Critique Forum and Membership Changes

[Rebecca]

I wanted to let you know about a number of changes to the membership system and critique (workshop) forums (http://4Believers.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=28) here at ChristianWriters.com.

Membership Changes

As most of you know, there were two basic levels of membership on our site: New Member and Member. Under the old policy, a 'new member' achieved regular 'member' status after ten posts; I lowered this number to five. I also enacted these additional changes to the membership tier:

New Member: A member who recently signed up, and/or has not yet participated in more than five discussions.

CW Member: A member who has achieved five or more posts.

Active Member: In order to achieve this status, a member must first reach five posts, then maintain three or more posts a week. Note: This new level should be in place by the end of this week.

Please remember that only posts made in the general discussion forums (http://4Believers.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=3) count towards a user's post count.

I believe the new system will work better for everyone concerned. New members may achieve full-fledged membership more easily, and active members are awarded for their participation. In the very near future, I intend to offer further incentives and privileges for our active members. Keep an eye out for another special announcement coming soon. ;)

Critique Forum Changes

I have implemented a major change to our workshop (critique) forums (http://4Believers.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=28). From this day on, the workshops forums will operate on a point system.

- Each time you offer feedback or critique another writer's work in the workshops, you will earn one point.
- Posting your own work for critique costs two points.
- Only members and active members can view or participate in the workshops.

In essence, each member must offer two critiques (or feedback) for each critique requested of their own work. This new system helps ensure that all work posted for critique will receive a response. I feel it is a much more fair and balanced way to manage the workshops feature.

As always, I welcome your questions and comments regarding these new site changes. Please feel free to post any feedback to this thread.

Thank you, and God bless. :)

Rebecca

[dublinheart]

Maybe I'm not understanding the rules here, so please help me out. I went to post a poem tonight after I had critiqued and replied to several posts. It said I couldn't post-I had no credits. I critiqued and replied some more- it still said the same thing. Do replies to posts count as credit or only critiques? Maybe I'm brainaddled tonight, but I don't get it. If you'll check it out I'm sure you'll see my name on quite a few critiques and posts. :(

[wgjones3]

Works fine for me.

[Rebecca]

WG- Cool! !thumbsup!

Jkenney,

Thanks for the question; it's a great chance to clarify the new features. ;)

Only critiques and/or feedback in the workshops count towards points. Posts/replies in the other forums (such as the Open Forum) no longer have any impact, and aren't counted as critiques.

I checked the post times to verify; the critiques you posted yesterday weren't counted as points because I hadn't activated the system yet. No worries, though. It looks like you put in about five critiques (thank you! :)), so I'm awarding you seven points - a little bonus for taking the initiative. It should work fine from this point forward.

If anyone else put in critiques yesterday before the new system was installed, post here and I'll manually credit you. I want the transition to go as smoothly as possible.

Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns.

Rebecca

[dublinheart]

:) Thanks Rebecca! I want to understand this and make it a great experience. This is a great site, and it can be invaluable to writers. I apologize for my attitude yesterday. You are doing a great job with this !thumbsup!

[FireFeet]

Is there any way to check how many critique points you've earned and used? :confused:

(BTW, I've been gone for awhile, and I like the updates and revisions you've made Rebecca. Well done. :) )

[dublinheart]

Thanks for asking my question, FireFeet. I'd like to keep track if it's possible

[Rebecca]

Hi Firefeet and Jkenney,

I created a new statistic called "Workshop Points' to help you keep track of how many points are in your account. You can view it on any of your posts, in the upper left corner under Join Date, Location, and Posts.

Just remember, a critique costs two points... so divide the total points in half to see how many critiques you may request.

Hope this helps! :)

Rebecca

[Diannecp]

I like this new point system. I have received a blessing from many of the posts I've read and critiqued. It's important that we read and critique other's works as well as post our own . .. . it broadens our perspective and there's much to learn from each other. The point system helps maintain that important balance. Thanks for all you do Rebecca. I'm very impressed with this forum!

[FireFeet]

Thankies Rebecca! :D

[ConstanceB]

Rebecca, the credit/debit system you've developed seems a common sense approach to a sticky problem. Thanks! !thumbsup!