  Noticing Newbies
This week: The Other Kind of Ratings Edited by: Jay's debut novel is out now!  
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This newsletter is dedicated to helping new members find their way around Writing.Com, and for members who have been here a while, too. 
Since we have on average somewhere around 300 new users each day, the ones who are most likely to get read and noticed are the ones who stand out. While a certain amount of garnering reviews is based on being in the right place at the right time, taking some time to polish your Portfolio and the way you present yourself in the community will do wonders to improve your odds of being read, rated and reviewed by your fellow Authors! |
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Hey everyone! I'm Jay's debut novel is out now! , back again to guest-edit another edition of the Noticing Newbies Newsletter. 
In my previous editorial in this series, "Noticing Newbies Newsletter (October 20, 2010)" , I addressed the importance of making good use of the different display areas in your Portfolio to better attract readers and reviewers. This issue, I thought I would tackle a slightly stickier issue: Content Ratings.
"Content Rating System (CRS)" covers everything you need to know about the basics of each of the different ratings types from E to XGC, so I won't spend too much time on that; it's a good idea to check in and reread these guidelines periodically, just to refresh your memory.
I'm interested this week in tackling more of the subtleties of the Content Rating System here on WdC and what they can mean for your Portfolio!
 First and foremost, I strongly suggest that you give your work some kind of content rating! A lot of folks simply forget, or don't know what to put, so they leave it blank-- this means that your item will appear as "unrated," and it'll come up with "------" in the ratings box. This will prevent your work from being found through public searches, and doesn't help a prospective reader to know what to expect from the piece.
Using the Content Ratings system effectively may take a little time to get used to, but it's pretty simple once you get the hang of it. You can always ask for help if you aren't sure what to put, and the guidelines for each rating are listed in "Content Rating System (CRS)" where you can always look for a general answer. I would also suggest that if you are unsure which rating to choose that you should choose the higher of the two ratings-- I personally run into this dilemma most often when trying to differentiate between whether an item of mine should be rated 13+ or 18+ and when I'm not sure which I should choose, the one that I end up using will be 18+ just in case.
Use your best judgment. Consider the ideal audience for your piece when you assign it a content rating. The Writing.Com ratings system is not an exact parallel to any existing ratings system, though it is similar in design to the systems used for rating movies and videogames. An item with harsh swearing and lots of violence is really not for Everyone, right? Of course not. In fact, depending on how harsh the swearing is, the content might be 13+ or higher!
By the same token, going overboard with the content ratings might not work in your favor either. Using a content rating that is significantly higher than the content warrants will prevent your items from being viewed by members whose content filters are set below where your items are currently rated.
As a personal anecdote, for many years here on the site, I kept most of my poetry and folders rated at 18+ -- not necessarily because I was worried about the overall content but because I figured that it would be better safe than sorry to keep them at a higher rating in case I slipped and let out a swear word or some super-adult content (the things we worry about, right?  ) and recently I have evaluated a number of my items and decided that they might be okay with ratings that more accurately reflect the content of those items. Needless to say, those items definitely get more views now, because they are more accurate in their ratings.
Not only should you keep an eye on the ratings in your own portfolio, you should also keep to the appropriate ratings when you visit Message Forums, In and Outs, and other "Interactive" and public areas of the site. Item owners have the ability to suspend and delete postings in their Forums and other items, but why give them a reason to do so? You should be selective when choosing what information to put into your Signature and what sort of posts you make in a given forum.
By the same token, if you do choose to put content that might not be suitable for Everyone into your default Signature, don't forget to edit it out of your Signature manually if you're posting to a forum with a lower ratings requirement. For example, if your signature contains a quote from a favorite book, but happens to have a curse word in it, the best course of action would be to eliminate the quote from your signature in a forum rated under 13+ before making your post.
 Worth mentioning: Don't forget to edit offsite links and email out of your posts in "Noticing Newbies" [13+] and "Writing.Com General Discussion" [13+] -- these two areas of the site do not allow offsite linking because they are the "welcome mat" to Writing.Com. There are lots of areas where you can prominently display the link back to your offsite blog, including your Biography page, which is easily found by anyone perusing your portfolio! 
Other public areas of the site have a requirement to remain accessible for Everyone, and I would definitely recommend taking a look at "Please Keep It E!" [13+] to get more information or if you have any questions about the E rating!
Last but not least, The Content Ratings System is not a judgment of an author's moral character, and an adjustment to any of your Content Ratings by a Moderator or Staff Member is not a judgment about the quality of your work. It is simply the fastest means we have of correcting an error in ratings when such an error is discovered. We might not catch them all, of course, but the best remedy is prevention.
Items whose ratings have been adjusted will have their rating "locked." If you elect to edit an item to lower its overall content rating, you'll need to have it restored by posting in the forum listed below or by contacting one of your friendly neighborhood Moderators.
Even Moderators sometimes need their Content Ratings adjusted. Because the Content Rating System has to be interpreted by a number of different individuals, there are always going to be differences of opinion on interpretation.
If the rating needs to be adjusted, it's nothing personal. Honest!
Also, "Content Rating Support" [18+] is a great community resource for those situations when you aren't sure about a Content Rating or if you have one that needs to be adjusted.
When in doubt, never be afraid to ask for help.
Onward and upward!
Until Next Time,
Jay's debut novel is out now!
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Comments from last month's edition:
"Noticing Newbies Newsletter (October 20, 2010)"
Steve adding writing to ntbk. 
j -
Wonderful group of writers you feature this time.
So much good, little bad, and wow the rhyme!
Thanking you for your insight and skill,
That brings to this WdC such a thrill.
Opening a Noticing Newbies Newsletter gives glee.
For this writer knows so much good I will see.
Write on, edit more, and please above all thank you for being the wonder that you are to the WdC.
Copenator out!
Thanks!  I always love your spontaneous acts of poetry!
atwhatcost
Thanks. You finally gave me something worth writing in my BioBlock.
 Your BioBlock is really comprehensive and says exactly what you are looking for at Writing.Com!
SGWoolard
Enjoyed the NL...It was helpful when I feel overwhelmed with so much that is offered on WDC. Still learning the ins and outs of NL, contest, and reading other works. Thanks, Sandy
Hi Sandy! Let me know if you're having any questions getting started and I'd be happy to help you get on your way.
Melissa Murphy--Soon Published
Great advise! I don't know how many times I've opened a story/chapter and groaned at the first glance. I also strive to give helpful advise and wonder if it is a waste of my time, keeping me away from my own writing, to spend a lot of time on a piece where the author has not done the most basic proofreading and editing. The exception to this, is when I read a BioBlock and discover the writer is a very young person. With these, I smile, thinking of my boys, and continue on with the review, being as encouraging as possible.
Thanks,
Melissa
Exactly! I am glad I'm not the only one out there who feels this way.
Jennifer Littington
I'm a newbie, how do I get on the editor's favorite list?
Hi Jenn! I usually recommend that you submit an item that you'd like to see featured to the Newsletter using the little box down below  That way you can enter the specific ID number of the item you would like an Editor to feature!
Well, that's all for the mailbag this time, gang!
I look forward to seeing what you all have to say this week!
Until next we meet,
~j
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Noticing Newbies: November 09, 2010 Issue [#4069]
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