 Noticing Newbies: May 05, 2021 Issue [#10756] |
This week: Biographical Information Edited by: Jeff  
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
"You never know what you can do until you try,
and very few try unless they have to."
-- C.S. Lewis
About The Editor: Greetings! My name is Jeff and I'm one of your regular editors for the Noticing Newbies Official Newsletter! I've been a member of Writing.com since 2003, and have edited more than 350 newsletters across the site during that time. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me via email or the handy feedback field at the bottom of this newsletter! 
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BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Did you know that your portfolio here on WDC has an entire Biography tab where you can share information about yourself? A surprising number of members have little to no information listed, so I thought it would be worth taking a look and what you can share with others, and why you should consider doing so.
Under the biography tab, you can add any of the following information you'd like. If you enter information into a section, it'll appear in the box at the top of your Biography tab. If you don't enter any information for a particular field, that field won't show up. Your options include:
 Gender
Birthday (can be set to month/day/year, month/day, or just month
Location
About Me
Type of Writer
Writing Style
Interests
Website / Homepage
My Blog
Group Memberships
Favorite Links
Favorite Genre
Favorite Books
Favorite Authors
Favorite Poets
Favorite Quote
Favorite Music
Favorite Movies
Favorite Shows
Biographical information is an important and useful way to connect with your audience. Readers often want to make a connection with an author whose work they enjoy, and knowing absolutely nothing about an author other than an anonymous username or handle can be a turn-off for readers that look for that connection. Including some details about your life can go a long way toward building a rapport with those readers and getting them even more interested in your work.
Any conversation about disclosing biographical information in an online setting needs to be accompanied by the caveat that you don't want to include too much information. While hackers and identity thieves may be relatively uncommon in the average person's life, there's no reason to tempt fate by including too much information, or uniquely identifying information that could put yourself or your loved ones at risk.
That's why it's important to carefully balance what you share.
Providing your general location can be a great way to get to know other people that are familiar with the area. But there's a big difference between putting your city or region, and providing your home address.
Providing your birthday can be nice when you have friends who will wish you a happy birthday and help you celebrate. But do they need to know the exact year you were born, or just the month and day?
Similarly, it might be wiser to talk about the general field you work in, rather than who your employer is. And when listing your "favorite" things, it's probably best to make sure you're not providing the same answers that you'd provide to an automated system that, say, generates password challenge questions to help you login to other accounts and/or reset those passwords.
If you're really concerned with privacy but want to build community and connect with your readers, consider a pseudonym and/or answers that are close to the truth but maybe not 100%. Is your absolute favorite movie Citizen Kane but you also really love Chinatown? If Citizen Kane is an answer you've used for actual cybersecurity information, tell your online connections that your favorite movie (or at least one of them) is Chinatown. If you want to tell them you have a spouse and two kids, maybe come up with nicknames or replacement names for them so you're not telling the entire online world the legal first names of every member of your immediate family.
However you want to manage your information security, there are two important aspects to keep in mind. First, don't be foolish with the information you share publicly with others, or put online for anyone to find. Second, consider putting something of yourself out in the world... there are few things less inviting than a bioblock, biography, or profile page that's left empty.
Until next time,
Jeff
If you're interested in checking out my work:
"Blogocentric Formulations"
"New & Noteworthy Things"
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This month's official Writing.com writing contest is:
I also encourage you to check out the following items:
EXCERPT: Carving overgrowth in the jungle, a man emerged armed with a machete in one hand and a colt in the other. Closely behind, there followed another man, smartly dressed, surveying the sights and sounds of nature, eyes bulging with caution.
EXCERPT: In the cool spring wind, flowed just another average rotation of earth underway.
Something else was stirring in that cool wind, something of nothing this earth has seen before.
EXCERPT: The pot-luck nature of thrifting, sifting through junk for tiny treasures, is perhaps what makes it such a rewarding experience. As they say, one man’s trash is another’s treasure, and what we choose to place value on can be very telling of our own personalities.
EXCERPT: Leaves flew in all directions, disturbed from their quiet rest on the forest floor as a pair of feet crashed through the dense trees. The pair belonged to a small dark figure, rather slim and quite short, most likely the figure of a young boy no more than eight years old. Another pair of feet ran ahead of the boy, although these were much different. They treaded lightly, as though they were more of a breath of wind than actual flesh and blood, and left no mark that they had ever been there at all. It was hard to tell what these feet belonged to, as their owner seemed to be fading in and out of visibility.
EXCERPT: The route was signposted with deceit and guile. It first reached out from a scene of twinkling lights and mystical aura, accompanied by most charming guides. To the receptive, the guides quickly became friends. At first it presented as golden coloured anklets resting gently, loosely, on her feet, sparkling. The friends all agreed the anklets looked beautiful on her. They liked what they saw.
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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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Feedback from "Noticing Newbies Newsletter (April 7, 2021)" about paid memberships:
From Mary Ann MCPhedran  :
Hi Jeff, I can also learn from the new members on the site. I have been a writer on this site for six years, and I like to write books, and have a premier membership. I often wonder about the premier plus, but I don't know if my writing is good enough for this level.
The quality of your writing doesn't really need to be a determining factor in what kind of paid membership you have here on the site. A far better metric for that would be what features you use most often, and what level of membership can provide that for you. If you primarily write books, being able to create a lot of book items (or a lot of individual static chapters) might be useful to you. Don't feel pressured to buy a level of membership you don't need though!
From hbk16:
Membership fees might be expensive for someone who lives under other conditions. That is specially for someone who like to write and do review and is very creative and productive. Meant issue indeed!
Yes, a member's financial circumstances will most likely be the greatest determining factor in what kind of paid membership to purchase. There are members for whom spending a few hundred dollars a year on a paid membership isn't worth a second thought. And others for whom a $50 Upgraded Membership is a real challenge to pay for. And others still who need to raise the GPs to pay for their memberships. Everyone's circumstances are different, and members should definitely only purchase memberships that make financial sense for their situation!
From dogpack saving 4premium  :
I agree with this information. For me having a paid membership makes it possible to do more on WDC and enjoy more in this wonderful community. I have been blessed with help from several resources or members so that I can maintain my paid membership. For this I am thankful. There are many ways to raise gift points for paid memberships which is a blessing. WDC is a super great place with many members who enjoy helping each other. Safe travels and many blessings.
Submitted item: "AROUND THE WRITING" [E] by dogpack saving 4premium
One of my favorite things about WDC is how supportive this community is. I've been the recipient of a number of gifted memberships myself, as well as run fundraisers to pay for memberships when times are tough and purchasing one outright isn't an option.
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