  Noticing Newbies
This week: Edited by: Puditat  
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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
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 Welcome to the Noticing Newbies Newsletter!
Our goal is to showcase some of our newest Writing.Com Authors and their items. From poetry and stories to creative polls and interactives, we'll bring you a wide variety of items to enjoy. We will also feature "how to" advice and items that will help to jump start the creation process on Writing.com
We hope all members of the site will take the time to read, rate, review and welcome our new authors. By introducing ourselves, reviewing items and reaching out, we will not only make them feel at home within our community, we just might make new friends!
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Top Five Things To Do
Recently, I introduced a friend to Writing.com. I was thrilled that they wanted to come and be a part of this special community, and was only too willing to help them get underway. During this I was reminded of exactly how daunting it can be to wander into a site, and come to grips with all that it offers. After all, it is a number of years now since I faced that same process, but even now I can remember how excited and confused I felt.
So, I thought maybe it was timely for my personal list of Top Five things you should do when you first come to Writing.com -- after opening an account, of course.
ONE
Post an item of your writing into your portfolio.
Once you've accomplished this step, you are now classified as a writer. Your portfolio suitcase changes from grey to black to signify your status. People can now find your item, read and review it, beginning your active role within the community.
TWO
Create your Bio Block.
This becomes your welcome message for anyone venturing into your portfolio. It lets people know a little about the person behind the writing. It puts a friendly 'face' on your portfolio, which is a lot more appealing to most readers.
THREE
Check out the contests on the site.
Start with the list of contests found in the drop-down menu "Item Jumps" - "*Contest Listings".
There are many great reasons to check out the contests. They give you the opportunity to raise your profile within the community, and the chance to increase your Gift Points. They also have a very valuable role to play in your writing skills. Competition is always good for honing skills and testing abilities. In this case, contests on Writing.com also stretch your experience as you learn new styles, try out new genres or topics. Think of contests as writing exercises. They allow you to expand your imagination, and are good practice for perfecting your craft.
FOUR
Begin reviewing.
Being part of Writing.com means being part of a community. You've made important steps towards being a critical and active member by completing steps 1-3, but reviewing of other people's work should not be overlooked. This is a vital ingredient of your life here at Writing.com, and not just because it's 'give and take'. i.e. You review my work and I'll review yours. It has a much more crucial role in your own life as a writer.
I can honestly say my own writing has developed more through my reviewing of other people's work, than any other method. The more you read, the more you begin to understand the good and bad of writing. You learn how subtle word usage and phrasing effect the success of a piece of prose, or the difference between a tantalising descriptive poem and one that suffers from overkill on adverbs.
FIVE
Find a group to join.
There are numerous groups on Writing.com. There is practically a group for every facet of writing, from editing to publication, poetry to fanfic. But the groups are not restricted just to writing endeavours. There's also groups for teens, people losing weight, hobbies, gaming, abuse victims and more.
Why do I say you should join a group? Writing.com is a vast melting pot of humanity, and joining a group can help you to create friendships. It also helps distill all the site has to offer into a manageable amount.
Groups are a great way for focussing on aspects of your writing which you want to improve or develop. For example, you may want to learn more about poetry so you could join a group that discusses traditional forms.
Then again, maybe you want an escape from writing, so a group about scrapbooking may be desirable. You will find all the groups listed under the link "Groups" at the top of any page. You may have to search for a while, but I'm sure you'll find something.
Thanks for reading.
Puditat
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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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That was some great info on the Genre. I often have a hard time with this  Thanks for clarifying somewhat!
Have a great day ~Jaoli
Jaoli~ miss you all, bye ;(
 I'm glad you found it useful Jaoli. 
Okay this might sound crazy, or maybe it just shows how inept I am at computer literacy ... but I utilize italicized words often, how come they don't seem to show up when I cut and paste them. I have not dared try the bitem format, will my italics show up there? If this is too embarassing to post, you may reply directly to me ... if you think it will help others, then feel free to splatter my humiliation on the page.
thanks, writeone
writeone
You in no way should feel embarrassed by this question, as you are certainly not alone in having difficulty with formatting. The bitem code you refer to is used for linking items, and is not related to an item's formatting such as italics, bold, colour, or emoticons. Writing.com uses a form of code using the fancy brackets {}. For more help on this subject, see "WritingML Help" in the "Author Tools" drop-down menu. there you will find all the instructions for italics, underlining and so much more.
this is an idea i came up with to get people to review me after i have reviewed them. i simply put a | | | Invalid Item
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ml tag in the review and politely ask them to check it out. it seems to be working really well, and i can direct attention to things i am actively working on and seeking reviews of. ~~lorilady~~
lorilady
This method is used by some members of Writing.com. Some readers will appreciate having a definitive item to read, rather than going to search the reviewer's portfolio. Thank you for sharing, and I'm pleased you find it working for you.
Your O&A section is very helpful,answered many q's I had in mind but didn't ask and q I did ask,(got the answer too.)was not as stupid as I thought.
Thanks again,
Jaya H.
jaya h
It is always thrilling to hear that the newsletters are effective. We are all learning, so there is no shame or fault in not immediately knowing the answers. I exhort all readers...never be afraid to ask. We're here to help. 
Any queries, problems, praise, or advice?
Send it to one of the Editors via the feedback form on this newsletter,
or direct to their email by clicking the wee envelope after their handle.
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Noticing Newbies: March 29, 2006 Issue [#949]
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