Writing.Com 101

"Portfolio" Tab

Before getting into the details of the Portfolio tab, a clear distinction needs to be made between your "public portfolio" (what everyone else sees when they visit your Portfolio tab) and your "private portfolio" (what you see when you're logged into Writing.Com and visit your Portfolio tab). Your public portfolio will display your items, exactly the way you've set them up and organized them. Your private portfolio offers the same view, except with some additional tools that will help you manage, organize, and analyze the items in your portfolio (also called a "port").

Since your public portfolio is essentially the same view without the tools, this article is going to focus on the features of your private portfolio.

At the top of your port, just under the tabs, you'll see five links:

Create Item: Clicking on Create Item will expand a menu that allows you to create any of the variety of items found on Writing.Com. Clicking on any of the item types listed will take you to the page to create an item of that type. For more information on creating items, please check out: "How To Create an Item" .

Tools: Clicking on Tools will expand a menu that provides you with three powerful account features, as well as the ability to manage your Item Aliases, Item Auto-Rewards, and Item Passkeys.

Export Portfolio: This feature provides members with the means to export the items in their portfolio quickly and easily, in a variety of formats. For more information on exporting your portfolio, please check out: "Export Your Work From Your Portfolio" .

Item Edit Logs: This feature allows you to track all the changes you've made to your items, in case you need a record of what items you edited and when. For more information on item edit logs, please check out: "Item Edit Logs" .

Transfer an Item: This feature allows you to transfer an item in your port to someone else's port. For more information on transferring items to another Writing.Com member, please see: "Transfer an Item To Another Member" .

Manage:
Item Aliases: Item aliases allow members to create an easy-to-remember reference that can be used in place of an item's ID number. This link provides a list of all of your item aliases and allows you to manage them from one convenient location. For more information on creating item aliases, please see: "Item Aliases" .

Item Auto-Rewards: Auto-Rewards are a way to reward other members reviewing your work by providing Gift Points automatically in exchange for reviews. This link provides a list of all your Auto-Reward items and allows you to manage them from one convenient location. An Upgraded or above level is required to manage multiple Auto-Rewards. For more information about Auto-Rewards, please see: "Auto-Rewards" .

Item Passkeys: Passkeys are numerical passwords that you put on items set to "private," in order to allow other users to access those items (as long as they have the correct Passkey). This link provides a list of all your items with Passkeys and allows you to manage those Passkeys from one convenient location. For more information about Passkeys, please check out: "Passkeys" .

Folders: Clicking on Folders will expand a drop-down menu that will allow you to jump to any folder in your port with the click of a button (even subfolders). For more information on folders, please see: "Folder" .

Stats & Info: Clicking on Stats & Info will expand a menu that will provide you with a summary of the various facts and figures about your account. For more information and greater detail on this feature, please see: "Stats & Info" .

Settings: Clicking on Settings will expand a menu that will allow you to take advantage of "Portfolio Highlighting" , Account Settings & Preferences   and "InkSpot.Com Setup"  (available for Premium members).

Manage Portfolio Header: Clicking on this link will take you into the area where you can manage your E-rated portfolio header. Add a cover (Covers) to dress it up (for Upgraded members), write your Bio Block and highlight your favorite personal items. Just click on the "Submit Update" button when you're done, and "Close Edit" to collapse the edit area again.


Underneath the portfolio header (under Highlighted Items if used), the items in your Portfolio begin. When you're logged into Writing.Com and viewing your private portfolio, you'll have two toggle links in the top-right (just below a small Search window). These options are:

Show/Hide Details: Clicking "Show Details" will expand each item in your port, to show the item ID number, genres, and creation and last modification dates. Clicking on "Hide Details" will collapse each item in your port so that only the title and short description are visible.

Show/Hide Manager: Clicking "Show Manager" will expand a menu titled Manage Your Portfolio at the top of your port (under the BioBlock) that gives you the options to Change Order, Change Access, Move Items to Folder, and Delete Items for multiple items in your port at the same time.

Change Order: Clicking on "Change Order" will expand a small text box to the left of the title next to each item. By manually entering in numerical values, you can restructure the order of items in your port (which by default are put into each folder in chronological order). If manual numbers are entered into these fields, they will be arranged from highest at the top to lowest at the bottom.

Change Access: Clicking on "Change Access" will expand a drop-down menu beneath each item, allowing you to change the access restrictions for a number of items simultaneously. For more information, please see: "Access Restrictions" .

Move Items to Folder: Clicking on "Move Items to Folder" will create a small check box to the left of the title next to each item, and a drop-down menu of the file folders at the top of your port, allowing you to click the check box next to multiple items and move them to the same folder all at once. Click in the boxes of all the items you wish to move, select the folder from the displayed window, and press Move. You should see the results of the action displayed.

Delete Items: Clicking on "Delete Items" will create a small check box to the left of the title next to each item, and a button at the top of your port, allowing you to click the check box next to multiple items and delete them simultaneously. As a safety measure, all items are sent to a Recycling Bin to await final disposition. If no further action is taken with these items, they will be purged automatically after two weeks. Or, they may be purged at any time using the Purge Recycling Bin command. Once purged, an item cannot be recovered. If you would like to move an item out of the Recycling Bin after you have deleted it, please read these instructions   in Folder.

Show/Hide Item Tools: These tools have been moved into the upper right-hand corner of each individual folder and item within your Portfolio. Clicking "Item Tools" will expand a menu that will allow you to control various aspects of that item, including edit, spell check, transfer, delete, view HTML coding, see reviews, and view statistics for that item. Menu options will vary from Static Items to Folders to Books, etc., and from one membership level to another. Clicking on "Hide Tools" will collapse the menu under each item.

Additional features of the Portfolio tab:

Clicking on the title or image of any item in your port will open the item.

Clicking on the title or image of any folder in your port will expand that folder and show the items inside.

The search bar at the top of your port (on the left side) provides a dynamic search of the items in your port (item titles and short descriptions only). Once you start typing, it will generate a list of items that match, and refine the search as you enter more letters and words.

At the bottom of your port, you'll find the Recycling Bin. Like on a computer's Trash or Recycling Bin, items you delete from your port will first go to the Recycling Bin. To fully and permanently delete an item from your port, you'll need to click on the link to the right of the Recycling Bin's title that says "Purge Recycling Bin" (only visible when items are in the Recycling Bin) and confirm your choice to purge.1

Recommended Reading

1. Covers
2. How To Create an Item
3. Export Your Work From Your Portfolio
4. Item Edit Logs
5. Transfer an Item To Another Member
6. Item Aliases
7. Folder
8. Stats & Info
9. Portfolio Highlighting
10. InkSpot.Com Setup
11. Access Restrictions

Footnotes
1  Written by Jeff