  Contests & Activities
This week: Merit Badges Edited by: spidey  
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Welcome to the Contests & Activities Newsletter. I'm spidey , and I'm your Editor this week!
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Merit Badges!
Did you know there are over 200 different Merit Badges on Writing.Com? 
How can you send a Merit Badge?
That's easy! Click on "Gift Point Tools" near the bottom of the box on the left side of the screen. Then find "Merit Badges Shop" (the last in the list). That will take you to Writing.Com's Merit Badge Shop !
Choose from "General" badges (with choices like "Appreciation," "Creativity," "Reviewing," "Supportive," etc) or from "Genre" badges (from Action/Adventure to Writing) and "Type" badges (featuring the many different item types on Writing.Com).
And the all new Group Badges category, featuring custom-creations for WDC groups!
So Step 1 (maybe the hardest step) is choosing which Merit Badge you'd like to send! Seriously, with over 200 different badges, it can be tough to figure out which one to choose! Here are some tips:
 Take a look at the member's profile. Note the genre they tend to write or an item type they are currently hosting. Did you receive an act of kindness? Maybe an Appreciation or Angel badge would work best!
Look at the Merit Badges they already have. Maybe they're holding out for that elusive badge, and you can help by finding an appropriate badge that hasn't been awarded to them yet! (To see a member's Merit Badges, click on their portfolio. Then click the "Community" tab at the top of the screen. In the middle column, you should see "Merit Badges" and a number. Click there to see their Merit Badges!
Step 2 is to enter their username (remember, it's different than their handle!), and you can send the same Merit Badge to up to 10 members at once! That can save time if you're sending multiples! Enter a description for the merit badge next (E-rated) and you can optionally send gift points, too!
Your next option is to send a physical Merit Badge to the recipient! Another new feature! (I've received two of them so far, and I can tell you that they are really cool, and it was such an awesome thing to receive one! Definitely consider sending one if you're giving a Merit Badge!)
How can you commission a Merit Badge?
See this link  "Commission a Custom Merit Badge" [E]
The basics: It costs 500,000 gift points to have your very own custom Merit Badge! Just read over all the details & rules and commission your very own Merit Badge!
How do I get Merit Badges?
Merit Badges are pretty cool, and I don't know any member that wouldn't love one! So how do you get that elusive Merit Badge you've been craving? (And no, you can't give one to yourself!) Well, you could ask someone, but remember that unsolicited emails or communications aren't taken kindly. There are some auctions that give out Merit Badges of your choosing, so that may work. Basically, you're going to have to wait until another kindly member decides to give that recognition to you. 
For even more info on Merit Badges, see: "Merit Badges and Achievements" in "Writing.Com 101" [E]
Always, keep on writing!
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Know of some gems that deserve exposure? Submit them in the feedback form or submission form at the end of this Newsletter, and I'll put them in my next one!
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My last newsletter, ("Contests & Activities Newsletter (July 9, 2014)" ), discussed taking a break from WDC!
Sometimes you need a break, or you'll lose your love.
~ BIG BAD WOLF is Merry 
Good advice!
A break from WDC? Why? I don't camp and even on vacation I will check in. I may not do anything but I check emails, I may even read a story before bedtime to review when I'm able. I'm addicted to WDC.......
~ Quick-Quill 
 Good answer! And you know what? If I had an internet connection while camping, I'd totally be checking in! It's not easy to spend time away from WDC!
When I go away from home, driving alone, I take my cell phone which I use only in an emergency. I still enjoy our years before everyone seemed to have hi-tech wrapped around them everywhere we went. Too often, they focus on what's in their hand instead of the person or child in front of them; it's so tacky and unkind. I expect the day will come when people don't have face to face conversations, maybe no voice either; just poke the buttons and think they're living. Come on, leave the techy toys at home and enjoy holiday/vacation anywhere in the world. Let your friends miss you and wonder if you're having fun wherever you are; then you can tell them about it when back home. It's more relaxing.
~ ANN Counselor, Lesbian & Happy 
I see your point! I think communication in general is changing and some will think it's not necessarily a good thing. Personally, high-tech stuff keeps me in touch with family I otherwise wouldn't get to talk to, and I think most people, when they're playing with their phones, are actually texting or communicating with others, so it's still a form of communication, just a different one. Whether it's better or worse, I have no idea, though. 
Questions to think about:
What do you think about Merit Badges? What's your favorite one? What's the last one you gave out? The last one you received? |
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Contests & Activities: August 06, 2014 Issue [#6473]
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