  Contests & Activities
This week: Edited by: spidey  
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Welcome to the Contests & Activities Newsletter. I’m spidey , and I'm your Editor this week. I'll be discussing In & Outs. Pay attention, as there will be a quiz on this. (Okay, not a quiz, but there is a contest! Read through the newsletter for details!) |
| ASIN: B00KN0JEYA |
Product Type: Kindle Store
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Amazon's Price: $ 4.99
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In & Outs
In & Outs are an interactive means for lists or rolling stories and will only show up to the last100 additions made by members who visited before you. Every time a new addition is made, the last addition on the page will be bumped off. It’s IN with the new and OUT with the old!
A step-by-step guide to creating an In & Out
Step 1:
Click on "Writing" at the very top of any WDC page, and then click on "In & Out" within the Writing: Interactive Section. (Or you can click on "Create an Item" within the Site Tools selection in the Site Navigation Tool at the left of the screen.)
Step 2:
Choose a topic. In & Outs can be used in a number of creative ways! 
Here are a few ideas:
 Review Requests: Ask viewers to enter the ID number of items to be reviewed.
Stories: Ask viewers to contribute a word, phrase, or sentence, each adding to a story created by the previous entries.
Contests: Use the format for contest entries, or have viewers compete while participating.
Games: There are lots of games that work well with the In & Out interactive item. Some popular choices are word assocations, letter changes and other word games. The best games invite players to interact with one another with fun and inspiring challenges.
Guestbooks: Many members use the In & Out item as a way for guests to say hello while visiting their portfolio.
Step 3:
Enter the title and brief description. Rate it according to its contents, and select genres and keywords (to make the item pop up when members browse genres or search for specific words).
Step 4:
Write your item body, which should include instructions for your viewers on how they can participate and/or contribute to your In & Out.
Step 5:
Choose your settings: There are a number of options when it comes to setting up your In & Out.
The Display Type options will affect how your In & Out looks to viewers. For a great explanation of each setting, see: "The Ins and Outs of In & Outs" [E]
Display order sets up the order, with newest entries either at the top or bottom of the list of submissions.
Require Item IDs allows you to choose whether or not participants must submit an item ID with their addition.
Show How Many Entries lets you choose how many entries will be shown.
The Text options let you further customize your In & Out by altering each field and how your readers see them.
A few things to keep in mind:
1. Ratings As with any interactive item, be sure your rating reflects all content within the item. Ask your contributors to stick to the item's rating, or edit to maintain your item's rating.
2. How Many Entries? Depending on how frequently new entries are added by contributors, you'll want to choose the right amount of entries to be shown to visitors. Choose either 10, 25, 50, 75 or 100.
3. Top or Bottom? You have the choice between showing newest entries at the top or bottom of the list. The choice is up to you, but be sure to let your viewers know which it is!
Did you know?
You can customize your own formatting! Choose "Custom Format" under Display Type. Again, see "The Ins and Outs of In & Outs" for an explanation of options to customize the formatting of your In & Out.
Enter your In & Out in my contest based on this Newsletter:
(Winners from the last round are listed below in the Ask & Answer section!)
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 Writing.Com's very first In & Out!
Some newly created In & Outs that could use some participation:
Contests & Activities
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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
Don't forget to support our sponsor!
| ASIN: B0CJKJMTPD |
Product Type: Kindle Store
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Amazon's Price: $ 4.99
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My last newsletter gave information on Quizzes, and here is some feedback I received on that topic.
Whoa! That is so cool that I rated a mention in the quiz and activity section  this is a very happy Kathy today  Great newsletter!
~ katherine76
Thanks!
Question to think about: What's your favorite use for In & Outs? Games? Guestbooks? What other uses can you think of for the interactive item type?
And finally, I'm happy to present the winner of the last round of my contest, "Invalid Item" :
Best Quiz:
Congratulations!
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| ASIN: 197380364X |
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Amazon's Price: $ 15.99
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Contests & Activities: March 26, 2008 Issue [#2295]
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