 Noticing Newbies: November 26, 2025 Issue [#13464] |
This week: Achievement Merit Badges Edited by: JACE  
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
Hi, I'm JACE .
Welcome to this issue of the Noticing Newbies newsletter. Join me as I take you into some nooks and crannies of Writing.Com that you may not have found time to check out yet.
Don't forget to toss me a note about what you liked or didn't like in my column, or about a topic you'd like to see discussed. This newsletter is about and for you. And for you seasoned members, I hope you'll find something you can take from my ramblings. 
Your Noticing Newbies Newsletter full-time Editors:
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A number of newsletter have devoted space to expounding the use of Achievement merit badges. But much of that press has been about the better known (I'll wager) daily Consistency badges. But there are others.
The daily Consistency Achievement merit badges have certainly fulfilled their intended purpose to increase the members' interaction with other members. Since that program's inception on 1 January 2024, literally thousands of these merit badges have been earned. That's a lot of participation.
Fun facts:
 The Blog Consistency Achievement badge was added on 1 March 2024.
If you participated every day since these badges were implemented, you would have an additional 486 merit badges (as of publication date).
Tucked away in the Navigation Menu under My Account is a sub-menu containing access to much of your personal information related to things WDC.
Broken into several sections, you’ll find your Account Information, My Activity, Favorites, and a My [section] containing a record of various activities you have done in your short (or long, if you’re a seasoned member reading these words) time on Writing.Com. An example of this last section might be My Merit Badges, which displays all the merit badges you have received. Yes, you can find much of this information under your Community tab as well. The point is everything under My Account is a shortcut to a particular place in your Portfolio.
Say you posted a query or a response in a forum that you felt you needed to edit, but couldn’t remember which forum or where that post resided. Go to My Activity and select Forum Posts. Any forum posts will be listed there. A keyword in the Search box may help refine your search.
Also, under My Activity marked prominently by a small replica of the Appreciation merit badge is Achievements. I’m sure you’ve discovered the allure of the five Consistency Achievement badges. These are daily events you can complete--Visit Writing.Com, Send a Review, Post in a Forum, Post on Newsfeed, and Blog Post. Completing an activity for seven consecutive days will earn an Achievement MB for that activity. If you miss a day, that activity count starts over.
But did you know there are other categories of Achievement merit badges? They are listed under the same My Activity --> Achievements section. These badges measure your overall participation covering a period of time or number of times you interacted with the site and the members. For example, the first group is designed with Newbies in mind. Posting your first Static Item gets you an Achievement merit badge; favoriting your first author gets you a badge. You even get a badge just for joining WDC. There are nine easily accessible badges available for those just starting out.
Some of these Achievements are earned by giving or rewarding other members’ activities. One group covers rewarding reviews given by members to other members, and another group tracks merit badges you give to any member. Keep in mind these rewards will cost you some gift points and may not be as easy to fund when you’re just starting out. However, other groups, such as posting in message forums and on the Newsfeed, are free and earn Achievement MBs.
Check out all the listings under Achievements. You can find more information on Achievement badges at "Merit Badges and Achievements"
It all comes down to participation. As with most things we do, the more we participate, the more we gain from that activity. Sure, you can earn those tangible items-- Achievement merit badges.
But never discount the intangible effects you receive through your participation. I’m talking about the friendship and camaraderie of the other members, the advice and assistance you’ll receive, and the support you’ll need as continue your writing journey.
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Check out this forum designed to assist Newbies.
Then drop in on these Newbies. Take a moment to review this offering ... or something else in their Port. Welcome them to WDC through a scribble in their Notebook.
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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
Thanks for spending time with me today. At the bottom of every newsletter is a section entitled:
followed by a text box. If you liked what you read (or if you didn't), please take time and drop me a line. I'd love to hear your ideas.
From the Newsfeed for "Your Newsletters Are Waiting"
From WakeUpAndLive~NOV Word Monger  : All of them.
From tj gives thanks for all things  : I think all of them. I know it's a butt-load.
That is a LOT of reading each week. Congrats on expanding your reading repertoire.
From Dave Ryan  : None--I just check out selected ones when they get advertised on the newsfeed.
Actually, that's pretty smart.
From Dave  : Five, but considering a couple more.
From S🤦♂️  : Six. Used to be eight, but I dropped two. One because it was not helping me (and, in my opinion, was not even about the topic half the time), and one because I think I clicked on the wrong one...
From The Puppet Master : Just two.
Considering the number of topics written about each month (close to 50), some are bound to hit home more than others.
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