651 Reply by SolN

(28 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Sol, just to clarify, if free members can only join one group, does that mean they won't be able to post to multiple groups simultaneously as well? So, if a budding sci-fi author wants to post work to the sci-fi group, they have to drop the Premium group? Why the switch from five groups down to one?
Thanks.
Dirk

No, they will not be able to join or post to more than one group as Free Member. If they want to post work to the sci-fi group, they'll have to drop the Premium Group. Or, they could just become a Premium Member and join up to 10 groups. I would think that's a better option. They'll now  have 30 days to try it out for free and see if they like it.

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652 Reply by SolN

(28 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Thanks for all of the comments. Starting tomorrow, registration will be changed in the following way:

- All new members will receive 30 days of Premium Membership and defaulted into TheNextBigWriter Premium Group.
- New members will be given 10 starter points.
- TheNextBigWriter Free Group will be closed to new members. The site will continue to operate for the time-being although we may eventually close it.
- Free Members will only be able to join 1 group.

In about a week, we will have modified  the point system so that once content is posted in one group, it can be posted in any other point group.  At that point, I'm hoping we can convert most free groups to point groups. Once that happens, free posting will be mostly eliminated. There may be situations where non-points groups are warranted, such as classes or small critique groups. We have preserved free posting capability to support these types of situations. But in general, free posting will be severely curtailed, especially with new members.

Thanks again for your feedback! As you can see, we listen.

Sol

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653 Reply by SolN

(342 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

njc -- The word-turned-into-link thing happens all the time in all of my postings here. I treat it as I do eye floaters, those annoying specks in  my eyes - after awhile they become invisible.

Hi Wilma,
Where are you pasting these poems from? This is either something that is pasted from your browser or from the source document. What type of browser are you using?

Sol

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654 Reply by SolN

(342 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

I can't get back into the review to see if I posted it. I did get the points for the review, so it must have been posted. But it looks like a regular review instead of an inline. All of my inline highlights and comments are gone, and only the summary appears. Someone else's regular review that was there in the beginning is now gone, and seems to be overlaid by my review. Mrs. Piddles replied to my review. This definitely seems to be a bug.

We'll look into this but it's strange. The in-line should auto-save. You don't have a Draft version of the in-line review? All I can find is the regular review you did.

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655 Topic by SolN

(0 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Hi all,

I want to put up some updated testimonials from members about the site. I started to contact writers individually and then realized it would probably be more efficient to post a request here. If the site has helped you, and you would like to submit a testimonial, please take a few minutes, compose it, and email it to me at snasisi (at) thenextbigwriter.com. It doesn't have to be long. If relevant, just tell how the site has helped with your writing and anything else you have enjoyed about the experience.

Once again, please do not post here but send directly to me at snasisi (at) thenextbigwriter.com.

Thanks,
Sol

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656 Reply by SolN

(342 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

I just left an inline review for Mrs Piddles's revision of her short story, "Christie's Chicken Revised." I got the points for the review, but noticed that the inline review count didn't increase for her story. It already had one regular review. WHen I accessed the story again, the inline count remained zero, and I couldn't see the original regular review. My inline review comments showed up.

Are you sure you submitted the in-line review? I only see a regular review there. Go to your In Line Reviews given box and make sure that review is not still a draft.

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657 Reply by SolN

(28 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

This is what I mean by letting things work themselves out.  After a few months of the Free members' inactivity, the free group will have demonstrated itself to be a useless appendage, and it will fall off, or be eliminated.

The issue is I'm not sure how good of an experience it is now for a free member. Most of you probably would have come on as a free member. You would post your content to check it out without paying points. And then, you wouldn't get much feedback. So, what would you do? Would you then search around and realize you can upgrade and join a premium group, or would you just leave? I suspect most would just leave. But let me know what you think you would have done.

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658 Reply by SolN

(28 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Also, this is a good dialogue to have. Going back to what I said on the old site, free & pay are a tough mix

Should we make TheNextBigWriter only a pay site and remove the free functionality?

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659 Reply by SolN

(28 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Would TNBW Free still be non-points group? If not, how should we post so that free members see our work?

Let me ask you this, have you received any reviews from free members?

Would TNBW Free still be non-points group?

No, it would no longer be a free points group. Under this scenario once you pay the points for your work you can post it to any group you want. My impression is that free members are coming onto the site, posting their writing, and for the most part not reciprocating any feedback they get. I could be wrong and if others have a different experience, please let me know.

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660 Topic by SolN

(28 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

After watching the site since its launch, listening to all of you, and thinking about how new members are coming aboard, we are contemplating the following changes to the point system:

1. Updating the point system so that once you post to one group, you can post to all point groups. No more double paying.

2. Turning most groups, especially TheNextBigWriter Free into a point group and requiring that new members review before they post. We will still maintain the option for users to create non-point groups but the major groups run by the site will require points.

3. Opening the point system up to free members also with one caveat. Free members will have to accumulate 50% more points than Premium members to post the same content. Free members can participate but they have to pay more in time.

I welcome any thoughts you have on these changes.

Thanks,
Sol

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661 Topic by SolN

(1 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Hi all,
I'm working to reinvigorate the site's presence on Twitter and Facebook. If you like or follow the site, I'll make sure you get a Like or Follow back.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nextbigwriter

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thenextbigwriter

Sol

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662 Topic by SolN

(2 replies, posted in Writing a Book in 90 Days Challenge)

Start your book anytime  in February and finish it anytime  in May. It's not exactly 90 days, but close enough! Who's in? Post below if you want to participate in this challenge.

Go to forum: Writing a Book in 90 Days Challenge

663 Topic by SolN

(0 replies, posted in Writing a Book in 90 Days Challenge)

Welcome to the group. The goal of this group is to support writers who have wanted to write a book but never taken the leap to do it. The goal is to write the first draft of a book in 90 days. The idea is to not think about it so much but just enjoy the process of writing. Once you have the first draft on paper, you can go back and edit and change it.

Let's support and motivate each other to get it done.

Go to forum: Writing a Book in 90 Days Challenge

664 Reply by SolN

(2 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Hi Dirk,
Which messages do you mean? Forum messages, private messages, Quickees? Let me know.

Thanks,
Sol

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665 Reply by SolN

(33 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Yes, that is correct. I even went back and added "revised" to the title just in case. Thanks. Take care. Vern

Hi Vern,

I see the problem. It is not posted to TheNextBigWriter Premium. This is the group sponsoring the contest so it must be posted there to be entered.

Sol

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666 Reply by SolN

(342 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Somehow, the site has kicked me out of a couple of my groups. I don't know exactly how long ago it happened, but I typically glance at my groups list on the right of the Home page daily looking for recent forum posts. Today, I added the new Queries, Blurbs, and Synopsis group to my list of groups, then noticed that Old Forums and Dew Drops Readers were no longer there. I was able to add Old Forums back to my list. I didn't add Dew Drops Readers back in since the author is posting elsewhere as well. I was well under my 10 group limit when this happened.
Win 7 PC with latest Google Chrome.

Can you let me know if this happens again before you add it back. It sounds like some kind of bug but it's hard to track down once you've rejoined the groups. In the meantime, I will try to reproduce it.

Thanks!

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667 Reply by SolN

(342 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Sol, you're probably already aware of this, but just in case ... when I go to send a private message, the drop down list is cut off at the bottom. even when I've scrolled all the way down the list. I usually can't select the latest connection(s). Not sure if there's a workaround, although I haven't found one.
Win 7 PC with latest Google Chrome.

I see what you mean. Will get this fixed asap.

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668 Reply by SolN

(33 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Hi Vern,

I checked it out and it should work. Let me talk to the tech guys about it. The title shouldn't make a difference.

Just to confirm, you published it as a new book, right?

Thanks,
Sol

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669 Reply by SolN

(8 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

If they have posted to Premium with points then they can definitely receive in-line reviews.

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670 Reply by SolN

(33 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

There is no republish on the new site. You will need to create a fresh listing for the contest. You might be able to create a new version under the same book but I'm not sure if that would work. I'll have to check.

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671 Reply by SolN

(212 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

I'll think about the rating idea. I'm still struck by the fact that a teen can walk into a library and take out whatever book they want. There is no rating system. Same with a bookstore.

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672 Topic by SolN

(2 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

We released two enhancements today:

1. Chapter reordering fixed. We  changed the way chapter reordering works to remove a bug in the old system. To reorder chapters in your portfolio, you can now click on the chapter numbers and it will allow you to renumber them. This will resolve the previous problem where chapters with versions were not reordering properly.

2. Groups Only. You can now select to publish to Groups Only. Before the only option was to Groups and Connections. So, you can publish to a Group without having to publish to all of your connections at the same time.

We also made a few other minor bug fixed. More updates to come.

Sol

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673 Reply by SolN

(6 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

You won't get booted if you forget. When renewal time comes, it will ask you to choose what type of account you want. At that point you can either stay Premium or not.

It got pretty complicated on the billing side taking the old subscription, combining it with the free month, and then adding the ability to append a new membership on top of that.

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674 Topic by SolN

(4 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

From the article:

"The scientific research on the benefits of so-called expressive writing is surprisingly vast. Studies have shown that writing about oneself and personal experiences can improve mood disorders, help reduce symptoms among cancer patients, improve a person’s health after a heart attack, reduce doctor visits and even boost memory."

For the full article:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/01/1 … happiness/

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675 Topic by SolN

(1 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Hi all,

I think there might be an upgrade bug for those that are Founding Members. If you are unable to upgrade your account, let me know and I will extend your Premium membership for a few days until we have it fixed.
Sol

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