Site News & Announcements

Writing.Com Turns 13 Years Old!

Happy Birthday, Writing.Com!

Can you believe we are thirteeen years old, ? We are so excited to celebrate this amazing milestone with you! Honestly, in the world of the interwebs, this is HUGE.

We have some exciting site updates, the most organized community-run contests and activities that we've ever seen, and a crazy cool beta release that will forever change the way you use Writing.Com.

The Biggest Writers' Block Party EVER!
From September 1^st through September 7^th, Writing.Com is hosting the biggest online block party for writers of all interests! Contests, activities, increased daily rewards, reviewing challenges and rewards, new releases, and sale on Gift Points... don't miss a single thing at "Writing.Com Party Central 2023!" !

         


All New Awardicons!
Awardicons are virtual ribbons and trophies that can be awarded between members within our community. Now, our 10-year old awardicon system has been given a complete makeover! We've given them an updated look, brand new designs, and a whole new way for you to shop for them. You can now also set the default awardicon

NEW DESIGNS AND SHOP LAYOUT
Every single awardicon has been redesigned to be bigger and brighter than before. We've increased their size and presence around Writing.Com and added brand new types, including shields, stars, medals, plaques, and trophies! You'll find all of these in our redesigned awardicon shop (click "Shop > Awardicons" in the left navigation).

AWARDICONS FOR PORTFOLIOS
Now you can give an awardicon to a member's portfolio! Simply type in the member's username in the awardicon shop (instead of an item ID) and the awardicon will automatically display on that member's portfolio to the right of his or her port cover.

We are very excited about this new feature and the recognition it can bring to an author. Portfolios are the individualized, personal workspace of each Writing.Com member. If you see a portfolio that is well-organized or find a member who has impressed you with his entire works, award an awardicon!

PRETTY TROPHY ROOMS
Your trophy room has been completely refurnished! We've given you shelves for trophies and a place to display your ribbons and medals. Click any awardicon in your trophy room to see it in all its new glory! Simply click on any member's handle and choose "Awards" from the drop down menu to view the beautiful trophy rooms around the community. Click the button at the top of any trophy room to award a portfolio an awardicon.

A few trophy rooms we feel are quite lovely!
         SHERRI GIBSON
         kiyasama
         Robert Waltz
         ~WhoMe???~
         Davy Kraken
         blainecindy

...AND EVEN MORE!
Did you know that awardicons also count toward a member's community recognition? Well, it does! Every qualified awardicon is worth one community recognition point. Members may also set the default awardicon for display on any item or portfolio that has been awarded multiple times. Awardicons and their earned community recognition is no longer lost when an item is deleted. Awardicons can be hidden by you, if you choose, but hidden awardicons do not count toward community recognition.


Activity Icons
You'll notice a few changes to your left side navigation. We've simplified this area and expanded its potential with our new activity icons:

                  

This is where you will find access to your email, newsfeed, notifications, and instant message console. When you have activity within the community, a number will pop up and let you know. For now, your notifications bell will only notify you of tags and likes. In the future, this area will keep you informed of much more activity that involves you on Writing.Com. There is a lot more to come with this area, so stay tuned.


Emoticons
We've designed some fun new emoticons to kick off your birthday week:

is {e:badge}
is {e:bookopen}
is {e:bookstack}
is {e:cake}
is {e:cake2}
is {e:cake3}
is {e:coincopper}
is {e:coingold}
is {e:coinsilver}
is {e:mustache}
is {e:mustachel}
is {e:mustacher}
is {e:notepad}
is {e:notepady}
is {e:tiara}
is {e:trophyg}
is {e:trophys}
is {e:trophyb}

Watch "Site News & Announcements"  daily through September 7th for our daily new releases, which will open around Midnight (WdC time) each night.


Drag and Drop BETA
We are ridiculously excited about our newest beta release: drag and drop your Word doc right into your portfolio! Just drag any Word document onto any Writing.Com page and the system will quickly import it and put it into your portfolio. Upload edits to your item simply by dragging your new file into the edit screen or while viewing the item.

There are two types of files that Writing.Com can create for you: SIMPLE and COMPLEX. Simple files deal mainly with text, fonts, colors and basic formatting. Complex files may include tables, columns, and more colors. Choose the right selection for your document and let the WdC system do the rest!

This is beta. It does not support images in the documents and, for now, this allows for the creation of static items only. We do have much more to come with this feature! We do expect bugs, and when you find any, please report them in "Bug Reporting" .


Thank YOU!
Wow, guys... thirteen years. We are beyond proud of this community, our wonderful members, and the camaraderie that we have here. It is a rare enough feat for any website to survive a year on the internet and HERE WE ARE. Thank you, writers. Thank you for being here. Thank you for allowing us to create this amazing place for you. We can't even begin to express how appreciative we are of your creativity, activity, interactions, and support.

We hope you have a great time celebrating with us this week. We look forward to seeing many of you around the site... invite every writer you know to come and join the party!

Cheers!
The StoryMistress and The StoryMaster