31:Tbe5,md` I joined Observable last year. Like many of you, I didn't expect 2020 to pan out the way it did. I didn't expect a pandemic or family loss. I didn't anticipate having to onboard a remote team. And, I wasn't sure what it would look like to bond with a new community in an entirely virtual world. As I sit and write this, I am reflecting on how many of us had no choice but to persevere, how [we had to adapt](https://observablehq.com/@observablehq/the-great-adaptation-building-a-company-in-2020) like no other time in our lives. I realized one thing very quickly, **Observable is building something that matters, and it matters because of the creative and inspiring members of the community**. I watched folks from major publications and scientists track covid data and share the 'how-tos' with their peers. I watched the creation of visualizations on the Black Lives Matter movements, police brutality and inequality with data that gave me chills. And during the US election, I was continuously inspired by the way our community communicates with data. Throughout last year, we aimed to get to know the community on a deeper level. We hosted various [meetups](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOHIJAFwtkEcT6-sLONVCgFD7mNnMk1b8) and a handful of [livestreams](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOHIJAFwtkEeIMqVE4tlNoUktntH3WrMB). We met regularly with folks collaborating on Observable in journalism and education. We listened to the community and learned more about how we can improve the platform and the community experience. Our community created amazing notebooks in the last year, some of it highlighted below. Despite all the ups and downs, they showed resilience and tenacity. They created tutorials, viral notebooks, [videos about how they use Observable](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOHIJAFwtkEc9X8Tbpzd91-DAGe_tW7Ey), and helped each other in the forum and in comments. Seeing the community engage this collaboratively and enthusiastically gives me _purpose_ on an intrinsic level. At the end of last year, we wanted to express our gratitude to the community for all they've contributed. We asked for input from the community and staff to put together some collections from 2020. - [**Top 10 Liked notebooks created by the community in 2020**](https://observablehq.com/collection/@observablehq/top-10-liked-notebooks-created-by-the-community-in-2020) - [**Top 10 Viral Notebooks of 2020**](https://observablehq.com/collection/@observablehq/2020-viral-notebooks) - [**Observable Staff Favorites**](https://observablehq.com/@observablehq/observables-favorite-notebooks-of-2020) - [**Community Nominations: Favorite Notebooks & Authors**](https://observablehq.com/@observablehq/2020-community-nominations) **After reflecting on our community in 2020, our team wanted to build a deeper partnership with the folks who share our passion to bring data literacy to the world... the launch of our [Ambassador program](https://observablehq.com/ambassadors) is one step in building that partnership.** --- `32:T483,md`## The Observable Ambassador Program ### What is the program? As we looked deeper into the community, and sifted through favorites and nominations at the end of the year, it was clear creators were inspiring others - new users and existing users. The Ambassador Program is just one step to unite the Observable community. As this program grows, we will evolve it, learning how we can make it better for everyone. Our Ambassadors will contribute to the community by continuing to do what they already have been doing. They will use Observable, provide feedback about their experience, share their recommendations, create and publish their work, and engage in discussion with the community. ### Who are our Ambassadors? Our first cohort of Ambassadors come from all walks of life. Some of them have only been using Observable for a few months, some are new to Data Viz. It is immensely important to us that our Ambassadors represent the variety of backgrounds we see on Observable today. We are excited to bring together curious and open minds who will help foster the Observable community as it grows. **Meet our first Observable Ambassadors:** `33:T634,html``34:[{"id":"5e80ec4382748139617d1a8b47a56682128f2f5a504fe93e20a6d0fdf485d5a262dd3d8c395eff2528136a58ff6ce56a654f52b4d198ac6f30178f69773aa5c3","href":"https://static.observableusercontent.com/files/5e80ec4382748139617d1a8b47a56682128f2f5a504fe93e20a6d0fdf485d5a262dd3d8c395eff2528136a58ff6ce56a654f52b4d198ac6f30178f69773aa5c3","name":"ambassadors-screenshot.png","type":"image/png","lastModified":1612479231948.76,"size":1861452},{"id":"c02a5f890441f7d18b525cf6e470a1cdc296e82e687afd601a4ba901eb890c824f462481a7e2cf90533b15d3d66815a4163dbe8f2d72b6462683227914a0efd2","href":"https://static.observableusercontent.com/files/c02a5f890441f7d18b525cf6e470a1cdc296e82e687afd601a4ba901eb890c824f462481a7e2cf90533b15d3d66815a4163dbe8f2d72b6462683227914a0efd2","name":"ambassadors-screenshotv2.png","type":"image/png","lastModified":1615253663999.231,"size":2447981}] 2f:{"title":"Building Community: Announcing Our Ambassadors","cells":[{"id":0,"value":"md`# Building Community: Announcing Our Ambassadors`","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs"},{"id":117,"value":"$31","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs"},{"id":12,"value":"$32","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs"},{"id":284,"value":"html `

\n ${await FileAttachment(\"ambassadors-screenshotv2.png\").image()}\n

\n `","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs"},{"id":169,"value":"md`\n**Thank you for being a part of our community... whether you're a current ambassador, this is the first notebook you've seen, or you've been a long time follower, we are grateful to have you.** I have been surprised, impressed and ecstatic to see everything that is being built on Observable. In one of the hardest years I've had in many, I found solace in knowing I am contributing to something meaningful. `","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs"},{"id":321,"value":"md`\nBelow you can see some Ambassador callouts about Observable on Twitter. If you want to see more of their work in we've created an [**Ambassador Showcase**](https://observablehq.com/collection/@observablehq/ambassadors) collection for you to check out.\n`","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs"},{"id":7,"value":"md` \n\nTo **learn more** about the Ambassadors program, benefits, contribtions and more [check out our Ambassador page](https://observablehq.com/ambassadors). `","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs"},{"id":161,"value":"md`\n_Special thanks to [**Anjana Vakil**](https://observablehq.com/@anjana) and [**Wayne Sutton**](https://observablehq.com/@waynesutton) for your grace, patience and grit this last year. I'm honored to be on this team with you._\n\n---\n`","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs"},{"id":265,"value":"tweet(\"1252845661386498048\")","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs"},{"id":261,"value":"tweet(\"1307746462625923072\")","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs"},{"id":259,"value":"tweet(\"1351592758864015361\")","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs"},{"id":257,"value":"tweet(\"1347467123124097025\")","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs"},{"id":263,"value":"tweet(\"1356286782938222601\")","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs"},{"id":272,"value":"tweet(\"1303751746838130689\")","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs"},{"id":332,"value":"md`**Interested in becoming an Ambassador?**\n\nObservable makes working with data more approachable, interactive, transparent and shareable; a place where everyone can go to make sense of the data in the world. If you share our passion and commitment, submit your application to become an ambassador today!\n\n\n \n\n---------------\n`","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs"},{"id":78,"value":"$33","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs"},{"id":252,"value":"function tweet(id, options) {\n const div = document.createElement(\"DIV\");\n Promise.resolve().then(() => twttr.widgets.createTweet(id, div, options));\n return div;\n}","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs"},{"id":250,"value":"twttr = require(\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\").catch(() => window.twttr)","pinned":false,"hidden":false,"mode":"ojs"}],"files":"$W34","stdlib":"1","titling":"auto"}