Noticing Newbies: August 03, 2011 Issue [#4534] |
Noticing Newbies
This week: Portfolio Ornagzitoin Edited by: Stephanie Grace More Newsletters By This Editor
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
I believe in simplicity in introduction to new things and also that there is a wide variety of topics to be explored in this newsletter --Not only for newbies, but those that have been here for years and want to recognize newbies through reviews, etc... I think that the primary focus of this newsletter should be twofold: Just Here and Here For Years... I think that the title is so broad that this newsletter really needs to feature something for newbies as well as "oldbies". Of course, cohesiveness between the two is also important so that one does not feel lesser than the other. We are all equals here and I think the best way to convey that message to newbies is to let them see their work alongside "WdC veterans"... |
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Well, hello there, my beautiful, beautiful fellow WdC members! How have you all been? I think I see some new faces in the crowd! Welcome aboard, darlings!!!
Figuring out how to organize your portfolio on WdC, while much easier than figuring out your financial portfolio, can still be a bit of a challenge. With so many different systems and ways in which things can be sorted, it can really be a hassle!!! (Note: Take it from where it comes: I feel like I will never have enough hanging folders or 6 qt. Plastic boxes to keep everything in my life organized...).
Why Should I Organize My Port?
Walking into a room that is cluttered and messy will make most people walk right out or evacuate as quickly as they can. The root of your portfolio (what others see when they click on the suitcase beside your name) is like your foyer or front room. Of course, some random dirt or dust may be present, but if it feels like a maze, most people won't be coming again.
Where Do I Start?
The first thing to consider is your own writing style(s).
Questions to Ask Yourself
Do you write poetry, stories, novellas, and novels or do you primarily only write one of those?
Since some members are more comfortable reading just one or two of the above, it is always a good idea to make it easy for them to find what they're looking for when they click into your port. It can be somewhat irritating if they prefer poetry and end up having to dig through everything just to find one poem hiding amongst a bunch of stories. I think that many would agree that putting different types in separate folders makes navigating a lot easier.
Do your items vary more by length or do you tend to cover a lot of different genres?
Whether its poetry or stories, length can sometimes be a big deciding factor when someone is choosing what to read. Time restrictions, eye problems, or even just mood can all impact someone's decision. For this reason, I think it's important that, if you write items of varied lengths, to group them together, in separate folders, by length (Line Count for poetry/ Word Count for stories). That way, if a person only has a short time to read something, they don't have to waste half of the allotted time digging for something short enough -most of the time, if that's the case, they're not going to dig, they're going to close your port and go elsewhere for something to read.
If your items don't seem to vary much by length, but you like to explore many different genres, then I'd suggest basing your folders in a more genre-oriented way. I don't mean that you should create a folder for every genre, but some genres easily lend themselves to being grouped together; For example, Romance, Drama, and Family could all possibly just be "Emotional". Other ways to go about this type of organizing would be to just simply go by maturity levels or age-appropriateness of your items or to separate them by "weight" --light-hearted, laughs, and darker items.
Okay... What Next?
In a perfect world, we'd all regularly clean out our ports, but very few of us actually do that. Click Here for Extra Note. ▼If you do feel, at any time, that your port is getting too full, click "Writing.Com Tools" on the left side of your screen and then click "Portfolio Export". It will allow you to download your entire portfolio so that you can back everything up, especially if you plan on deleting things...). For various reasons, many members (myself included) rarely tend to delete anything from their port. This can easily lead to a mess. The easy way to take care of the mess seems to be more folders. This is something that you really need to try and control. Folders are wonderful for keeping things nice and organized, but folders inside folders inside folders can easily get out of hand. Simply put: If someone has to click through ten different folders just to get to one Haiku, they're probably not sticking around.
The next thing to consider is a big one, in my mind: Try to keep your more personal items separated from your other items. If it's based on your life and emotionally-heavy, it's rare that you're going to want it picked apart like just a random piece of fiction. It's nice to let people know that it's based on your own life and not something from your imagination. Reality truly is stranger than fiction sometimes, and you don't want to get a 2.0 rating because someone thinks your story is completely unbelievable but you actually lived through it!
Well, this is long and I'm kind of out of thoughts. I know that I had so much more to say, but of course, leave it to me to lose my notes when I'm writing something about being organized...
I hope you are all having a wonderful summer!
,
Stephanie Grace |
To show you how easy --and creative, port-organization can be, here are some members whose portfolios I encourage you to check out: (To view the ports, just click the suitcase beside the name.).
PuppyTales
This port is organized in a cute style. You can easily find where you want to be without the folder titles being boring. It think it's great. As an added plus, I encourage you to check out:
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This poem is fun and had me smiling long after I read it! Go! Read! It'll make you smile!
KimChi
This is a port that I've been in love with since I first stumbled into it! It's inviting, warm, and the organization is handled in a very creative manner. It's easy to get lost in this port --but in a very good way! To entice you even more:
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This definitely made me think --and actually made me think about writing something new! It's definitely an item that all of your story writers out there should check out!
Jeff
Another port that is well-organized with creative folder titles that make you want to wander around in the halls searching for the gems (they're quite abundant). Here's one of the many that I found while loitering at the playground:
Not only did this item make me literally laugh out loud, but it's just so... real! ..That's all I'm sayin'.
And, now... Let's check out some newbie items.
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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! https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
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As tempted as I am to start singing the "We Just Got a Letter" song from Blue's Clues (the Steve version, of course...), I'll spare you all from that and just say a big ol' THANK YOU to those of you that took the time to comment on my last newsletter! THANK YOU!
kristiana said:
I feel that the star rating system is hogwash. Maybe a newsletter for the newbies explaining the purpose of it might change my mind?
Hi, Kristiana! I know a lot of members that will be nodding their head when they see your comment! I could be wrong, but I think that the rating system might exist just to keep our egos in check! As The StoryMistress hints at in " Comment-In-A-Box" [ E], ratings can make it easier to give an opinion to the writer without having to go into full-detail in your review. It can also help you get a better idea of how much editing your item needs by showing you how many people only left a rating and didn't review. Of course, that's also the reason that you can set your item to only accept ratings with a review so that you, hopefully, get more feedback than just a rating. To me, I think it's key to always type your review first, then go back and rate. Your rating should reflect your review, not vice versa. You don't want to defend your rating in your review, so it's always best to save it for last. I'm not sure if that'll do anything to sway your opinion, but the rating system is something I could leave or take ... I'm not passionate enough about it to condemn nor condone it.
Mitzi Mullaney said:
I really like this newsletter, Stephanie. :D It was informative AND friendly! I'm still a novice, and I don't know a while lot about this site, but I have a feeling I'll warm up to it quickly.
Aww... Me? Friendly? Shhh... What are you trying to do; ruin my reputation??? I'm a rough, tough, mean li'l thing, I am! Thank you very much, Suzanna! When writing a newsletter or anything along these lines, I always try and keep it as conversational as I can in the hopes that people will read it and form their own opinions rather than feeling like they're being lectured and "have to" agree with me. I'm not an expert in any field, so all I can offer is my own thoughts. Writing about different aspects of WdC, for me, is kind of like writing about my home, each aspect I cover in a newsletter feeling akin to me describing a different closet or cupboard. Since I've actually lived at WdC longer than I've lived at my current address, it's more of a home to me than this place --and it always will be! ...And there I go rambling... |
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