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Newbie with questions and suggestions for improvements

TheWritingCowboy
Posts: 13
Message
on 07/23/2014

I've just begun writing for Wizzley and I'd say - so far so good. Of course, ask me again in a few months when I'll know for sure whether this effort is worth it or not (we're talking bucks here, right?).

But, a couple of things I've noticed in my first weeks and for which I'd appreciate some help.

First, the Wizzley tutorial and other help features leave a lot to be desired about how Wizzley works. Oh, I know you can search for answers in the Forum and in already written articles. But that seems like a very long and circuitous route to find the answer to a simple question. Case in point. How does one use and incorporate widgets and modules on their pages? I've seen sites like Amazon offering links to paste into a page, but when I return to my Wizzley page I'll be darned if I can figure out how to incorporate the link. Same thing with modules.

Another issue/question: There are sidebars where I guess I can place my previous articles. But do I really need to cut and paste the url for all my articles (or is it a max of 3 - it's not clear) every time I publish a page? Can't this be automated in some way?

Same thing for linking my article to my social media sites. Facebook seems to be the default linkage, but why not a convenient link to Twitter, My Space, et. al? I've written for other sites where a quick link is available for every conceivable social network site. Why not at Wizzley?

Finally - for now - another suggestion for Wizzley. The tutorial and FAQs are kind of anemic. Why not a "Wizzley University" where quick answers to all of these kinds of basic questions can be provided without having to scour through hundred of articles or forum posts. I love the articles and forum posts, but really, must I read through them all before I can - or in several cases, can't - find a simple answer? Just a thought.

Looking forward to hearing from you all.


Norm Schneider
Guest
on 07/23/2014

Hey dude. Welcome, firstly.

Looking forward to reading more from you in due course, bucks earned or not.

In response to your queries, the Amazon module works on the product number (ASIN) that Amazon gives. You put that in to the Amazon module so it shows the ad you want, or it will find things (whcih may or may not be suitable) according to your search term. That search term can be input into the module.

You have set up your Amazon affiliates account, right?

Sidebars need to be manually populated if you want to put your most relevant articles there. It's always a good idea to have your articles there rather than someone else's, after all. It's not that difficult, really. Automation would be great but this isn't a big site and algorithms aren't foolproof anyway, look at Google search.

Far as I know, you can tweet your articles just as easily as you can fartblot them. I wouldn't know the first thing about fartblot, I don't even have an account.

If I recall, a detailed FAQ is in the works. Patience is a virtue when considering online writing. You are not writing for tomorrow, you are writing for next year, as the saying has it. That goes for site amendments as well as articles.

Lastly, experimentation works on a site like this. Try various layouts, various subjects and just see what works. You're free to delete or amend your articles as required. No duplication of work on other sites, no smut, no questionable content, as per usual rules, but otherwise, you're good to go.

Hope that helps. I'm sure others will chip in too.


Described by one of my clients as 'a literary grammarian', writing, researching and reading are requirements for sanity, at least this side of the keyboard.
dustytoes
Posts: 1087
Message
on 07/23/2014

Wizzley is a pretty simple and straight-forward platform to use.  

Each article you begin will give you a list of modules (on the right hand side) to use and each module will explain what is needed to fill it.  There is no need to "save" a page, as it will automatically do so.

The FAQ section should answer many of a newbies questions I think.  If the answer is not there, come to the forum and ask.

On the left side of every article are many options for sharing the page, including Twitter.  The "share" button brings up a gazillion more buttons to use.

An automatic list of articles like the one you write will show on each page you publish, but if you want a couple of yours to definitely show, the URL must be added in the section.  Go to your "my pages" area under your name at the top and choose which ones to add.

Wizzley IS different from other writing sites, and that is what most of us like about it.

I wish you luck in your writing here.

 

AbbyFitz
Posts: 374
Message
on 07/23/2014

Jo Harrington has loads of tips and tricksf articles for Wizzley, as well as an ebook. All very helpful :)

WriterArtist
Posts: 144
Message
on 07/26/2014

Welcome to Wizzley.

Hoping that you start earning from the platform. Bucks are slow to come but I feel Wizzley has the potential to make it happen.

ologsinquito
Posts: 418
Message
on 07/26/2014

Hi WritingCowboy, Welcome to Wizzley and best of luck with your efforts here.


TheWritingCowboy
Posts: 13
Message
on 07/31/2014

Thanks for the help. Much appreciated.


Norm Schneider
TheWritingCowboy
Posts: 13
Message
on 07/31/2014

Thanks for the reply. It helps, although I don't see Twitter, etc. links on the left side of the page.


Norm Schneider
Guest
on 07/31/2014

 

TheWritingCowboy: 07/31/2014 - 01:39 PM

Thanks for the reply. It helps, although I don't see Twitter, etc. links on the left side of the page.

My Twitter links disappear if my zoom is set over 125%. Fortunately, that's set as default on this machine.


Described by one of my clients as 'a literary grammarian', writing, researching and reading are requirements for sanity, at least this side of the keyboard.
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