The Flickspin Blog makes a Move

We have just launched our new blog under our new sign up site - Online Writing Community (onlinewritingcommunity.com).

Be sure to check it out. We'll still be covering updates to the site as well other news regarding writing for the web.

Hopefully we'll see you on the flip-side.

Fiction Explosion!

After the flood of requests we finally got our act into gear and made Flickspin a whole lot broader. We've now opened up a whole new fiction area for short stories, poetry and web-novels!

This expansion brings some big style changes for these new format types where we've kept things as clean as possible and done our best to make the published work the star of the show. Let us know what you think.

If the new fiction area wasn't enough we've also added in some more non-fiction sections: reviews, recipes and helpful how-tos. All new format types can be added to Flickspin by using the good old word processor you'll find in flickspin.com/central.

Changes to the revenue share system

With the new expansion of the site and our need to keep our marketing message clear we've made some changes to revenue share percentages for published works. Here are the percentages that go into the writer's pocket:

Non-fiction: 75% (this includes blogs!)

Fiction: 50%

(Log into Flickspin to find out more details.)

For those not interesting in making money we've also added the option to turn the ads off for their pages. This switch can be found within the settings area under flickspin.com/central. For those leaning the other way and want to make the most our of their published work, the settings area also has the option to increase ad exposure on their pages (where available). By catering to both ends of the spectrum we feel we can make writers happy for whatever reason they enjoy writing.

Have a happy Easter!

Introducing Flickspin Central & Spin Links

The My Desk area is no more. But say hello to Flickspin Central and Spin Links! Flickspin Central is the new portal for accessing your Flickspin tools as well as keeping up with what is going on with the site. And that's where Spin Links comes in; we're now piping a feed of what's going on around the site and making easier to see what the other writers are up to. Spin Links will also list new threads in the Writers' Forum as well as new blog posts from the Flickspin Blog.

That's about it for now, however, the new Flickspin Central page also has a little reminder that we love feedback. We really do. So if you have any thoughts or suggestions, we always here and we're always listening.

Peace!

Blog Via Email

The ability to blog via email is the latest feature on the site and coolest one we've had the pleasure to announce. This little doozy makes it just that much easier to keep on top of the art they call blogging. In fact, blogging doesn't get much easier. All our writers now need to do is fire off an email and that little message will make it on to the site within minutes. Pretty neat, hey?

The concept of blogging via email isn't new but it's never really taken off in any major form. One reason that things may be different now is that the mobile market is getting a hefty shake-up whereby email is becoming ubiquitous, and connectivity is becoming a non-issue.

It must be understood that blogging via email isn't just for those with fancy little gadgets. Email clients such as Gmail, Outlook and Thunderbird all offer quality editing tools and a familiar interface that makes it just that much easier to keep the words flowing. Not only that but blogging via email also means you don't have to login and load up another application to post your work. It just makes things easy.

We've added a couple of little extras with the blog via email functionality that allows writers to select a category if they wish to do so as well as add any keywords they see fit. Details of the specifics are available once you login.

We really like the feature (as you can probably tell) and we hope our writers love it too.

Peace!

Luke

Little by Little...

Today saw the release of some new code to the site. Most of it revolves around little fix-ups and style changes around the site - nothing too major. The main pages adjusted were the about us page, the homepage, the search page and the login page.

This release actually leads on from one a few weeks ago that saw the stylised toolbar added to the profile areas. Looks pretty spiffy too and does a great job of tidying up the profile and blog pages.

One other area that was recently updated was the join the web writing community page where we are campaigning to grow the community with some more members. We've made it easier for people to sign up as well as find out what we are about.

Now that we've done a bit of a tidy of house to the public areas of the site, we've got our eyes on revamping the beloved "my desk" area. But before we get stuck in there is one really cool feature that will be built, launched, and mentioned here real soon.

Stay tuned.

Peace! Luke

Images, Images, Images (+ other stuff)

As mentioned previously, today is the day to introduce the latest changes to the Flickspin writing community.

Images - Bigger and Brighter:
With some help from some open source code (slimbox + mootools), images on articles, etc. are now displayed in a very user friendly viewer. Readers only need to click on an image to pop-up the viewer where they can then browse through all of the included images in a much larger size.

Images - Uploading and Including:
Here is where a lot of work went into the latest release; images can now be uploaded without being taken to a new page. This feature was frequently requested and we are happy to have come through with the goods. Not only have we improved the upload process, writers can now place their images exactly where they want them displayed within a post.


Including images in a post has been made easy by the use of drag-and-drop technology to move images from the shared image gallery or a writer's own image gallery into the post. Once the images are included it's then easy to add captions.

Images - Profile + Blog Stylings:
Not only did we make it easy to add images to posts we also made it easy add/change portrait and header images for your profile and blog by utilising the drag-and-drop technology. We think it's pretty cool too.

Fact File Spruce:
Fact files have had a bit of a polish whereby we've reduced the size of the ads and made the display area of the text a fair amount wider. This gives the page a better overall feel and leaves layout of the page performing it's intended purpose; conveying short sharp tips to readers that mostly come from search engines while aiming for a high ad click rate by having the ad in the webpage visual hostspot.

Here's an example

Improved Related Article Algorithm:
The relation of some of the items in the related articles list was a bit unusual at times. We've taken a few extra steps to help keep things more inline and make it more appealing to readers and more meaningful to search engines.

Peace!

All comments and feedback welcome. Also, if you haven't signed up with the site be sure to get a wriggle on.

New Changes are Live!

The new changes have now taken hold on the site and all writers can now log in freely. Tomorrow we will announce the details in full but let's just say it has a lot to do with the way the images work on the site.

Until then.

Peace!

Site Upgrade - Starting 7am (PST) Sep 24

We've got a large upgrade in the works and will need to prevent anyone logging in for at least a few hours. The good news is, there remainder of the site shouldn't skip a beat so all published works will still be accessible and the ads will continue to collect revenue for all those signed up with AdSense.

We'll announce the changes once we open the site back up and everything is looking smooth.

Hopefully all goes well. Wish us luck!

Cheers!

Freedom to Self-publish

The latest major update to Flickspin now allows writers with a proven record to have the option to self-publish or choose to have work edited. Not only that but there is now a choice as to which editor you'd like to converse with. This also means previously published works can be modified by writers without resubmission for editing, but again the choice is optional.

With these new changes in place we feel there is a better balance between the freedom to write and the necessity to maintain quality work on the site. To date the quality of published work on Flickspin has been amazing and most of it comes down to the raw talent of the writers.

These changes have also brought a new member to the Flickspin team, Bay Oliver has joined our ranks to provide writers with a new choice if they wish to have their work edited. She has a degree in journalism and experience on the frontlines of print media. A master of words and grammar, she is a great asset behind the Flickspin team.

This update also brings along a host of smaller and more subtle changes, most of which are not worth mentioning. For those writers looking to supe things up a bit and wanting to get more out of writing for Flickspin, be sure to fire off some comments and ideas (luke@flickspin.com).

Peace!

Flickspin's Feature Writers

In the latest round of changes to Flickspin there have been a number of modifications to the category pages. Not only are the pages a little more pleasing to the eye but you might just see a feature writer gracing the odd category homepage. The feature writers have gained their new status by writing frequently for a given category. Not only will they receive greater profile on the site they can also collect 100% of the ad revenue for the Google ads on their category homepage.

If you are interested in becoming a feature writer for a category, sign up with the Flickspin writing community if you're not already a writer and when you submit an article or fact-file for review just mention your intention of which category you'd like be a feature writer for via the message the editor field. Then at the end of every month the line up of feature writers is reviewed. The criteria used to decide which writers become feature writers are detailed on the "Feature Categories" page within your "My Desk" area, but the basic idea is that it is based around the idea of the selecting the writer with the most articles written for a category over the previous 3 months. Depending on the community's thoughts, this may change in the future.

Here are the feature categories for this month:

• Lifestyle & Culture
  
• Restaurant Reviews
  
• Travel
  
• Information Technology
  
• Video Games
  
• Music
  
• Short Stories

It's a pretty exciting new feature for Flickspin and we're glad to be helping to promote writers on their efforts.

Peace!

All the Colours of the Rainbow

The latest feature to the collection is a sprightly one! We can now move away from the default colours of profile area and move into the bright and stylish future.

At the moment there are 6 styles to choose from (pictured) and we are open to adding more. If you want to see one, have a look here. If we haven't covered your favourite colour, be sure to let us know and we'll keep adding more options.

To liven up your page, login, go to the "Profile & Blog Stylings" page and click on the link for "Profile Colours" and make your selection.

If anyone has any other suggestions for the blog area, feel free to give us a shout.

Peace!

Flickspin Blogs now Support Youtube Clips

Okay, so the title may have given away the news of the new feature on FS but it's definitely worth repeating. Youtube videos can now be embedded into blog posts. Here's an example - Google and the Energy Space.

At the moment we are allowing one clip per blog post and the post will automatically appear under the first paragraph. If embedding vids becomes popular on the site we may expand the service to allow more than one to be embedded and possibly allow clips from other video streaming sites. We will play it by ear.

Happy blogging!

Keeping it Short and Sweet

We've taken a step towards fiction writing with a new category for short stories. This decision lines up with the main goal of the site - to be an awesome place to write and to be read. Allowing short stories on the site could just be seen as a natural progression of this idea.

The format is fairly new for the site but we plan to develop a number of features around the idea and treat it as a special case across the site. No doubt we'll announce the changes as they happen.

If you want to submit a short story, make sure you've signed up with the site, then submit your work as an article via the word processor and we'll put it in the right place.

Peace!

New Blog & Profile Area Stylings

Since we announced the funky new retro layout last month we've been working hard to finish off the job with the blog and profile areas getting a massive overhaul. Having become a blogger of sorts, I knew full well the short comings of the old flickspin blog and profile areas. With the new profile options and custom stylings this thing feels sweet and looks sweet. What a combo!

Here's a hint of what we're talking about:

• http://www.flickspin.com/mcgyver/blog
  
• http://www.flickspin.com/bay/blog

Wondering about the changes, check them out:

• brand new layout & colour scheme - still looks hot on the iPhone too
• fully customisable header images,
  
• a new blog roll listing,
  
• room for a note or quote,
  
• a listing for hobbies and interests,
  
• and last but not least... an experimental external RSS feed reader - aka the EERSSFR.

The EERSSFR sounds confusing but is there simply to help writers to promote their blogs or article feeds from other sites. This is great way to let readers find out more about your work and it will always show your latest articles. We think it's pretty cool - even if it is experimental.

Funky New Retro Layout

Everyone knows Retro is back. And so moving with the times the site has undergone its 3rd major style change since the launch in March 2008. This new layout style has already given Flickspin a lift with a noticeable boost in page views per visitor. This is based only on a limited set of data but we think this will be the trend because not only does the site look better it's becoming even easier to browse.

There are a whole host of other changes planned and most of them will hopefully be implemented this month. Most of the work will centre on promoting imagery and articles.

It's exciting times and so great to see the site evolving. If you have and comments on the new stylings let us know!

Flickspin Meets the iPhone

Flickspin has just received a minor face lift. All external pages on the site, such as articles, fact files and the like, will now be smoothly viewable on iPhones and iPod Touches. This should also mean other mobile web viewers (Android phones, etc) will be able to take advantage of the new layout.

Traffic to the site is increasingly coming mobile web browsers. The market for these devices is currently budding and is picked to be absolutely huge. It has been claimed that this will be one of the biggest changes in terms of the way we think of the web. When people are looking for great articles and info, it make sense that Flickspin offers a sweet ride no matter which device the site is viewed with.

Introducing the Fact File

Have you ever had a problem and Googled your heart out only to find what you were looking for in some sort of convoluted way?

Although you may have had to search to the heavens doesn't mean the next person after you has to go the same distance. You now get to help your fellow homosapians as well as make a bit of dosh on the side.

This is all possible through the new document type on Flickspin - the Fact File.

I know! I thought it was a sweet idea too!

Here's an example of what I'm talking about. If you've had problems with Session handling in CakePHP, this fact file is for you.

Just keep the Flickspin Fact File in mind next time you want throw your computer out the window and have a headache the size of Google. If you can find your answer and can take 5 minutes to articulate it, Flickspin is your friend!

Knol Joins the Web

Google release it's Knol site yesterday, 6 months after its original press release. My first thoughts were that Knol was going to cause problems for existing writing networks but I soon realised Knol is taking an approach to SEO no other Web publishing site could even contemplate. Due to this different approach the Knol platform will exist to compliment other writing sites. The reason this is the case is that a lot of work needs to be done to promote a Knol and if a writer sticks to only writing Knols then they will fail to promote their Knols, hence they will not appear very high in search engine listings.

The best way to promote an article on the web is to have lots of links to it and to spread the word about it. The fact Google 's new platform doesn't allow for link promotion within a Knol means writers will need to write elsewhere and promote their articles externally. A great way to promote a Knol or your work in general is to have a blog or write for a site like flickspin.com. This may mean that smaller writing sites are relagated to semi promotion based sites but a good writer should really be writing for a number of sites to help spread the word of their work. This may not be ideal but it certainly beats obliteration from a one fell swoop from Google.

Shaking Up the Style

The site has had a bit of a change up style-wise. The feel from the style is now fresh and clean with no more cheesy stylings carried through from the 90's.

The former styles were developed in an ad hoc fashion were given little thought in regard to aesthetics. Concentration was focused more on SEO and the workings behind the site. The general consensus of the former stylings from the beta team were along the lines that the site looked like a dog's breakfast. Hopefully the rework is a little more tasteful.

There will be a number of other format changes in the coming weeks. The most major change planned is a revamp to the home page.

The next few weeks should be pretty fun and it will be interesting to see how the site evolves.

The New Flickspin Blog - Just the Way You Like It

Yes, this is the new "corporate blog" for FS. I know it doesn't look anywhere near as good as the old one but you can blame Blogger for that.

The plan behind this blog is to give one and all an indication of what is going on behind the scenes of that awesome new site FS. I'm sure there will be posts regarding modifications, possible new features, general direction of the site and other odds and ends. If you are lucky you may even see notes as to why Flickspin is suffering chronic server failure - let's hope those one's are slightly less common.

As a quick update on the site; there are a bunch of beta testers in the site and they have done a stellar job finding bugs and getting in amongst it. Unfortunately they are all suffering writer's block but fear not, the beauty of FS is in the fact there are no quotas on writing, which helps the creative juices flow and doesn't make writing a chore. I think the main blockage for the beta testers has been choosing what to write about. I know every time I check it out it looks like a cafe review site. The good news is that our topics are many and varied and as things start to flow everyone will get a better idea of what the site is all about and I'm sure the writer's block will begin to ease and we'll have some great content filling the pages in good time.