with... I can't wait!

What are some hobbies you enjoy?

Oh man, so many. I love reading and writing, driving down long winding roads, cooking and baking for my friends, and watching movies with my family. (In the last week, my 2.5-year-old son and I have watched “Frozen” approximately 12 times.)

Speaking of reading – what are you reading now?

Overdeliver by Brian Kurtz, and I’m rereading the fourth Harry Potter book (Goblet of Fire) on the side.

Are you a dog, cat, or neither person?

Both! I have a dog and four cats at home and I used to run an animal rescue.

Life highlight from the past 30 days?

Other than "became THWACK's community manager?" I fed a giraffe and watched it eat my mom's glasses.

Have a question for Yum? Or just want to shed light on this “little” community thing we’ve been doing on THWACK to get her up to speed? Comment below!

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