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 Announcements pertaining to Writing.Com! |
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| Greetings, Members! Groups can now spend their Gift Points and Mac users can fix their text wrapping. We've also included a few important reminders in this email. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Attention Writers! Visit: http://www.FreelanceWriters.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Turn your rating stars into $$$ as a freelance writer!!! Follow your stars to the revolutionary website where writers register their types of writing skills and topics of expertise in a global directory of freelance writers available for hire. Take the next step as a rising star and register today at: http://www.FreelanceWriters.com/writers_faqs.cfm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- :: Groups can send upgrades and costumicons :: Finally, we've added the ability for Groups to spend their gift points directly. No more transferring Gift Points to one person and then having that person place an order to gift an Upgraded / Premium Membership or a costumicon. Members with access to give their group's Gift Points can spend them within the Give/Spend Gift Points section of their Group page. Don't forget that our current costumicon subscription period will last through January 3, 2003. Giving costumes is a great way to spread joy and cheer this holiday season while supporting Stories.Com! :: For Mac Users: Text Issue Wrapped Up :: If you're using a Mac computer, you may have noticed that text in your items and posts wraps oddly, squeezing itself into a thin column. To alleviate the problem, we've added a Textarea Wrapping preference. To set this new preference, visit your My Account page. From there, click to the Change Preferences. Look for Textarea Wrapping, set it to "Off" and submit the form to update. Your text will now roll across the page like other members! :: Reminder - Small Increase In Premium Membership Price :: Since releasing Premium Memberships in January 2002, we have added numerous features for authors and conveniences to members. Combined with a new portfolio limit that is 4 times that of the Upgraded Membership, the Premium Membership price will be increasing on January 4, 2003. Until the price is increased, members may purchase up to one (1) additional year of Premium Membership at its current price. The price changes will be as follows: Current --> Beginning January 4th, 2003 1 month $15.00 --> $20.00 (GPs only) 3 months $35.00 --> $45.00 ($15.00 per month) 6 months $60.00 --> $75.00 ($12.50 per month) 12 months $110.00 --> $120.00 ($10.00 per month) Find out more about Premium Membership ----> Invalid Item  :: Stop By New Year's Eve! :: Please be sure to visit the site for the New Year's Eve unveiling of our brand new Writing.Com Logo at Midnight (EST), December 31, 2002! Also at this time, the switch over from Stories.Com to Writing.Com will take place. We look forward to ringing in an exciting new year with all of you! :: We're having a MOVING SALE! :: All Stories.Com products are now 50% off! http://www.Stories.Com/main/store Supplies are limited! Buy them now, because once they're gone... they're gone. These will be collectibles! Update: Writing Kits are now SOLD OUT! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And don't forget to visit our sponsor: http://www.FreelanceWriters.Com/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We wish you and your family the best during this holiday season, ~~ The StoryMaster   & The StoryMistress   |
| Greetings, Members! We hope this email finds you well and in good holiday spirits! We have some very exciting and important news to share with you! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Attention Writers! Visit: http://www.FreelanceWriters.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Turn your rating stars into $$$ as a freelance writer!!! Follow your stars to the revolutionary website where writers register their types of writing skills and topics of expertise in a global directory of freelance writers available for hire. Take the next step as a rising star and register today at: http://www.FreelanceWriters.com/writers_faqs.cfm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Over two years ago, when we first created Stories.Com, the focus and sole intent was Interactive Stories. As the site has evolved, we have created features and item types for much, much more than just stories. Over these past two years, we've watched with excitement as the community and its members have grown. With more than 80 genres and 16 item types, our services now encompass all and every type of writing, not just stories. Basically, we've outgrown our name. We're extremely pleased and excited to tell you that we’ve acquired and will be changing our name to... Writing.Com (http://www.Writing.Com/) This is a natural evolution for our community. The site will have the same people, features, benefits, items, owners; we’ll even have a similar logo. The only difference is the new location. Imagine it as though our community has outgrown its neighborhood... and we’re now moving to a bigger location with a nicer view.  The name Writing.Com is more professional, easier to explain, clearly geared toward writing and very hard to forget. Someone only needs to hear it once to understand the purpose of this community. Each month, over 15,000 people type Writing.Com into their browser looking for what Stories.Com has become. Readers and writers of all ages and interests visit this name to find works online or create their own. The look, feel and features of this site will not change, but our logo will. The new logo will have the same design as the current one with only slight differences. We will officially unveil our new Writing.Com logo at the stroke of Midnight (EST) this New Year's Eve. At the same time, we will be launching the new domain for both web and email services. No need to worry about your Stories.Com email and URLs; these will continue to work for over a year into the future, if not more. Anyone typing a Stories.Com URL will be immediately directed to that same page under Writing.Com's domain. Similarly, your username@Stories.Com email will be automatically forwarded to your new username@Writing.Com address. This is just another step toward confirming our position as the online community for readers and writers of all ages and interests. We’ve been working for months to make this powerful change a reality. We wouldn’t be taking such an exciting step if we were just some fly-by-night writing site with no goals or direction. We have big plans for this community! Writing.Com is one big creative playground on the web and it just got bigger. Hang on tight... we’re going to have a lot of fun.  And... We're having a MOVING SALE! All Stories.Com products are now 50% off! Supplies are limited! Buy them now, because once they're gone... they’re gone. These will be collectibles! Have Questions About This Change?
Remember, be sure to stop by the site for the New Year's Eve unveiling at Midnight (EST), December 31, 2002! We look forward to ringing in an exciting new year with all of you! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And don't forget to visit our sponsor: http://www.FreelanceWriters.Com/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We wish you and your family the best during this holiday season, ~~ The StoryMaster & The StoryMistress |
| Greetings, Members! We have some exciting information about our webhost, emoticons and your item statistics! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *~*~* Attention Writers! *~*~* http://www.FreelanceWriters.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Turn your rating stars into $$$ as a freelance writer!!! Follow your stars to the revolutionary website where writers register their types of writing skills and topics of expertise in a global directory of freelance writers available for hire. Take the next step as a rising star and register today at http://www.FreelanceWriters.com/writers_faqs.cfm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Host Ranked #1 In The United States Stories.Com's hosting company, INetU, Inc. (http://www.inetu.net) has been named the top hosting company in the United States by the leading authority on Web hosting, TopHosts.Com. Be sure to read the press release; Stories.Com is listed as one of their top clients! For INetU's complete press release, please see: http://www.inetu.net/main/company/pr/pr_021206.cfm New: emoticons! We're pleased to announce that there are now 19 different emoticons to use! So whether you're feeling  ,  or , we've got an expression for you to use! We hopeyou enjoy them; we absolutely  these! To see all of the emoticons in action, findStoriesML Help under Author Tools in your Member Tools pulldown. Understanding Your Item Statistics & More Do you want to understand your item ratings? Then be sure to read this brand new item; you will learn a lot about your readers and their ratings!
Themselves". Check your item statistics to find out if your readers are Casual Writers, Avid Readers or something else! Please Remember: Small Increase In Premium Membership Price Since releasing Premium Memberships in January 2002, we have added numerous features for authors and conveniences to members. Combined with a new portfolio limit that is 4 times that of the Upgraded Membership, the Premium Membership price will be increasing on January 4th, 2003. Until the price is increased, members may purchase up to one (1) additional year of Premium Membership at its current price. The price changes will be as follows: Current --> Beginning January 4th, 2003 1 month $15.00 --> $20.00 (GPs only) 3 months $35.00 --> $45.00 ($15.00 per month) 6 months $60.00 --> $75.00 ($12.50 per month) 12 months $110.00 --> $120.00 ($10.00 per month) Find out more about Premium Membership ----> Invalid Item As we move into the new year, we want to sincerely thank our members for your support and involvement in the community. We look forward to helping more and more writers improve their skills, meet new friends and express themselves in an honest, caring and nuturing environment. Thank You! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And don't forget to visit our sponsor: http://www.FreelanceWriters.Com/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We wish you and your family the best during this holiday season, ~~ The StoryMaster & The StoryMistress |
| Greetings, Members! This is an important email that all members should take a few moments to read. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Attention Writers! Visit: http://www.FreelanceWriters.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Turn your rating stars into $$$ as a freelance writer!!! Follow your stars to the revolutionary website where writers register their types of writing skills and topics of expertise in a global directory of freelance writers available for hire. Take the next step as a rising star and register today at: http://www.FreelanceWriters.com/writers_faqs.cfm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Have you ever noticed that Stories.Com is ALWAYS online? We're here 24/7 and have been for the past 2+ years. The hardware and network that run Stories.Com are the best. This is shown by the performance, speed and up-time of our services. Keeping pace with, even ahead of, growth is difficult and costly, but we realize its extreme importance to the community. I'm very proud to say that it has been a full year since Stories.Com last raised the price of its Upgraded Membership. Over the past year we have added tons of new features, benefits and enhanced services to this membership level. The value it provides members far surpasses the low cost of around $5.00 per month. This new year, we will not be raising the price of our Upgraded Membership! Further, we do not have any plans to do so in the near future. We will continue to increase the value of the membership, though, by including more features, bells and whistles than ever before! But, and yes, there is a but... Like most things, hard drive space, backup storage and the processing power it takes our servers to perform searches, lookups or displays of an item are all limited. As members add more items to their portfolios, Stories.Com needs to stay ahead of the server curve with bigger hard drives to store this additional information. Even further, we need faster servers to be able to sort the ever growing amount of data and use it in our online community. The more than 200,000 poems, stories, forums, journals and images that we host also come with over one million ratings, a half million reviews and logs that track millions of item views. In light of this, Stories.Com needs to put limitations on portfolios and asks its members who are using the most storage space to pay a little more. Upgraded Members will have a limit of 250 items. Premium Members will have a limit of 1,000 items. At this time, there is no member with more than 1,000 items, but those Upgraded Members with more than 250 items will need to move up to a Premium Membership. These new limits are not yet in effect. They will become active on January 20th, 2003. This gives members who are already over the limits about 45 days to either remove some items or move up to Premium Membership. We will not be locking or removing items from members over these limits for at least three (3) months beyond. This does not include members who abuse the 45 day grace period we are allowing; please do not do that because it will not be tolerated. If we do not place these limits, for the reasons that I have explained above, we will be forced to continually raise prices on all members. Since these limitations currently only affect 55 members, that simply would not be fair. These limits help illustrate Stories.Com's commitment to being around for the long term; we will stay as the online community for writers for years to come. Without this foresight, over time, member portfolios would become infinitely large and cause membership prices for everyone to skyrocket. Small Increase In Premium Membership Price Since releasing Premium Memberships in January 2002, we have added numerous features for authors and conveniences to members. Combined with a new portfolio limit that is 4 times that of the Upgraded Membership, the Premium Membership price will be increasing on January 4th, 2003. Until the price is increased, members may purchase up to one (1) additional year of Premium Membership at its current price. The price changes will be as follows: Current --> Beginning January 4th, 2003 1 month $15.00 --> $20.00 (GPs only) 3 months $35.00 --> $45.00 ($15.00 per month) 6 months $60.00 --> $75.00 ($12.50 per month) 12 months $110.00 --> $120.00 ($10.00 per month) Find out more about Premium Membership ----> Invalid Item As we move into the new year, we want to sincerely thank our members for your support and involvement in the community. We look forward to helping more and more writers improve their skills, meet new friends and express themselves in an honest, caring and nuturing environment. Thank You! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And don't forget to visit our sponsor: http://www.FreelanceWriters.Com/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We wish you and your family the best during this holiday season, ~~ The StoryMaster & The StoryMistress |
| Season's Greetings, Members! It's that festive time of year again and we're celebrating with you! :: Please Support Our Sponsor :: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *~*~* Attention Writers! *~*~* http://www.FreelanceWriters.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Turn your rating stars into $$$ as a freelance writer!!! Follow your stars to the revolutionary website where writers register their types of writing skills and topics of expertise in a global directory of freelance writers available for hire. Take the next step as a rising star and register today at http://www.FreelanceWriters.com/writers_faqs.cfm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For the entire month of December, Stories.Com will have the look and feel of the winter holiday season. Since not everyone celebrates the same holiday, we hope you enjoy our "Winter" theme. This change of scenery is like rearranging your workspace at home; it's fuel for your creativity and inspiration! Please enjoy and use it! And once again... costumicons are available for purchase! This month features our special Holiday section with costumicons themed for the Winter season, Chanukah, Christmas and more. There's even one for the Humbugs of our community. In total, there are now more than 400 different icons to choose from! A round of applause to The StoryMistress for building such a vastselection! This costumicons subscription period will only continue through January 3, 2003, so enjoy them while you can! http://www.stories.com/main/my_account.php?action=ea_form&type=costumicon Don't forget to support your favorite online community (Stories.Com!) by doing your holiday shopping online. Visit Amazon.Com through the link provided in your Item Jumps pulldown menu and each purchase will support Stories.Com. Our long-time sponsor, http://www.DermatologistRX.Com/ also has a lot of great gift ideas for the daughters, moms and the other women in your life. Have a friend on Stories.Com? Be sure to check out his or her WishList; it's a quick and easy way to show your appreciation for your friend and the website where you met! You can get to a member's WishList from the link found within his or her public portfolio. And a note to our free members: Don't forget to add Stories.Com to your real life wish list. A Stories.Com Upgraded Membership is a useful and educational gift idea that keeps giving all year round for just $45.00! Visit our store for more details... http://www.stories.com/main/store ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And don't forget to visit our sponsor: http://www.FreelanceWriters.Com/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We wish you and your family the best during this holiday season, ~~ The StoryMaster & The StoryMistress |
| Greetings Members! We've added a PassKey Ring, some new graphics and a quick link in folders. :: Please Support Our Sponsor :: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.DermatologistRX.Com/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- :: PassKey Rings :: Your new PassKey Ring helps you keep track of the multiple PassKeys you use to access other members' items. When entering a passkey on an item, just click the box to have it added to your Ring! Once added, PassKeys can easily be edited or removed from your Ring. You can also add/edit notes for each individual key; this will help you keep track of each key's purpose. PassKey Rings are available to members with Upgraded or Premium Memberships. Find out more about Upgraded Membership ----> Invalid Item Find out more about Premium Membership ----> Invalid Item :: Prettier Pages :: We've updated two of the most visited items on Stories.Com with logos designed by The StoryMistress :
Don't forget about these two important areas of the site. They receive tons of daily traffic, so get your items up in front of the community's eyes! They are linked from the "Item Jumps" pull down making them conveniently available from any Stories.Com page. :: Public / Private View Link :: When viewing one of your own folders, you'll find a new link that allows you to jump to the "Public View" or "Private View". The link will depend on which view you happen to be in; you'll be able to quickly toggle with just one click! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And don't forget to visit our sponsor: http://www.DermatologistRX.Com/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for your continued support of Stories.Com! ~~ The StoryMaster |
| Greetings Members! We've dramatically improved the management of survey forms and added a new field type. This mail also includes a quick note with a new login record and rating average update. :: Please Support Our Sponsor :: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.DermatologistRX.Com/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- :: Easier Survey Management Now In Place :: Surveys now have a new management area with navigation similar to the Group and cNote management areas. This convenient new section easily allows you to reorder, delete and edit individual fields from within a survey. Now when you create a survey, the setup form does not provide space for the inclusion of questions; those are added in from the survey's management area afterward. This makes the creation of survey forms much quicker and more browser friendly. :: Dropdown Menu Field :: Survey forms may now include Dropdown Menu's for multiple choice questions. Using the new survey management system, you can update existing surveys and easily convert fields from multiple choice to the dropdown field option. The creation and ownership of survey forms is reserved for members with Upgraded or Premium Membership. Find out more about Upgraded Membership ----> Invalid Item Find out more about Premium Membership ----> Invalid Item :: A New Record & Rating Update... :: I wanted to take a moment to share a new record that Stories.Com recently reached. On November 6th, 3,581 members logged into our site, breaking an older record from a few weeks prior. We're extremely happy to see so many members being more active on Stories.Com! Also, since we first asked members to reevaluate the way they personally use the Stories.Com star rating system, you've made dramatic improvements in the average ratings being given out. On September 30th, the average rating given out that day was 4.71 stars; on November 10th, members rated items with an average of 4.19 stars for the day, a first on Stories.Com! These more varied star ratings are providing our members with more accurate feedback, either giving them room to improve or rewarding them for a completed item. As a side effect, we've noticed members have also begun to include more thorough reviews combining honest advice, encouraging words and helpful tips. In addition, some of our members are now using the Unrateable item type to exclude the stars and receive only comments on their work. We've received excellent feedback about these changes from writers of all skill and interest levels. We understand not all of our members will attempt to reevaluate or adjust their rating decisions, but we value your time and thank you all for listening to us. Please know that the authors of Stories.Com sincerely appreciate your consideration in this important effort. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And don't forget to visit our sponsor: http://www.DermatologistRX.Com/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for your continued support of Stories.Com! ~~ The StoryMaster |
| Greetings Members! We've chosen the location and accommodations for the Stories.Com Convention 2003 and it's full speed ahead! Don't wait; space is filling fast! :: Please Support Our Sponsor :: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ** DERMATOLOGISTRX.COM - DISCOUNTED SKIN CARE!! ** ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- YES!!! I want beautiful skin at http://www.DERMATOLOGISTRX.com FREE $100 Product Drawing!!! FREE Info Acne, Anti-aging, Eczema!!! CELLEX C KINERASE MD FORTE NEUTROGENA NEOSTRATA OBAGI PEVONIA SKINCEUTICALS CLICK HERE: http://www.DermatologistRx.com VISIT NOW!! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- :: Register NOW; Space is limited! :: Since opening our Early Pre-Registration over one month ago, we have filled almost half of the space reserved for our group! We have contracted for 85 attendees, but can accommodate approximately 100. As you may have heard, our first Stories.Com convention was a huge and memorable success! Our conventions are unique to Stories.Com, different than any other you've attended. We have a fun-filled, creative and inspiring time planned for all who attend the Stories.Com Convention 2003. Imagine a three-day celebration in a beautiful hotel with dozens of real-life Stories.Com members. There will be parties, entertainment, creative outlets, mingling with new and old friends... You won't want to miss this memorable event. For complete and updated details on this event:
:: Location and Accommodations :: We've chosen the Sheraton Park Ridge Hotel & Conference Center for next year's convention. This newly renovated property is located in King of Prussia, PA, minutes from both city attractions and rolling countryside. The warm and inviting ambience is felt the minute you walk into the lobby. The hotel is easily accessible to all major highways, close to Valley Forge National Park, and just 20 miles from Philadelphia International Airport. Infinity Publishing (http://www.infinitypublishing.com) has held conferences at this Sheraton for over three years. Stories.Com was invited to say a few words at their last conference in October and we immediately noticed the hotel's atmosphere and professionalism. We feel this property is perfect for our events and, one month later, have signed the contract! For complete details on the Sheraton:
:: Registration and Payments :: Pre-registration has ended and regular registration is now open! This period of registration will only last until 85 people have signed up and begun their payments. We will then close regular registration and late registration will begin. Late registration will end once we reach approximately 100 signups; registration will then be closed. If you are going to pay for your convention registration using our monthly payment plan, it's best to sign up as soon as possible to get started on your payments. If you sign up now, you have 7 full months to pay your registration in installments! For complete details on registration, please see:
We'd love to have you there; if you're thinking of attending, please don't wait until it's too late! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And don't forget to visit our sponsor: http://www.DermatologistRX.Com/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for your continued support of Stories.Com! ~~ The StoryMaster
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| Greetings Members! We are pleased and excited to announce a brand new item type on Stories.Com and we've made a correction to the email system! :: Please Support Our Sponsor :: http://www.DermatologistRX.Com/ :: Community Notes (cNotes) :: Community Notes, or cNotes, are e-cards that can be sent from member to member on Stories.Com. cNotes are a new item type that can be created by any Upgraded or Premium member and sent by any member using Gift Points. Just create your cNote item, upload your images as usual and "manage" the cNote collection using your images! Once the cNotes are created, the ordering and sending process is completely automated and requires no intervention from you. To see examples of and be one of the first to send these new cNotes, please see:
A special thank you goes to ♥Pay It Forward♥  for the time andeffort they have spent sending Fuzzies and spreading friendships on Stories.Com. We expect they should have more time to enjoy the site now instead of spending so much time sending them. We hope cNotes help distribute even more of these good deeds throughout the community! Enjoy! cNotes are a great way for members to gain Gift Points to keep their accounts Upgraded. They are also a very useful fundraising tool for the Upgrade charities that exist throughout Stories.Com. Find out more about Upgraded Membership ----> Invalid Item Find out more about Premium Membership ----> Invalid Item :: Sent Mail Fixed! :: Many of you will be pleased to note that the "Sent Mail" folder in the email system now correctly displays the "To:" address for the emails you have sent! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And don't forget to visit our sponsor: http://www.DermatologistRX.Com/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for your continued support of Stories.Com! ~~ The StoryMaster
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| Greetings Members! We listened to both sides of the story and have come up with a happy medium for the Stories.Com rating system! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *~*~* Attention Writers! *~*~* http://www.FreelanceWriters.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Turn your rating stars into $$$ as a freelance writer!!! Follow your stars to the revolutionary website where writers register their types of writing skills and topics of expertise in a global directory of freelance writers available for hire. Take the next step as a rising star and register today at http://www.FreelanceWriters.com/writers_faqs.cfm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- :: Rateable Vs. Unrateable Items :: All Authors on Stories.Com are here for different reasons. Some of you are here to perfect the craft of writing, asking for honest, useful feedback for your items. Some of you write for pure pleasure and want to share your work with the community, but not receive suggestions for improvement. Now you can do both at Stories.Com! We've given Authors the option to make their items either "rateable" or "unrateable". Now when viewing a rateable item, you can feel confident as a rater that the Author wants honest, constructive feedback! For complete details of this new feature, please read:
The ability to set the rating preference on an item can be found on the item create / edit page. Simply choose the setting that you want and save your item. The default setting for all existing items is to allow ratings. To have a better understanding of the rating system:
To see an example of the criteria for choosing a rating for an item:
With this new feature, you can be sure that your feedback is appreciated and wanted by the Author of any rateable item! Enjoy! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And don't forget to visit our sponsor: http://www.FreelanceWriters.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for your continued support of Stories.Com! ~~ The StoryMistress  Click the kitty! |
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I am thrilled to have been chosen for Third Place!
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Congratulations winners!!
