This week: Favorites 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: |
A few days ago there was nothing worth watching was on TV. (My wife was watching one of those judge shows.) I fell back to my laptop and decided to dive into some aspect of WDC I usually take for granted--my Favorites, and discovered a newsletter topic..
I usually check my favorites strictly from the top right column. These are the items I use on a daily basis. Sometimes those items are positioned high on the list; other times they're toward the bottom.
But what do you do when the item you know is a favorite of yours, but is no longer displayed on the list?
Before I answer, you should know that you can set how many favorite items can be displayed in that right column by accessing My Account --> Account Settings --> Site Display Options --> Right Hand Column Favorites. There is a limit of 25 items you may display in this column--five full and 20 short items.
If you wish to view your complete list of favorites, especially those that have fallen off the right column Favorites, either click on the word FAVORITES on that top right column, or under My Account --> Favorites. I currently have more than 215 favorited items and authors carefully placed in more than 17 folders. From this location you may create folders to categorize your favorite items. Some of my folders include Authors, Reviewing, Contests, and WDC Support, making it easy to find a particular item.
A rather confusing aspect of favorites may be the symbols displayed on items that are uncharacterized, favorited or fanned. If you come across any item or author for the first time, they are uncharacterized by you and are now represented with a  . (Older members may remember a  , which is no longer used.)
Now, please read the next two paragraphs carefully; the symbols can be confusing.
If you click once on a , you are making that item or author a favorite, changing the icon to a  . (If you're an older member, you still may see a  in your My Favorites window, which is the old favorite identifier. Clicking on the will actually change to a  when you click on it because the system toggles back and forth between the favorite and the fan.)
If you click on the (favorite) again, it will change to a (fan). (Again, older members may still see the older  , which is the old fan identifier. Clicking on the will actually change to a if you click on it, toggling back to a favorite.) Eventually as you click on the older icons, they will disappear and all the symbols will become hearts. You may toggle back and forth between the (fan) and the (favorite). All will be listed under your Favorites.
Summary:
Uncharacterized = The old symbol has been retired completely = (new)
Favorite = (old--will be removed from use as older members click on it) = (new)
Fan = (old--will be removed from use as older members click on it) = (new)
Generally, the longer you are active on WDC, the more items you will favorite. Many of the items I hold in my favorites folders I seldom use. But occasionally when preparing a newsletter or researching a potential answer for a help forum, I will need one of those 215 items.
How many of you 'know' you've seen an item that holds an answer to some question, but cannot locate it? Favorite those items and store them in a folder. It's so much easier to search through ten or 15 items than hundreds or thousands of items.
Recently I read a post from a Newbie asking how "to get noticed." Digging into my Favorites archives I came across an item on that very topic: "How To Get Viewed" , first written in 2002, and not updated for more than 16 years. Not knowing an exact title may have hampered a search across WDC for such an item.
Perhaps you're interested in creating and hosting a contest. There are probably a dozen articles on this topic. I was able to search my Favorites for one article I saved: "How to Create a Contest" , last updated ten years ago, but easily found as a favorite.
As you come across articles you may think important in your future, favorite or fan them. They don't count against your membership item totals while safely stored in your Favorites. Folders will help fine-tune finding them down the road.
Best of luck with your writing endeavors.
|
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:
 Don't Be Shy! Write Into This Newsletter!
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 "The Basics of WDC"
From Maddie Stone <2026 Edition>  : When I was new, this newsletter was so much help! It still highlights topics that either remind me or could be something I never realized about WDC. My suggestions are: linking (always a problem for me because I constantly forget how to) and the notepad option (never knew it existed until someone pointed it out to me).
Thanks for all you do through this newsletter!
Thanks for that vote of confidence. I'll put these suggestions in the hopper.
From The Uplifting Essayist  : Dear Jace, Merry Christmas. Thanks for compiling the information and sharing it with us. As a newbie when I joined WDC three months ago, I found the level of handholding in WDC to be so encouraging and supportive. So, keep sharing these simple tips. They help a lot. God bless.
I've renewed my editorship of this newsletter for the coming year. Thanks for your support.
|
To stop receiving this newsletter, click here for your newsletter subscription list. Simply uncheck the box next to any newsletter(s) you wish to cancel and then click to "Submit Changes". You can edit your subscriptions at any time.
|
Noticing Newbies: January 21, 2026 Issue [#13554]
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
Puzzle Hub
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
