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Chatterbox: Chirp at Cricket
THE ASK ADMIN
THE ASK ADMIN THREAD!!!!!!
Ok, so there are tons of threads made to ask Admin a particular question. I thought: why doesn't someone just make ONE thread for ALL the questions? So, here it is!
My first question: Can't the Admins make some sort of search thing inside this website so that we can look for a certain thread? Because I was going to revive several, and they got stuck somewhere between the page they were on and the first page. I don't really feel like looking through all the pages again...
=^..^=
Our Webmaster knows that a Search function has been requested, but we are a small staff with many other things to do to publish all our magazines and maintain all our Web sites. It's unlikely we'll get to a Search engine anytime soon, if ever. I think a few years ago a Chatterboxer figured out how to search via Google with Cricket Chatterbox plus a specific theme in the search field. I don't know if that would still work now because there are many more threads on Chatterbox, and many with similar themes, that there were two years ago. I'm sorry we can't be more encouraging about this.
Admin
submitted by SusyQ
(September 26, 2011 - 8:02 pm)
(September 26, 2011 - 8:02 pm)
Just curious...
If you need hard copies, why don't you accept faxes for contest submissions? Do you guys not have enough fax machines to print all those entries?
Admin: Our contest judges don't work from our Chicago office, and I don't think they have their own faxes. Side note: Click, Ask, and Muse accept email contest entries now. Maybe other magazines will follow?
(April 10, 2013 - 4:14 pm)
Also, can you submit more than one FFS?
Yes, you may submit multiple first sentences.
Admin
(April 3, 2013 - 4:19 pm)
Admin, something crazy happened. Edit the following out if needed.
I made a connection between a CBer and someone who wrote to the Letterbox in this month's issue. I'm about 200% sure the connection is accurate.
This may happen from time to time. We do not, however, print complete addresses on either Chatterbox or in Cricket magazine. And we only print last names and cities in the magazine if a reader has provided them to us. We like know where our readers are writing from . . . letters arrive from all over the world. How marvelous that Chatterbox and Letterbox can bring us all closer together!
Admin
(April 3, 2013 - 7:59 pm)
I think I know who you're talking about, JDD.
Gertrude (my spam check thing) says: yitp. Yaks incarcerate tattletale puddles?
(April 4, 2013 - 12:56 pm)
Yet again, another question for the TRULY MARVELOUS ADMINS...
I came up with the coolest idea EVER: Team Writing! See, in each of these concieved threads, we pick a genre/subject, pair into teams of two, and discuss ideas and stories. Then each pair writes a story and they both rewrite it together until both people in the team are satisfied.
Now, we could just like, post the rewritings in a comments, like: "Person 1's revision, Person 2's revision, Person 1's second revision", but I think it would be better to, like, be able to write and revise the story in just ONE comment. So, I was wondering if, either, 1. could you just have us submit our revisions in a reply, and then replace the old version with the new version in the one comment and delete the reply, or 2. have a feature where you click "edit a post", and the edits go through you guys like everything else, and then you replace the old post with the revised one?
I think the former is more likely. Admin, what say you?
If I follow what you're saying, I suggest we might try 1. When we review comments for posting we don't see the comment to which the reply is being made, so you'll need to include specific instructions with each reply. We have a way of finding original comments to which a reply is being made, BUT it doesn't always work. And there is some value in seeing both older and revised versions; readers can learn about the process of writing that way.
Admin
(April 4, 2013 - 2:26 pm)
Yeah, another question... You say you don't see the comment to which the reply is being made. How do you see our comments? Do you like, use a special program or do you go onto a secret website and type in a password?
Can you put up a screenshot of how you see our posts?
We log on to the administrative part of the website with a special password. Then we see a list of the beginning words of all the comments waiting to be posted. We then open each comment, one by one, review it, edit if necessary, then post it (or delete if unsuitable, which rarely happens).
Admin
(April 4, 2013 - 6:42 pm)
Okay, I think that we should just stick with submitting the revised versions separately from the old ones.
Oh, and I think that the "edit a post" thing I described is a good idea, so that instead of describing to you guys why or where there's a mistake, we can just show you. I think that if you guys went through with that, it would be good to have a box where we type the reason (s) for the changes.
(April 4, 2013 - 7:14 pm)
@JDD
We used to do partner writing a little while ago. One person would make a thread to partner everyone up. Once you had a partner, you made your own thread about it where you wrote the story in alternating comments. I used this to start to write a fantasy story with Elizabeth once, but the thread died.:(
(April 7, 2013 - 8:36 am)
@JDD: I know who were talking about in the Letterbox. I see letters from Cbers in the Letterbox alot. One time I saw a letter from someone that I know, but I didn't even know that they got Cricket before.
(April 5, 2013 - 12:03 pm)
Do the Admins ever rotate, or has it just been the three of you? How long have you worked as an Admin?
Admin: I've done it for a year. As far as I know we're the only three who've done it. The other two have been here since the beginning.
(April 12, 2013 - 6:30 am)
Ooh, I've always wondered this: is there a reason why threads typically take longer than posts to appear?
(April 13, 2013 - 6:41 pm)
Admin, do people ever comment in other languages?
Non! We might not understand their comments.
(April 14, 2013 - 11:12 am)
Admin, I was just thinking that, if we want to post a link to a trustworthy website unbeknowist to the Admins, we could propose it to be on an "Okay to link to" list or something?
Admin: We'd love to open the web up to you guys, but unfortunately, we don't have the time to check every site. We'll consider making a list of safe book and writing sites sometime soon.
(April 17, 2013 - 6:05 pm)
Admin, I put a thread on BaB talking about the Beyonders series. Strangely, after you Admins approved it, it popped up buried somewhere in the records rather than at the top like usual. I know it was approved and that no one replied to it because I saw it when I arranged the posts from newest to oldest. I'm going to try and boot it up, but I was wondering if you had an explanation (which is very unlikely).
Admin 1: I blame Admin 2.
Admin 2: I blame Admin 1.
(April 17, 2013 - 6:32 pm)
The thread I spoke of just a couple secs ago? I tried to kick it to the front twice, failed. It's now still at the bottom.
Rodney says bore. Yes, Rodney, it is a bore to be trying to top a stubburn thread.
(April 17, 2013 - 6:35 pm)