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  Noticing Newbies  1. About this Newsletter 2. A Word from our Sponsor 3. Letter from the Editor 4. Editor's Picks 5. A Word from Writing.Com 6. Ask & Answer 7. Removal instructions  Welcome to the Noticing Newbies Newsletter! Our goal is to showcase some of our newest Writing.Com Authors and their items. From poetry and stories to creative polls and interactives, we'll bring you a wide variety of items to enjoy. We will also feature "how to" advice and items that will help to jump start the creation process on Writing.com We hope all members of the site will take the time to read, rate, review and welcome our new authors. By introducing ourselves, reviewing items and reaching out, we will not only make them feel at home within our community, we just might make new friends!  Passionate about writing? Take your passion to new heights - with an online Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, available only from top ranked National University. Choose workshops based on your interests. Work with experienced and published faculty. Prepare for a variety of career opportunities. Use a state-of-the art online system: Study where and when you want. Click here to get more information!  Dear Readers, I thought I would use this issue of the newsletter to discuss the new membership, Basic, that was launched this week. I know some people are confused and uncertain about the choices available, and which type of membership is best for them, and others might have trouble with reading tabled charts, yet would like more information. Why have there been changes? Well, hosting server space for the free members has meant that there are over 60,000 items that must be maintained, backed up, and stored. Someone has to defray such costs. The basic membership was created to meet the requests of many users: more items, being able to post more than 3 items per 24 hours, and getting Registered Authors into chat. I have listed a brief explanation of membership types. For a detailed explanation that compares, in great detail, all membership types, visit: "Memberships (With Basic)"  [E]. Types of memberships available now include these main features (there are a lot of features to each account type, this is just a quick comparison. All prices are in U.S. Dollars:) Free: which allows up to 5 items in a port, basic email -- this account can save up to 250 messages or 4 MBs of space -- and the ability to interact through forum postings. This is free and an excellent choice if you are brand new and would like to explore the site and test drive some features before making any sort of financial commitment. The downside is slower connections, banner and pop-up ads. Basic: allows up to 25 items in a port and includes the ability to create up to two forums. Additionally, writers can create folders, interactives, book reviews, as well as static items. Basic will also allow members to enter chat, which is new and exciting for registered authors, since chat was reserved for preferred authors and higher. Basic members can manage their ports with the Folder Management Utility and can restrict items in their port, in groups or separately, with a few clicks of the mouse. Your email account can save up to 250 messages (or 4 MBs of space.) The cost of this membership averages to $1.25 a month, or $15.00 per year. Upgraded: allows up to 250 items in your port. It also allows you to create groups of up to 50 members, journals, surveys, unlimited forum creation (within the 250 item limit,) and allows you to post images to your port. Your email account can support unlimited folders, handy for storing and organizing your 16 MB email account. Upgraded members may use scrolling IM, the create passkeyed items, have full summary statistics for their items, and can use the WritingML to HTML converter tool. Best of all: the popup and banner ads are gone and you will notice your connection speed when downloading pages is much faster than before! The cost is $45.00 per year and can also be purchased in monthly, quarterly, or semi-annual blocks. Premiums: can have up to 1,000 items in your port. Groups created by premium members can host up to 250 members. This membership can also has a lot of features such as customizing how you view your favorites and quick links, the option to format this page to certain screen resolutions, and unique "quick functions" that help you navigate this site faster. In addition to the above features you get to play with Customicons, have the fastest connection available, and can play in scrolling IM to your heart's content. Lastly and best of all, premium members can have a web page and their url is www.username.writing.com, instead of the more cumbersome www.writing.com/authors/username. The cost is $135 per year, or roughly what you pay, monthly, for internet access.Now some of you might be worried about the new limitations on free membership. Stop and consider this: the monthly cost of a basic membership is less than the cost of a monthly mocha latte. Many users will find it costs less, for annual membership, than their monthly internet access. Still, where do you turn if you cannot afford to get a basic membership? Visit "Invalid Item" . Before you flood them with requests for a free membership stop and consider this: if you don't really need the help you are robbing someone else of their only chance for a basic membership people who have been very ill, laid off, members without jobs, or students in college and high school that have no income. Also be sure your read the rules, they require that you be active on this site, have your ratings information turned on, since they will not upgrade members that do not rate and review actively. Consider carefully before posting a request, be honest with yourself about your actual need as there is a world of difference between "can't pay" and "won't pay."As for when the changes occur, they go full force within the next seven weeks. If you do not have a Basic membership (or higher,) spend time trimming your port. Do not let the system make your choices for you (the default is to delete the newest items.) Delete the fat in your port and focus on keeping your best work. As ever, Pita  *** Here are five outstanding new and outstanding members to Writing.com! typewrite A writer who takes the time to build his stories up from the smallest detail and serves it with a twist of lime. starrchild The perfect port to dip into on a lazy, rainy weekend. Reflective and emotive poetry. ariruti's port seems to hold an interesting mix, covering topics as diverse as poetry and spirituality. Rice  a poet of few words and powerful imagery. Victoria Earle "If her other works are anything like the only one I've had time to read so far (""Novel: Fire in the Heart" "), then she is well on her way to being published someday." ~ rose_shadow.  Poetry A painful declaration of independence.
A poem where myths walk under the moon.
England by season
And Ode to the Chicago Cubs and baseball.
A poem about indifference to hunger, and so much more.
A poem asking the hard questions about a personal meaning to life.
Lyrics: A powerful song that touches the immortal conflict between whom we love and what we can love.
*** Non-fiction: Featured Essays A wonderful account of trekking up volcanoes!
Ok, I admit it, I am biased toward works on fly fishing. A steelhead is a "sea-run" rainbow trout. They are a lot of mean and fast in one shiney package.
The downside of technology, a humorous cautionary tale.
This essay is about a moment of self-actualization and an ephiphany.
*** Fiction: A rich and pleasant short story.
A story created by Mrs. Young's fifth grade class. (Please keep this in mind when you read and rate that it is written by children!)
A story with a twist.
A story with an amusing twist.
An exploration of the bonds of mother and child.
Wondering what Army Airborne School is like? Wonder no more: its all in here in a gritty and realistic story.
"One of the things I look for when reading a poem or story is whether the author can help me to feel what the character is going through. This author accomplished this with a great deal of descriptive skill." ~kat2.
*** Interactives: Featured Word Search Words in review and what reviewers really mean. Funny and it tweaks all of our noses, reviewers and writers alike! 
Submit an item for consideration in this newsletter! http://www.Writing.Com/main/newsletters.php?action=nli_form  Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter! http://www.Writing.Com/main/newsletters.php?action=nli_form Don't forget to support our sponsor! %%NL_AD_BOT%%  pondlife87 noted, "Since you don't seem to have any questions yet for this newsletter, I thought I might ask a question that I'm sure all newbies at some stage have asked: "Where do I go?" Most of us know that the Support forum is the place for general help, but I have often seen the SM or other members direct posts to other, less well-known forums such as those for reporting bugs, suggestions for the site, and so on. Bearing this in mind, I thought you could perhaps compile a list of 'where-to's for newbies." "User Resources" [E] has my compiled list And to end on a happy note: moonstone35 wrote us to say, "Thanks so much for highlighting my work in your newsletter. It gave me a real buzz to see my name in 'lights'. Thank you for your enthusiastic comments as well. You've made my day!!" Warmest Regards, Pita  Your editors: outlawpoet amawitch yesnomaybe  Have a question or comment for the Editor? http://www.Writing.Com/main/newsletters.php?action=nli_form  To stop receiving this newsletter, go into your account and remove the check from the box beside the specific topic. Be sure to click "Complete Edit" or it will not save your changes. |
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