Hello Members,

Introducing the newest WritingML tag: {review:#####}

In this tag, the #'s are replaced by a review's ID number. The "Review ID #" can be now found on all of the review listing areas, including the public reviews and a member's own sent and received reviews list. It is also now included in your review notification emails.

Here's an example of the tag in use:
          {review:3188397}   yields   Review of "Perception"

Note that the new window icon actually launches a lightweight pop-up window of the review. This should help review group leaders that need to more quickly parse reviews.

Please note: If the referenced review is not public, viewing is restricted to only the review's author and its recipient.


A reminder this is a BETA posting announcement, which means this is still in testing and development. We appreciate all bug reports, feature enhancements, general opinions, etc. It is helpful if you post them there and provide links to any examples you'd like to share.


Best wishes,
~~SM
 

Greetings Members!

For a long time, people have asked for a way to make their URLs into nicer links. We've been against that primarily because we felt offsite links should clearly present themselves as URLs, making members However, it is now becoming more known that single underlined links stay within a site, while double underlined links send the visitor to offsite content, whether that be other site or ads.

We're going to adopt the double underlined approach and provide new WritingML to support it!

          {xLink:http://www.Google.Com}Google{/xLink} yields: Google  

, right??   (If anyone is curious, I'll note that we're using xLink as the WritingML tag because at the moment, I can't get the old "unclosed" link WritingML tag and new closed "link" working on the same page and I'm pretty sure we won't be able to. If we figure it out, we'll support both close xlink and link tags.

You can also xLink to item URLs within Writing.Com. These links too, however, will have the double underline because the link title may be different than the item. The clicker of the link needs some notice that this internal site link is different than one generated by the WdC site for an item or page.

** Please be mindful where you use offsite links. Some forums and activities don't allow them.


... But wait... There's more!
We're going a step better.
We're adding another new WritingML tag: {location:here} or abbreviate it as {loc:here}

In the example "here" can include any letters, numbers, underscore or dash. I do not believe there is a length limit, but use good judgement. maybe 32 characters at most should be plenty. IE: {location:pauls_answer} is OK! {location:paul's_answer} is not.


When you place a location in your item, you can then link to it from somewhere else in that item and direct the reader to that "location".
For example clicking here will bring you back to the top of this particular entry, clicking here will bring you to the bottom of it. Since these links are within Writing.Com and this very page, they are single underline and offer no "new window" icon. These are great for helping readers navigate a long item or for directing your read in creative ways.

For this example, I have a {location:top_entry} just before "Greetings Members!" and the click here link's WritingML looks like this:
          {xlink:#top_entry}clicking here{/xlink}

You can also link to a location directly within an item with an item tag: {item:206127#top_entry} ... Alternatively, use the randomly rotating WritingML to link a reader to different parts of an item: {item:206127#top_entry,2006127#bottom_entry}


Who will write the first stories that one can read top to bottom, or by also clicking links from the end of each paragraph that force the reader to read that same story out of order?


A reminder this is a BETA posting announcement, which means this is still in testing and development. We appreciate all bug reports, feature enhancements, general opinions, etc. It is helpful if you post them there and provide links to any examples you'd like to share.


Enjoy and Link On,
~~SM


 

Hello!

This entry is to introduce our new Authorized Accounts system -- however it's overshadowed by the Twitter features supported by the system. Though it opens now only with Twitter features, the Authorized Accounts area will be our central "hub" as we expand to more support more sites. In time, we'll provide the means for your Writing.Com portfolio to interact with many other social services, including Blogger, Facebook and others!

The Authorized Accounts system allows you to provide the Writing.Com web site access to read from and write to other web sites and social tools. Wherever possible, we will use a new generation of account authorization systems that allow you to keep control over your accounts. You don't provide us with your account names and passwords, but instead tell each individual site that Writing.Com is allowed to access it. This is access you can later revoke on the external site, like Twitter.

Our Twitter implementation is setup this way. With this initial release, you can authorize one or more Twitter accounts for WdC access. Once we're authorized, you can easily tweet about new items in your portfolio, edits to items and new entries to your book items. On the success screen for each action, you're given a pre-filled Tweet form with the Title and URL of your item/entry. If you have more than one twitter account authorized, you can choose the account to tweet to. (You can also use the Authorized Accounts page to easily tweet from many different Twitter accounts.)

To get started, you can authorize and manage your "Authorized Accounts" here:
          http://www.Writing.Com/main/my_account/action/authorized_accounts

* Please note: Since this area is new and only open for Beta testing, it is not linked from any navigation menu. You'll need to access it from the above link and, if you'd like quicker access to it, make it a bookmark in your browser for now.

We appreciate your feedback on this new feature. All bug reports are appreciated! When using this new feature, please remember it is being opened for testing so we can find and work out any issues.


And... Don't forget about Writing.Com's twitter account, now with over 1,200 followers:
          http://twitter.com/WritingCom

And our creatively inspiring Daily Prompt... with almost 1,000:
          http://twitter.com/DailyPrompt

Best wishes,
~~SM
 

The following chat sessions have been scheduled for the week of October 19th for NaNoWriMo participants. The goal of these sessions is to encourage members in their preparation for NaNoWriMo.

Character Development - Wednesday, October 21st 12:30 pm EST.

The goal of this chat is to encourage discussion about the process of character development. Templates may be exchanged and other writing exercise tips discussed that help in the process of developing fully rounded characters. In addition, any specific issues related to characters can be discussed.

Plot Elements - Friday, October 23rd 12:30 pm EST.

The goal of this chat is to encourage discussion about plot development. The main points of plot development, as well as relevant writing exercises, will be discussed. In addition, any specific issues related to plot development can be discussed.


Ten slots are available for each session. The formal session is scheduled to last an hour, but participants may remain in the room longer if they choose to do so. A password for the session will be sent to the first ten members that complete the survey. If there is a great deal of interest, further sessions may be scheduled.

ID: 1609884   (Rated: E) Title: NaNo Chats  Description: Sign-up for scheduled NaNo Chats! Limited space is available. By: Diane

 

The following winners for the September 2009 running of "Short Shots: Official Contest"  were chosen from the 18 entries submitted. Each entry was judged based on the criteria provided in "Short Shots: Official Contest" . Congratulations to the following three winners:

First: "Watching Over Mr. Johnstone"   by Felix
Second: "The Legend of Uriah Johnson"   by ShaNoWriMo
Third: "Rainmaker's Son"   by sephinab

Thanks to all who entered and the judges who made this difficult decision!

~Diane

 

Hello Members!

First, Writing.Com has setup its own Twitter channel. We're going to make reasonable attempts to tweet some updates, perhaps to feature some members here and there, contests, etc. So, if you're on Twitter, consider following Writing.Com!
          http://twitter.com/WritingCom

Second, if you're a Twitter user, you're going to love our new Daily Prompt channel. A new writing prompt will be tweet'd daily, just after midnight, begining October 6th! Check it out:
          http://twitter.com/DailyPrompt
(... This channel leads to the unofficial announcement that we recently acquired the WritingPrompt.Com domain name and soon plan to use it in our quest for world domin... err... to help writers write more... but more on that later.)

Third, if you're on Twitter... or Facebook, or MySpace, or whatever social networking site you use, remember that you can help spread the word about Writing.Com. (If you're looking to move your referral number up, spreading http://www.Writing.Com/?rfrid=YOURUSERNAME will help you ... and Writing.Com!)

Best wishes,
~~SM

 

This note was emailed out around 9/16, but is just now making its way into the news Blog.

Writing.Com featured in Writer's Digest!
Writing.Com is proud to be one of the four writing communities featured in the October 2009 issue of Writer's Digest. We are thrilled to have been chosen and hope to see many new writers join our community because of it.

A big thank you goes out to all of our Writing.Com members, both past and present, for helping to make our community what it is today. It's been nine wonderful years and we plan on being here for many, many more!

Be sure to pick up a copy of Writer's Digest this month or check it out online:

          http://writersdigest.com/article/spotlight-on-writing-dot-com/


Best wishes,
~~SM
 

All eight of these new Merit Badges can be found in the General section:

                   
    Courage                              Dialogue


                   
  Published                     Work In Progress


             The Four Seasons

                   
    Autumn                                Spring

                   
    Summer                               Winter

Thanks again to The StoryMistress !

Also, don't miss the two important entries below this one!

Write On,
~~SM

 

The StoryMistress cooked up six new Emoticons!

{e:cat} =

{e:clock} =

{e:jackolantern} =

{e:ghost} =

{e:pumpkin} =

{e:witch-hat} =

Also, don't miss the entry below regarding the new side icons and our Random Read! feature.

Enjoy!
~~SM

 

Greetings Members,

Just a quick announcement of the new icons, which include our new Random Read feature.

First, you'll note the new icon row in the left hand column under our "Site Navigation" menus.
         

From left to right, the icons are for:
- Instant Messenger
- My Favorites
- Site News
- My NotePad
- Random Read!

* Please note that the new "My Favorites" icon link opens to a new slim window that you can keep around. With this new Favorites link, we'll be removing the now duplicate "My Favorites" link between "My Gift Points" and "My Feedback" in the horizontal navigation at the top.


Random Read will bring you to a random item that fits within these parameters:
- The author of the item is online!
- The author of the item is visible to you and is not set to private.
- The item is not restricted and is openly accessible to you.
- The item falls within your account's Content Rating Filter preference.
- The item is a static item.

... So, to get more Random Reads, be online and don't be hiding in private.

Enjoy!
~~SM