This week: Tips and Tricks Edited by: JACE says Thank You!  
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Hi, I'm JACE says Thank You! .
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: |
One thing is certain--Writing.Com is a dynamic site, always changing to assist you on your writing journey. Sometimes the changes are small in nature, like updating the Portfolio Organizer. Others are major, such as the introduction of "Writing.Com 101" .
And some changes happen without any fanfare whatsoever. How do you find out about these changes? Do you just happen across a post that mentions a change?
Most significant changes are posted under "Site News & Announcements" . Others are posed on the Newsfeed. Still others may come as an answer to a posted bug in "Bug Reporting" or a reported problem in one of the support forums ( "Technical Support Forum" and "Non-Technical Support Forum" . You should bookmark these forums! They will come in handy.
For instance, a recent change that went under the radar increased the number of pages one's Notepad may now have. (It wasn't highlighted in "Writing.Com 101" or "Free & Paid Membership Information" .) The Notepad is private permanent (if properly saved) storage space in your Port similar to a Post-It note.
I have a Premium membership and have always been limited to 25 Notepad pages. Some of mine include Review Articles and Tips, Newsletter Topics, How-To Articles, Mod Things, and the like. I used all 25 pages. Now I have up to 50 pages.
At the top of your revised Notepad within the Skins portion are the following links: Scratch Pad, + New Page (25/50), Jump to Page...., and  Skin.
Scratch Pad content cannot be saved. Use it for quick testing of a link, or jotting down a thought that occurs while writing a story.
+ New Page (25/50) adds a new page. The first number corresponds to your number of saved pages; the second to the maximum pages your membership level allows.
Jump to Page.... opens a dropdown window allowing you to scroll to a specific page. Very handy if you have more than eight pages.
Skin allows you to change your Notepad skin and theme.
I'm not certain how many pages are now allowed for Free, Basic and Upgraded member--perhaps any member with those membership levels will let me know. For now I know Premium may have up to 50 pages and Premium Plus may have 100 pages.
Another change was the result of a member reporting a technical issue last week. The Portfolio Organizer was not working. Within a few days, the StoryMaster updated that feature making it much more user friendly, and letting us know in a Newsfeed note: "Note: *Note* The new Portfolio Organizer is now...".
Seasoned members may notice some of their items are colored and wonder why (perhaps not remembering they used the Portfolio Highlighting feature some time back). New members most likely have not yet discovered Portfolio Highlighting.
Portfolio Highlighting allows you to highlight items, folders and groups with a particular color based on the access restrictions you've assigned to those items. For example, you may desire some items to remain Private (perhaps pink or red); others are Public (say green); and some are accessible to Registers Users and above (yellow, for instance).
The new update allows you to readily see what access you've assigned the items without having to check each item individually. Restricting access to items you may wish to publish one day helps assure publishers that the item in question has not been available to the public. Check out "Portfolio Highlighting" for more information.
The Help button within the Portfolio Organizer should answer all your questions about this feature.
As for other changes coming, check your favorite forums daily. You don't want to get left behind. |
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 "Favorites" Do you know how Favorites work? Do you use them?
From Jeffrey Meyer  : I've been on here for nearly ten years, and I only really got familiar with favorites in the last year or so. I still struggle sometimes with the favoriting the piece or the author or the group or whatever. I know there's instructions on here, but that's not me. I learn through trial and error. But I do use it when I can remember how!
From Maddie Stone <2026 Edition>  : I do use them, but I didn't know about the folders. Very helpful! Thank you!
You're welcome.
From Mousethyme - missing luck : I use the favorites and the folders available but I frequently need to clean out my list.
From Wannabe  : I use the favourites especially when I am reading and reviewing a long item or chapters. It makes it easy to find when I come back to read more. Once I'm finished with the item/book, I just delete it from my favourites, making room for more.
From TJ: one day closer to camping  : Yes. Yes.
From the Mail Bag:
From Wannabe : Thank you, Jace, for the refresh on favourites. After being away for a while, now everything is so much clearer. Great tip on creating folders within your favourites. I receive this newsletter to find out about the newbies, but love how it helps the oldies too! Later, Wannabe
Thanks for your support.
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Noticing Newbies: February 18, 2026 Issue [#13600]
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