mark
says:
@deepfried_freak: do you mean books that were INTENDED for the public library but are returned by our storyspotters? If so, they typically go against our community guideline and need to be tweaked.
@spearsisfierce: following is on our list. We were actually just experimenting with it on our iPad app and definitely plan to include it on the web. Stay tuned.
@95nicky: hold and drag art onto the page until the gray space becomes full screen. Then release the art and it will take up the full page. However, this only works with some images. You have to experiment.
@lalahead316, @smiley316: not sure. But, while we're waiting, why don't you guys start an underground challenge?
1. Poll the group about a theme and report back here with the final choice for approval.
2. Choose a start and end date for the challenge: 2-3 weeks is probably right. Advertise that to anyone/everyone.
3. Write your stories and tag them with CC<theme>. If the theme is "Friendship," then tag them CCFriendship. (CC means "community challenge") Use the comment field to say whether you book is by a kid, teen/tween, or adult.
4. Use the tag links on the story pages to "see all stories tagged CCFriendship" in order to read/review the entries.
5. Organize a judging panel of 2 grownups and 3 non-adults. Have them review the final entries and choose a #1, #2, and #3 for three ranges: kids, tweens/teens/grownups. I'd suggest judging the books based on voice, imagination, and quality of writing.
6. Report back here on the winners.
7. Get someone in the group to design a "Community Challenge" winner badge/artwork and email it to support@storybird.com when it's done. We'll use that for the winners you chose.
8. We'll post your winners on our blog and, MAYBE, on the Read page.
9. There are no prizes and this is a community effort.
10. If it goes well, you can do another one. Rinse and repeat.
This offer stands for a month. If you don't take it up by then, it dissolves.
PS. I'd suggest mapping out some EASY cut-and-paste instructions for everyone. Run a draft by Figment or CassB.
I need to get a cape. And I think the "advocate for the imagination" guy should be our new mascot.
lol
Capes for everyone! (Well, capes and chocolate.)
Where form meets function.
I would like both a cap and a cape
mark, i love this story and its art. serves a purpose and is good-looking, too.
=)
Mark, in your beautiful "About Us" storybird, you say "For families and friends, we're building a service...." What about "For students and teachers"? I see this as having tremendous potential for collaborative formal as well as informal learning (producing, prose and poetry writing, new media literacy and digital citizenship, etc.). I'm sure you've all thought a lot about this, but I think it should be right up front in marketing materials. I'm excited about the potential for artists too - and for collaboration between students and professional artists. Talk about authentic learning! Anyway, go Storybird!
@quasimime: I'm going to use that as a compliment for me too ;)
@anncollier: Absolutely. Teachers and students are a big part of our plans going forward. Given our short-term constraints (ie. being a bootstrapped startup) we're focused on the family/friend connection. But once we have some velocity—teachers and students come next. Not only because it can help with various learning styles, but also because it links the student/teacher relationship to the parents...a relationship we've seen drift further and further apart in schools.
andy hearted this
I just have one question after reading this.
What kind of CHEESE?
(You understand that I'm much more a cheese girl than a chocolate one.)
It would have to be goat cheese and mozzarella, particularly with tomatoes and crusty bread. But the key is to chase it down with a small bit of 72% dark ;)
onemoreryan hearted this
terry hearted this
KuMu hearted this
hahajokes hearted this
oshun hearted this
it's a great thing. and has become a verb for me.
"sorry, busy storybirding"
tandrusiak hearted this
kendicott hearted this
Jay hearted this
What a great discovery...I found the link on one of West Australian Education Department's recommended resource lists. I run programs for gifted and talented primary students and plan to use this as the main tool for a course next year. Love the way it encourages imagination and uses some fantastic art as a starting point.....
Thanks everyone. We appreciate the love and all the great feedback. Remember to drop us a line every now and again on how you're using Storybird with your family or students. We LOVE that kind of stuff.
jeano hearted this
ronestar hearted this
franhj hearted this
bookworm1996 hearted this
and cat
very popular i see...
nyx hearted this
chenelle hearted this
i like to learn more about story bird because i have only been on story bird for a month so mark could you wright a nother story about the storybird website or tell me some things on this comment paper is what i mean by just i am new to story bird is so i need to Know more then what the story sais so would you please do that??? huh???
daddylove678 hearted this
@daddylove678: thanks for the kind words about Storybird and my stories in particular. If you'd like to learn more about Storybird, you can read http://blog.storybird.com/2009/03/prologue/
If you'd like more stories, well...those pop out of my head only when they feel like it, so you'll have to wait—just like me. But there are other great authors on the site, like missK, Betty, and Nyx, all who are writing fantastic stuff.
And, of course, the world is waiting for your stories. That's what's great about Storybird. You can read, but you can write. And what you write is just as important as anyone else's stuff.
OK that sound like a great place to look on for more story bird stuff thanks!!!
for well what you said at the top you shouldd make storys pop in your head here are some idels:
-a vecatchen you had
-favorite things
-animals
-your favorite teams or sports stuff you now about
@daddylove678: great ideas. And, btw, you can change your avatar (the picture beside your comments) by clicking on your name in the top right corner of the page (beside "hi"). That takes you to your account page where you can upload a new image.
thanks for the help!!
besides i know that funny book frightend from flying i know it is funny i am wrighting a secent if you liked the first.
strietelmeierr hearted this
As a second language acquisition teacher in a small community, I am using this to provide my English Language Learners a voice to the world. We use writing to learn English and the Storybird format and art inspire my students beyond words! THANKS in 8 Languages from all of us!
amberbridge hearted this
Hi! amberbridge
I have added a blog post on my blog for teachers who teach at my school as well as for teachers at other districts. I am hoping they will use your site for poems that students create.
http://www.hopkins.kyschools.us/webpages/mzimmer/myblog.cfm?blogid=7289
Let me know if I need to make any changes or feel free to add your own comments for my readers. Thank you!
nice story
@MZ557 (Mr Zimmer): that's a great roundup of Storybird. Thanks for the post and taking the time to spread the Storybird love. It's greatly appreciated.
ty07 hearted this
hungribunni hearted this
As you can tell
By my writing obsession
Storybird has a fan
firmly in its possession
thebigjc hearted this
You have CHEESE?
What Kind?
:)
Lizard1212 hearted this
wolfewonder hearted this
cute but I would have perfered chedder LOL great story to inspire young writers
randomgal hearted this
I'm afraid I've received neither a cape nor chocolate. As much as this saddens me, I'm generally not one to complain. Some nice stories have compensated for this oversight.
I've just found this place and I LOVE IT!!
Thanks
Thanks @luzmar: we love it too :)
sarahdawn_evans hearted this
It is a very nice introduction!!!
milkysocks2 hearted this
dgilmore hearted this
sweet it was my birthday yesterday whoooooooooo
Nice work!
SarahV hearted this
nice
zibbycomix hearted this
nednoroz hearted this
WOW. your good.
Mark - great website. My students love this site. Currently, students are creating stories with their learning partners in the classroom. Soon, we will also create stories collaboratively with students at a different school.
I have many students who are using this at home and creating stories by themselves.
I learned about this site at a conference.
Thank you so so so much!
u have more views then most pictures! compared 2 u, i have pretty much no views at all! IM IMPRESSED!!!!! =D
eie hearted this
mark do you work for storybird or something like that.
This makes my <3 smile.
Mark - your energy and vision are inspirational.
Hey Mark I really like the thing with cheese. I like melted cheese and peanut butter on cruskits. :P
@hilltop3rd: @1566: @Maureen @Pearly: thanks much for all the kind words. :)
ur welcome
wheres da cheeeeeeze??????? lemme at itttttt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Absolutely the most fun you can have dreaming up stories! I'm working on a list of websites to recommend to the parents of my students and this is TOP of the list! Thank you!!
i cant seem to make a story. it just comes up to art and pictures. What do i do?
Try dragging the art onto the page Kyle15.
carolinegems hearted this
My students are currently using Storybird to write their own science fiction or fantasy stories to upload to our class wiki. They LOVE it! If you see any work by the StuCrew gang, those are my kids! :)
wow you get heaps of comments i dont get as much,gl and make more stories
starburst1112 hearted this
How do you use your pictures for your book?
yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa hearted this
cool very cool, btw i <3 cheese and facebook roflol
hi
Np Mark (if the cheese is blue cheese, I dont want any)
caitlin2000 hearted this
this is great mark
Angelatms hearted this
Iwould like both cape and a cap!!!
That storybird is great
Are you a storybird team?
bhatti54 hearted this
As an educator, I see tremendous application for this in my ESOL ELA/Reading classes. I look forward to when Story Bird can support teachers who wish to register a whole classroom of students creating, collaborating, and sharing with their parents and the community.....
so cooollll!you must have to read it and it is so awesome and loads of fun suitable for basicly everyone must have to read and write.
jjgirl hearted this
well i have been on only for a few days
and so far this website rocks!!!!!!!!!!!
and before i think I saw that you (Mark) made 20 books so far
KStar
cool
pwincess hearted this
Hallo Mark... I would love it if you would check out my books... Oh and I think you are a vary vary good writer...
MaddyMouse1400 hearted this
Good idea.
cupcake123 hearted this
i like it well any way i love your books
ilovetowrite hearted this
I like storybird because it makes me feel like an author.
-JJ:)
Coolguy777 hearted this
isabella9 hearted this
PBSTEACH hearted this
nitk hearted this
BEST STORY
Thank you
Thank you
Thank you
A kind, beautiful, well thought out, helpful resource for me...a parent and teacher. I am new to Storybird, and hope the ethics and creativity I have seen thus far are true. Sharing and collaborating on the net for literacy, and creativity. BRAVO!
i love this skeloton so cute!
shajda hearted this
I like how it is imformal. the pictures blend nicley with the words comming down to the conclusion if i should have many other people iknow read this or not. i think i will.
softballplayer28 hearted this
I'm addicted to Storybirds! :)
eslina hearted this
:)
soccer1290 hearted this
ginabeano hearted this
storydreamer hearted this
>3
heart this
yeahallwrite hearted this
luna5000 hearted this
An excellent read! It taught me a lot about storybird and what it has in store for us.
dtwilight hearted this
sillybird hearted this
Mm. Can't get enough cheese!
When might we be able to expect to buy or print storybirds from older version art? Several of the stories I've written are from the early days but I really want to buy them or update so I can purchase? Long-time Storybirder strietelmeierr
@strietelmeierr: we're working on two options for the low-resolution trial art that's found in earlier Storybirds: PDF printables that you print and fold into palm-sized units and "book cloning." Cloning would allow you to keep the original intact, make a copy, and then replace any old low-resolution art with the artist's available high-resolution art.
We're aiming to have the PDF option available around February. Cloning is TBD.
Thanks for your patience. A lot of us feel the same as you: we have these great stories we don't want to touch and are chomping for another print option.
who are you mark
Hi Mark, great resource for me as a parent - my kids are thoroughly enjoying their journeys here. Just one thought: it would be great to be able to search the tags by keyword rather than keep 'reloading' hoping your topic will come up. Maybe there's a way to do this that I missed?
great story
Great pictures!
cri hearted this
Please do not think I am being rude,
I do not like that their are 'buy' signs under all of my storybirds
It was an opption when you 'clicked' on it any way.
Sorry if i was rude
Folks, please move questions to our feedback forum. Click the yellow tab in the top-right corner. Thanks!
parrishdancer hearted this
Good advice.
thecreator hearted this
nice, really cool
nice job dude... nice job
lol
caps caps cpas hi people my name is naibria and iam 15 years old hit me up on my page lol this is a lot of people on this storybird lol haha bye
zwarieen hearted this
AnnabelH hearted this
I loved the cheese part!
Hi
BRILLIANT!
P.s Can you upload pics to storybird?
May I use the assignment on "Love" and "Chocolate"?
barge99 hearted this
LRS hearted this
metorres8 hearted this
Mark,
I need help! I need to have answers to these few questions: Where does the money go when someone orders a book? And why can people only enter the challenges of the month if they are 18 and older? Thank you!
Bblack
Where did the feedback page go?
@bblack: when you buy your book, the money goes to a) the printer who prints, binds, packs, and ships them, b) the artist whose images you've used, and c) Storybird, so that we can run this website.
Next week, we start selling digital downloads. The money for those goes to b (artists) and c (storybird) since there's no a (printer).
Soon, we'll also start selling popular stories that have bubbled up through the community. When you buy those, we add "d," the writer. They too will get some money for their work.
As for Challenges, right now they're 18+ due to legal reasons. Running competitions involves the laws of each country and, often, you can't have people under 18 participating.
@1566: we've taken it down temporarily. It'll be back soon.
Thank you so much! that helped a lot!
I noticed there were artists with no art when I search them, like Aaron Berchild. I really want to use this art but I can't find it anywhere.
bblack hearted this
cool, thanx
linbrandon hearted this
awsome
cool that book is amazing x :) x
Awsome story!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)
The front page is so cute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mark,I just ADORE ALL OF THE PICTURES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!cool!
i dicided to read it beacause i saw a lot of comments!
p.s sorry if i misspelled some of the words. I'm only in the 4th grade.
lol
LOL you should read my stories =)
fionas88888 hearted this
AWESOME STORY!!
Awesome!!
HappyCupcake hearted this
Hehe we need Icecream too.XD
I really enjoy using Storybird to write stories. I find pictures and just put some words to them and attempt to make them flow into a cute story. I have my own stories I've written, but I lack the art skills to upload artwork that match them. My sister, who is currently attending art school, as failed to help me out by drawing pictures and uploading them for me to use. :(
nikinoodlesoup hearted this
ColleenYoung hearted this
Mynameisboox hearted this
I originally heard about Storybird from a principal in my school district who thoroughly enjoys the integration of technology. I immediately feel in love with the art work and saw it as a great avenue for students to express themselves. However, only recently have I discovered the true impact that Storybird can have on my students and on myself as a would-be writer. Tonight, a student asked me to join her story and I found it an incredible way to "conference" and build our relationship as writers. Also, I think that we see the artwork and get so excited about the initial composing of our own stories that we don't realize how many creative, imaginative, diverse, powerful writing perspectives are available to view and comment on here, on Storybird. And now for my favorite discovery...I am a graduate student as well as a teacher, and was assigned a 21st century writing project of my choice...I'm nervous and excited to stretch myself- who in my view is not a gifted writer - to create a story that is worth publishing for everyone to view. Thanks so much for all you do. The story that I am currently commenting on will serve me as the perfect "introduction" to Storybird when I present to my grad class. I am so thankful and inspired by your ingenuity. ~Joanna
Stroybird is an awesome website! Its educational, fun , and idk!
its addicting!
ErinMWas hearted this
This storybird is telling about the website. It makes people think that it was made from the creator of storybird. This is insperational, funny, creative, and a moving peace. It is a good book if you are a first timer here on storybird. If you have not read this, you should. It could possibly give you lots of good ideas. Now if all of the other people would read this. Oh well, cuz' I guess they will find it soon enough. 1/2 allready found it!
Storybird is great! Keep imagining!
sando477 hearted this
I LOVE the cheese part , it is funny :)
db70114 hearted this
Where's all da cheese?
why is cheese even the least bit involved in this story... but u kno lol it was stillfunny
Mark what happened to the general forum?
Please tell me as soon as possible because I can't see it.
Thank you!
$thecreator$
Okay i'm so sorry. I have not said anything about this book since 3 weeks ago,BUT I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I LOVE PAGE SIX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
kiera100 hearted this
Thanks folks. Glad you're enjoying the party.
@thecreator: it'll be back in a bit. No worries.
Mark,
I've noticed that in every storybird's information, there is a little thing that says "copyright".
Does this mean that storybird owns our writing? I'm just a little curious because I want to really publish one of the books that I have written.
And also... If we remove one our storybirds for this reason, does storybird still own it?
I want to publish it, but obviously don't want to go to jail.
Thanks! Write back soon!
@bblack: you own the copyright to your stories. The artists own the copyright to their artwork. We own the combination of the two as an exclusive licensor. (This gives us permission to have them on the site, syndicate them via embeds, etc).
You're free to take your stories and approach a publisher (or self-publish), just as the artists are free to use their artwork in other channels. It's your story to do as you wish.
What you can't do is sell your Storybird (the story + art + branding mix). So, for instance, you're not allowed to download a PDF of your Storybird and then sell it on Amazon.
Later this year, we'll launch the Storybird Shop to sell the "best of Storybird." Those writers we work with will receive royalties for their work, just as artists do now when people buy books containing their art.
Hope this clarifies things. If you have further questions, hit us up at support [at] storybird [dot] com
@Mark. This site is beautiful. I have enrolled myslef on it and also my class (classw123I . I teach chidren with who have Autistic Spectrum Disorder. In the UK. It will be lovely to use. I am hoping I can find some art that will help me make some Social Stories too. As ICT leader in school, and the fact I do a lot of work for the Local Education Authority I will be certainly advocating your site. Wonderful. Thank you so much Sue x
@eslina. I'm addictid to storybird 2!@Aliza4r. Hi!@Mar. That really helps people who are new on stroybird. I really liked it! Read some of my stories 2!:):1:}:];)<3:D=) @->-- a rose @(^.^)@ a monkey
/)_/)
(n.n) a bunny
@sayitsok/sue: thanks much. Welcome to Storybird.
@sayitsock, you are doing a very good thing. My little sister has appraxia, so I really appreciate it.
Oh, and what is next month's theme for the contest?
naufala hearted this
I want to learn more
Thank you so much, Mark! It really clears things up! I'm not sure how good trying to publish my stories is going to be, because I don't know if there is an age limit to really publish a story. I hope it's under 10!
@soccerrulez: looks like April's theme is going to be "Beginnings."
@bblack: well, contracts and such are only signable by adults. However, your parent/guardian can help you with that.
That said, something to think about: you already ARE published. Your books are being read by people around the world. What you're talking about is a fancy word called "distribution," which means getting your books into lots of other places than Storybird.
Whatever you do or don't accomplish trying to get your stories more widely read, remember that you ARE published. And YOU made that happen. Everything else is a bit less important, because the most important part was the making. Creating something out of nothing and dragging that story out of your head and heart. That's what matters most.
MARK MARK MARK I DON'T LOVE IT I LLLLOOOVVVEEE IITT
squigley12 hearted this
Thanks mark ,thats good to know!
$thecreator$
I love the idea of Storybird! I have always loved & excelled at writing novel-material stories. To me, Storybird is kinda like Photobucket, but for stories. When my teacher told me about it, I was excited!
Lind20 hearted this
one qustion who has the mosted useed art?
Check out my PUBLIC storybirds.
Mark ow often is a new featured author picked?
£thecreator£
Oh yeah and Mark if you have any spare time please check out my storybirds.
Kaitlin9 hearted this
skylargracebartman hearted this
If my students are writing non-fiction, how can they insert art or photographs of their own? This is such a cool tool. Thanks.
@thecreator: featured authors are picked every 3-4 weeks. It's arbitrary.
@mariannec: we're focused on inspiring writers with gorgeous art, so we're not sure we're ever going to include a "upload your own images" feature. There are so many other picture book sites that do that already.
marby hearted this
@ mark-
i think it's awesome how ur a storybird creator and u wrote one about storybird! that was amazing wat u did, mark! i wouldve never thought of that and I hope you and your friends can check out my stories, mark! and i hope that one day, i'll be a featured author but, i hav a class acount, is it possibul to be a featured author when most of you stories r in your class library? i hope it is! plz reply!
Mya4bo hearted this
Ever since I have started using storybird I have been an addict of it. But now, storybird is my LIFE. I constantly anticipate what you guys will do next! Oh, and instead of chocolate and capes, what about cheese and capes?
I like cheese.
Happy Easter, Storybird!
@mya4b0: featured authors are almost exclusively adults. However, we feature books from all ages in New & Noted.
@fallgirl: well, you know we're a fan or yours too. But cheese and capes? You'll have to ask Kaye about that one. I only understand the word chocolate.
@bblack: same to you!
How about Bacon? Bacon and capes.
MissAddair hearted this
@fallgirl: how about a meat dress, like GaGa's? You'll have to wear it, though. I'm a vegetarian.
Hmmm, that might be interesting.Well, I guess you should stick to chocolate and capes then! Also, if you don't mind, I would love for you to check out some of my new stories when you get the chance!
Mark,
do people with class accounts that put their stories out for the public ever get chosen for the featured author?
Also, is there a limit to how many stories you can make? I'm at about 50...
Thanks!
Bblack
@bblack: featured authors tend to be adults simply because they're been writing longer than kids. But we're not closed to the idea of featuring a young writer who's doing great work.
And no—there's no limit. Make as many as you want!
do you know the person who created story bird??
WOW! That's all I can say is WOW. To put in the effort and the time to make people's future as an author is just spectacular and unspeakable. I first started doing Storybird when my former teacher introduced it to me when we were doing a project for school (Baby's Big Day) and now I'm writing my own Storybirds and expressing my own ideas. Thank you so much for inventing this, it's my favorite website!
I have a question:
How exactly do you get chosen for a featured writer? I mean, I know a lot of authors that have really good talent and are really good writers, but, you know, they haven't been featured yet.
@barbie4545 A team of us created it, including @kaye, @adam, and @missk (you can find them all in search)
@lemonade5678: we love stories and art. It's great that so many other people do, too.
@lalahead316: featured authors is arbitrary. That said, we look for writers with a strong, consistent voice and a unique way of playing with words and pictures. Generally, these tend to be adults simply because their experience and command of the language is more advanced than kids. As we grow, we'll have more "spaces" to feature authors and particular books—including a space where people like you can help choose which books or writers to feature.
Do you plan on writing some new stories soon? I really like the ones you've written so far!
How long does it take for the story bird to be moderated?
Hi Mark! I noticed that there is a lot of authors on Storybird that write great books, yet hardly get noticed. I was wondering if there's any way (other than a storybird about them) to help them get more popular. Please write back if there is another way!
@Mark: I was wondering what a PDF was, and I was always going to ask how long it takes to go through moderation and then into the public library.
Julianna4r hearted this
Dear Mark,
This story told me a lot about this wwebsite! I LOVE Storybird! Did you create this site? Luv the stories! You should read some of my stories. You are such a great author on storybird! How come whenever I see a story with artists like Morphadoodles and Aaron Bechild, I can't use that artwork? Nice job on this story!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-Julianna4r
@scottsciencelab: I have a few ideas. But there's so much new art, I keep getting distracted and don't finish what I was working on...
@storywriter20: if you're in a Class, books are immediately accessible to you and your classmates. If it's added to the public library, the wait is around 24-36 hours. You can still share it with friends and family via email, though.
@bblack: getting popular is a tricky thing. It helps to have friends, family, and Storybird friends read and comment, but the single-biggest thing you can do is write great stories. The best work often bubbles up.
@lemonade5678: a PDF is a version of your story that you can download onto your computer to save as an archive, print and make into your own book, or display on handheld computers like the iPad. If you click the "Buy" button on one of your stories and explore the PDF options, you'll notice a link that says "Free sample." Click that and it'll help you understand what the file looks like.
@julianna4r: some artists weren't able to upgrade their art from low res to high res during our trail period. (We need high res files for printing.) So, for now, their shops are deactivated. But the stories that were made with their art for online-only are still around.
What is a res????????????????
@julianna4r: res=resolution. It's the size of the image file.You know when you blow up a picture on your computer and things start to get blurry? That's low resolution. High-resolution files keep their crispness, which you need when you print books. Everything has to be sharp.
mark
How do you become a featured author? Do the creators of storybird pick one? Because it's always been my dream to be one,
Thank you!:)
HappyCupcake
Silsopang hearted this
Mark:
Are we allowed to recommend featured authors? Because I have a few grownups that I would like to recommend, even if I am not a grownup myself.
Okay so Mark
I was just wondering you know how you get your storybird on 'featured storybirds'. Is it like if you win a contest or something?
Or how you get your storybird on "New & noted" Because I really want to know what it is like to have a storybird up there and let people actually view my storybirds...
@smiley316: we'll be revamping the Read page and adding a section for member-chosen books. Probably late summer. Stay tuned.
@rileylamont: she can apply for a shop here:
http://storybird.com/artists
@lalahead316: Featured Storybirds tend to be the "best of the best." You don't win it; we choose it. New & Noted is stuff that catches our eye, either from more experienced authors or kids who do something different/unique/well crafted. It's a bit less restrictive.
You said there was a page to put the questions, Where exactly is it?
@happycupcake: it's down for a bit. It'll be back.
Thank you!
StoryWriter20 hearted this
@mark: when does the story bird iPad app come out? And also, do you have to enter a contest to be a featured author?
@lemonade5678: we'd like to get the iPad app out by summer. But there's no official release date. As for Featured Author—no contests. We just pick people we think have a strong body of work and seem to "get" Storybird (aka "visual storytelling").
Dear Mark,
I was nice of you to comment on my friend lauren4m's story!!!!!!! She has made some stories with me too11
!!1!!112
Thanks needed that info. Looking forward to being a part of Storybird!
abrownell hearted this
when did you make storybird???? i love the website. its helping me be a better writter for when i publish real book that i can sell
P.S. how do u make your own art?
NBH6 hearted this
@chaeeun: we're around 1.5 years old—a toddler! But growing strong. We're almost at 500,000 members worldwide and more than 1,000,000 Storybirds. Which we love. Amazing to see so many writers and readers jamming together and having fun.
You can't upload your own art on Storybird. While we encourage everyone to explore their artistic skills, our niche is inspiring writers with gorgeous art and making it REALLY easy to make stories.
Wow, thats ALOT of members! my teacher told me about this, any way, thanks!
This is my favorite website! Love It!
Mark,
I am using Storybird with my students (introduced it today). I am wondering if we can print the stories that they create?
@kristen4580: thanks!
@irving136: you can buy PDFs or professionally printed versions of any of their books. Better yet, we just released Class Fundraising, where you can turn your students stories into a fundraiser. Here's a bit of info, and you can read the rest on our blog:
Class Fundraisers turn your students’ stories into a fundraising tool. The premise is simple: you create a Fundraiser, parents buy their child’s Storybird online, and $5 is deposited into your fund with every order. When the Fundraiser is over, students and families receive their stories as beautiful books, and you get to spend the fund on whatever your class needs: supplies, technology, etc.
I agree with Kristen4580!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Storybird is my favritist website ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dear mark
When you invite someone to do a story, is there another way to invite them other than your e-mail? Because I don't really want to share mine online.
@happycupcake: if you're in a Class, then all your classmates can be messaged without email (messages appear on their dashboard). But, other than that, email is the only way to go. It proves that you know the person. (And if you don't know them, we don't allow sharing email addresses via stories or comments. Too risky.)
Mark Not alot of people will read my story and i have only gotten a couple of comments what should I do to get more Publicity?
love the story oh and my math teacher told me about this website too werid a math teacher
nicolesbp hearted this
its ok :)))))
Storybird is awesome! My students are finding ways to bring out their creativity in writing. For those that tend to have blocks during our writing time, this is a great way for them to come up with ideas based on the wonderful illustrations. We presented our Storybirds in class, and students are now motivated to edit/fix grammar and punctuation once they have previewed their story. Awesome teaching tool!! :)
Hey mark, just wondering, who has the most stories ever on all of storybird?
Mark ... will there be any way for more people (besides parents) to buy books from a school to Fundraise for their school?
Great instructional with a side of humor! Pardon me, Mark, but I am new to Storybird. I have heard great things about Storybird, and I definitely agree. It's a great way to share your stories with the world and make your work known to web. I love how it is sort of a mix between a social network, a game, and a creative writing site. And I hate to ask for help, but is there anything important or essential that I need, or would help, to know?
frostowl hearted this
jwow101 hearted this
@storywriter20: why do you want more publicity?
@rockeythegoldenpup: thanks!
@bblack: hm. Good question. I'll ask one of our programmers to check. I seem to recall someone had 50 or so.
@ebrace: we'll broaden fundraising over time to other parties.
@sunnysideup123: Write when you're inspired, read when you're bored. Be generous with your comments. That's a good start.
KatyaMendoza hearted this
hey mark i love this webstite!
well because i dont get alot of comments and no one barely reads my story an look at all the comments you get and i know that its not about the puplicity but still i love checking the comments people leave me about my story dont you?can you anwser this question? how do you change your avatar picture?
:D
figment68 hearted this
Awesome. My family and I love storybird. As amazing as it is though, I'm actually just in it for the cheese. :)
dbstjsgP hearted this
Jasmine2011Bronze hearted this
puppy2000 hearted this
i like your artwork there cute...
Ellliec hearted this
i love story bird can you make a new story Mark and new art please!!!!!!!????????
@AftynnSpielmann: us too!
@figment68: As amazing as it is, though, we're just in it for the chocolate.
@storywriter20: you can change your avatar here:
http://storybird.com/accounts/settings/general/
As for getting more comments:
-continue to improve your stories. They better they are, the more people will share them after reading them
-sincerely comment on other people's work that you admire. Ask them about how they write or approach their stories. Some of them will engage you and read your stories, too
-share your stories with family and friends
Remember, only a small percentage of writers get lots of comments. Personally, I only get a lot because I work here. And I have many private Storybirds that I write because it makes me happy to write. And that's the point: if you're not happy just writing for yourself, you won't be a happy writer :)
I'd like the cape too!:)
kachin77 hearted this
zarour1 hearted this
QUESTION FOR MARK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
please explain the SPOILER in the contest to me!
What exactly does that mean? is it a semi-finalist that didnt get voted for but the judges really liked??? or a story that personally wasnt a semifinalist because it was already chosen for the spoiler??? please explain!!!!!
I feel sorta confused about that part.
smiley316 hearted this
Thanks Mark and you give awsome advice! Mark how do you click on it and change it to something else b/c nothing is working.
Excuse me, but I was looking at the finalists for the May Challenge, and I wanted to know- what is a spoiler?
@smiley316 @lemonad5678: the spoiler is a fifth finalist that is hand-picked by Storybird editors. It's our way of mixing things up and highlighting strong books that didn't get noticed.
@storywriter20: try clearing your browser's cache. That should help. (Google "clearing browser cache" for directions.)
mark thank you very deeply and sincerely from the depths of my heart for answering my meaningful question.
oh and you really should set up a question asking page thing so people dont clutter up your storybirds as much. this one is really full! it takes a long time to scroll down and reach the bottom. just saying.
Mark:
Is there anyway that this, um, 'problem' can be fixed? It's that I submit stories to storybird every month that I have time to, mostly to the contests. Then, I notice that while I have already submitted four storybirds that take three/fourths of the month to be actually SUBMITTED to the challenge part of your reading section tons of other storybirds that were made actually AFTER mine and published AFTER mine are already submitted. That may seem sort of confusing, but I am so infuriated right now I figured I would bring the topic up on this.
CHEESE! ......... yay!!!!
@smiley316: yeah, we have a discussion forum. We took it down for a bit. It'll go back up soon.
@lalahead316: a good chunk of stories that are submitted to the Challenge are from writers who are under 18 years of age. These are cleared out each week/month. I'm not asking you to reveal your age here, but if you're over 18 and having problems getting your stories through, ping us at support [at] storybird [dot] com and we'll look into the matter.
Oh my gosh! You guys are so funny! I love the cheese ending! Mark, you have done a great job explaining storybird. No wonder you are my favorite author!
Oh, and, Mark? Are there any prizes for the semi-finalists? I was looking at the challenge page, and the prizes for the winners, but what about the semi-finalists? Do they get anything? And, do you sometimes pick out the winners?
bluebird26 hearted this
Mark
Do you have any recommended authors on Storybird that would give me feedback on my books??
hey you guys your fun im a babysitter and i read the kids these books all the time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Imshorterthanyou hearted this
Mark, I am not one to complain but the stories I have submitted to the contest are not... submitting. They sit in my 'published' box, supposedly public, but they are not. I will let you know that I am not underage, (in fact my kids will gladly tell you I am well 'overage') and this problem does get irritating. Is there a way to adjust so that my stories can be submitted to the challenges and not 'submitted'? Thank you for taking your time and answering all of these questions- it must be hard.
richart
Like chocolate cookies, I need books and to write books to feel happy!!!!!!!!!!!! Btw, LOL we have cheese I <3 cheese. Also I like the fact that you wrote something about storybird. =D
Jasbr hearted this
@bluebird26: semi-finalists are not prized. Just the winner and finalists. However, Challenges help us identify strong writers that we may later choose to feature in our Shop as we start publishing "the best of Storybird." So even semi-finalists can "win" in the bigger sense of the word.
@happycupcake: I'm not entirely sure which writers are open to giving feedback. I think it's a trial and error of asking the writers you most respect for their opinion. When you do ask, though, be sure to identify what about their work is interesting to you as it relates to feedback on your work. For instance, if you write funny stuff, you may want to seek out other funny writers and let them know that you're specifically asking them because of their humor skills.
@richart: has this happened in previous months or just for June? We've had a small blip in June where some of the stories are backlogged—even the ones we KNOW are from adults ;)
@cookie54lover: what cheese do you love most? I recently fell in love with Gouda after a couple of decades of loving mozzarella.
lemonade5678 hearted this
I liked it.
ArrowBB4 hearted this
Thanks for your Help Mark, do you like my new picture?
lmgs5 hearted this
its good. It tells us allot about story bird
Mark,
Sometimes when I see a picture in a story, I want to use it in one of my stories. But, I can't fin d that picture. But, the artist is still on Storybird. Did the artist decide to like remove that picture or something. By the way Storybird is Awesomely Awesome. This is my favoritest website. I would give this site a million stars!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Does anyone like my avatar??????????????????????
What kind of cheese!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!???????????????????????????
MUENSTER!?!!?!?!?!?????????????????????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!????????????????????????????????????????? I ♥ Muenster!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Who wants to know how to make a cool design like this heart??????????? Just ask me and I might respond!!!! There are way more designs.
How did you get the pictures to zoom in more?????????????????
Nice story
Chatitude hearted this
@storywriter20: nice. I'm a big fan of HP.
@julianna4r: a few artists were part of an earlier phase and weren't able to upgrade their work after the phase was over. And, as for zooming on pictures—the artists decide how to crop their images so that there are multiple layouts. But actually zooming in and making the picture bigger is impossible since the results couldn't be printed (or the file would be so big it would choke your browser).
i didn't mind that but how do you enter stories in to the challenge
You did a great job of making this website! Now even my 6 year old brother,who's account i am checking,can make stories! I love it and I'm sure other people do to!!! -kayrose
Thank u mark1☺111☺1☺1
lol
glitter124grace hearted this
You Are Me Too! are you waiting to see the last movie? I can't wait to see how it turn's out.
mark
How do you write a story with more than 2 people??
nice pic happycupcake
I love storybird so much!! I wish I could make stories just is great as yours!! I've always wanted to have a popular story?
jyoe hearted this
I love your storybird!!!!!! Thanks for checking out my story!!!!!
niffy hearted this
@rileylamont: well, it's a tricky thing. Typically, full name usernames are rejected since they set a bad example for younger kids. You're in a fuzzy space where you were allowed to have your full name on your account, but the mods reject it when you use it on your book cover. Really, you should be happy no ones reached out and forced you to change your username ;)
Love this storybird!!!!!!!!!!!! Your a terrific writer and I can tell you put a lot of hard work into Storybird! So Thank You!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ps: What kind of cheese???
Wow, mark! I am now using Storybird more often, and I've realized that I love cheese! Oh yeah, and Storybird. :)
Torresfan hearted this
How does one of your stories become featured?????????????????
Hello, mark. I am wondering if this is just a glix, my fault, etc. I mark most of my stories as public in the last step of publishing them. Then I wait five days later, and it turns out it is private. I change it back to public again, and then it is fine, but it has been a little bit of a disturbance. This has happened more than once.
Yeah I'm having the same problem as lemonade5678.
I agree with lemonade5678 totally. A lot of my stories do that.
Hi, Mark! I am a teacher and I am encouraging my ESL students to write more by using your website. How can I correct their errors in their stories? Thanks!
I also want to know what lemonade5678 said. THat happens to me almost every time.
That happens to me to.
I cant create any stories for some reason it wont load:( Any idea what might be the problem?
@Julianna4r: featured stories are chosen by Storybird editors.
@lemonade5678 @smiley316 @happycupcake @Julianna4r @storywriter20: we've been resetting the moderation queue recently which pushes all un-approved books back to private. If it happens to you, just switch it to public and it'll re-enter the queue. Eventually it'll get moderated and wind up in the public library.
We're resetting the queue quite frequently because of our explosive growth and this will continue for a few more weeks until we complete changes to how books are moderated. The first system got us to 500,000 members and 1,500,000 books. The next system has to scale to 2 million members and 5 million books.
@fallgirl: try a) another browser, b) another computer, or c) updating Adobe Flash. One of those will probably uncover your problem.
@mskateA: Storybirds are either published or not published. There's no draft view. However, they're also like blog posts. Once published, they can be updated over and over.
As a result, many teachers do the following to give feedback:
1. Have the students publish their work but write "Draft" in the story summary field
2. You read the story and provide feedback through the book's comment field
3. The student makes the changes and re-saves their work, removing "draft" from the summary field
Works like a charm. That said, we are working on new Pro account for teachers that will have a sleek workflow that's crazy fast to review, grade, and moderate work. More news in the fall.
Phew. That's a lot of typing. We definitely have to get the main discussion threads back up and get some of you regulars answering questions for the newbies ;)
Mark, this is just a suggestion, but have you ever thought of having a place where it is sort of like a 'chatroom' and you can recommend authors and stories for people to read? Like, you log on, blah, blah, blah, go to the homepage and type in something like, 'Hey, I think you should try reading so-and-so's story'. Like I said, just a suggestion.
Mark,
There seems to be a problem with my stories. Today I got a storybird back saying that I couldn't submit it because it has my last name on the cover of the story. This has never happened before, so I don't know why it did now. Besides, my username doesn't even have my first name in it, so it definitely doesn't have my last name. Do you want me to just change my name on the cover of the particular story or is there some consecutive problem?
richart
Thank you, mark. I'll just switch them back I guess, no worries.
@smiley316: I think that is a safety issue. The Storybird creators probably don't want kids talking to people they don't actually know.
Thanks mark! Oh also, whatever happened to the feedback page. It looks like this has become the new feedback/question page!
Mark,
does this same thing happen to the other creators? Like, how this kind of ends up like an advice corner and what not? To kaye and the others?
Sorry to be back on asking again, but I am so curious to know- what is the theme for the July challenge?
Hi Mark,
Are there plans to add embed code for Public Storybirds that is iPad-friendly -- based on a non-Flash embed?
@smiley316: we'll be adding Walls to people's profiles later in the year; you can chat person-to-person. We'll also add Groups at some point, but that's a bit more tricky. Stay tuned.
@richart: no idea. You should email the support [at] storybird [dot] com team if it keeps happening.
@fallgirl: yeah, it kinda has. We'll change that in a bit.
@bluebird26: I don't get many questions on my other stories. This one tends to attract questions because it's about Storybird. Once we put back the discussion forum, questions will drift back over there.
But if you want to go and leave questions for Kaye or Adam, feel free!
@lemonade5678: The Challenge is on hiatus for the summer. It'll be back in September. We're working on a lot of big stuff and needed a break, plus many of the writers need to recharge.
@ebrace: sometime over the summer we're making Storyplayer HTML, so all stories on the site, plus embeds, will be iPad friendly/Flash free.
Sorry to be back asking more questions but I still cant create stories! I updated adobe flash, tried a different browser, logged off and logged back on, updated everything on my computer and still, whenever I click, start a storybird with so and so's art, it wont load the page it just goes blank! would you happen to have anymore suggestions on what to do?
to mark: what is the point of the word 'active'? I mean, when you look at recent storybirds, it has three choices: recent, active, or popular. What does active mean?
@fallgirl: yeah, your account is acting oddly (you'll notice some new covers on your dashboard where we tested a few things). We're looking into it and will get back to you shortly.
@smiley316: Active is essentially "popular this week" as opposed to "Popular" which is essentially "Popular this year"
This is the ideal website for anyone who is frantically searching for a website that allows (mostly) amateur writers to congragate together and display their thoughts and ideas. I heard about this website from school, searched it in the search box, and have been hooked ever since. This story gives newbies to storybird a hint about what it's all about. I also enjoyed the funky illustrations that went along brilliantly with the words. If you get the chance, can you read and comment on my storybirds? Keep on writin'.
~blantone
Are we allowed to suggest themes for challenges? Also in the future would it be possible to have a challenge for kids under 18??
Also, how do you flag someone who is mean to you and meanly commenting on your stories or has an inappropriate avatar?
Can you make new art plese anser.
@blantone: well said.
@happycupcake: you can suggest anything you want! As for under 18, maybe. We're an international site and the various laws in different countries involving minors and competitions are very tricky.
As for flagging, you can use:
http://storybird.com/moderation/flag/
Later in the year, we'll be adding Following/Followers. Along with this, we'll include Blocking, which makes someone invisible to you once you block them.
@elliec: lots of new artists are joining. Stay tuned :)
Thanks mark!
One more thing can you please comment on one of my story birds?
My user name is Ellliec with 3 l's thank you for your time and effort!
Thanks cause I had and idea for a challenge. What about ' Culture'you could write a book about some cool stuff about your culture or just make up a random culture with whatever you want in it. I don't know, just a suggestion.
Thank you guys sooooo much for fixing my account! I was scared that I might not be able to make anymore stories! Thanks mark! I am forever grateful!
I had in idea for a challenge too! How about ummmmmm animals? Like, almost everyone has a special pet or something in their life that they really care about. I mean, it would be fun to see what people like figment68 and fogcat come up with.
another thing; does a spoiler have to already have been a semi finalist? or can it be an entrant in the competition that didn't get noticed????
one more thing; how does moderating work? are the moderators people like kaye, or are they teachers that have classes signed up? do the comments/ stories get emailed to them and they have to access their email and say something like this is appropriate or this is not appropriate? does everyone have the same moderator, or do different moderators get like different writers??? can someone like an adult get signed up to be a moderator or do you choose them??? it is just a little bit confusing. and if the comments go to the persons email, then what if the moderator cancels their email account or doesn't check their email that often, just once a month or something? what happens then? sorry, that is a lot of questions, and if you can't answer all of them that is okay. I just was curious. :)
@happycupcake @smiley316: those are both quite good. We'll add them to our list.
@fallgirl: just so long as your happy :)
@smiley316: hm. That's a long list. Let's see...
-a spoiler can be any of the books from that month's round. We look for smart books that were perhaps overlooked or lost out to the popular story.
-moderators (or "Storyspotters," as we increasingly call them) are a mix of pros and volunteers. There are quite a few, and we're growing the group even more over the next several months (by early 2012 we'll have about 150-200 Storyspotters).
-Storyspotters are adults with a mix of talents: some are writers, some are teachers, many are parents, etc. We choose them all, just like all the other Storybird employees.
-all Storyspotters use a web tool that lets them see the public story stream (or "firehose", since there are so many). They review each story for community guidelines and writing quality (sending back those that don't meet guidelines and nominating good ones for New & Noted).
-different Storyspotters may review the same book twice. If your story is initially reviewed by, say, Storyspotter #3 (SP#3) but then you update it and it goes back into the queue, SP#9 may be the person who reviews it the second time. Our system lets all the SPs leave notes for each other, tag the stories for various issues, etc. It's like a gigantic editorial team all connected at the brain.
I think that answers all your questions. LMK if I missed anything.
Okay how about comments? that totally summarizes my moderating with the stories but what about comments? how do those work? :) :) thanks a lot!!! I appreciate it. :) Oh and your umm avatar. Are they all queued for review, too???
Barely anyone reads my story birds, it's starting to make me wonder if I'm a bad writer. I read others storybirds as much as I can but I still don't got many people looking at mine and I don't have anyy friends I know at all on this, got any tips for my storybirds?
@smiley316: comments and avatars work in a similar manner. But there's a small pool of folks who oversee comments since it's much smaller pool of "content." (Love your avatar, btw ;)
@mrodred: it's tough to get people to read your work, whether you're an amateur or pro writer.
But, there are SOME tips:
-continue to improve your stories. They better they are, the more people will share them after reading them
-sincerely comment on other people's work that you admire. Ask them about how they write or approach their stories. Some of them will engage you and read your stories, too
-share your stories with family and friends
Remember, only a small percentage of writers get lots of comments. Personally, I only get a lot because I work here. And I have many private Storybirds that I write because it makes me happy to write. And that's the point: if you're not happy just writing for yourself, you won't be a happy writer :)
PS. You should also peek at:
http://storybird.com/books/storybird-abc-book/
http://storybird.com/books/how-do-i-write-the-right-way/
http://storybird.com/books/how-do-i-write-a-story/
Mark can YOU ANSER MY two qustions???!!!!!!!!!!
@Mrodred.Did you make your storybirds public If not I will comment!
I made sure they were public thanks mark I owe you big time!
Hey Mark,
You just added a story response thing to storybird, didn't you? Because I just now noticed it. Can you please explain it to me please?
@smiley316: it's an experimental feature. The idea is that you can respond to a story with a story, rather than just a comment.
You can use it to:
-create chain stories with your friends (you start, they add pieces via story responses)
-respond to a story you like from someone else with one of your stories (maybe you both wrote about love or losing a pet)
-provide a "reference story (perhaps you wrote a story about grammar and someone wants to know more about grammar
-create story games (@zibbycommix has a Storybird game called "Six word stories." Story responses would be perfect for this)
-etc...
Keep in mind that you can only use a story once. After that, it won't appear as an option in your list.
This is an experiment. We'll watch and see how people use it and either add to it, leave it be, or remove it. Time will tell.
Thanks! and I realize that I have been asking a lot of questions but I was wondering, what if someone is asking personal questions? like our country, age, name... Is there a way to flag or block them?
@smiley316: no worries. Ask away.
As for people asking personal info, later this year we'll introduce blocking. Until then, ignore the question or delete it.
Also, remember that we moderate comments and delete any inappropriate questions before they reach you. But we DO allow general questions asking about first name, country, age, or gender. These help members distinguish the basics about each other without revealing anything personal.
BUT, you don't have to answer anything if you don't want. Everyone has a different comfort level.
I've noticed that alot of stories get into new and noted and they only have about 5 views?
@Mrodred I'm not mark
Hi, mark! I just got back from vacation (no computer). And I am totally freaked out by story responses! What are they? I am SO CONFUSED! Sorry for going wack but I cannot help it! I am scared! (not really, but I bet you know what I mean)
@lemonade5678.Story response are well responses for storys.you know the post and the preview buttons?(I'm sure you do.)It says or Add a story response.You click that and I't shows all the publised story you make.click one for a story and then it shows up.Hope I helped!
Mark;
When I try to remove a story response, it just says that something has gone wrong and they give me a link to my homepage. What's wrong with it?
@lemonade5678: scroll up a bit and I explain what they are. I'll also add that they're a great way to collaborate on a story with someone whom you don't know in real life—and therefore don't have their email address for a collaboration. You can start a one or two-page story and then have a collaborator (or multiple collabs) use SRs to add pages. After some back and forth, you'll have a finished story—just spread out through the comment chain. (And you can always removed SRs that don't fit the story's evolution).
@smiley316: what browser/OS combo are you using? Try another browser and see if that changes anything. (And let us know if it does/doesn't).
Hey, Mark!
I saw you talking to Smiley up there about the story bird responses. Let me tell you, in my opinion they are genius! :)
Great way for others to read your stories with a VISUAL besides going to the user's public library. Thanks for adding them in.
Awesome storybird too! Nice work. :D
baconbaby511 hearted this
elizayenjai123 hearted this
its a simple story but i like it
fallgirl hearted this
oH YEAH!!
@baconbaby511: you have @Kaye and @Adam to thank. She dreamed it up, he built it.
@fallgirl: feeling's mutual. And re friends: sometime early next year we're going to start looking at some features that let you connect with people you know on the system even faster and in more fun ways. Lots of good stuff to come...
I wrote another story called little dancer and it was not published because of the names and the places. But the thing is they are all made up! I just don't understand what the problem is. Help?
Oh then plus credit: @Kaye and @Adam. :) Great idea you guys!
@fallgirl: I'm not a moderator/storyspotter, so I can't directly help you with this. I DO know that when writers want to use real names they try to make them appear made up (ie. "Sally Smiles") or use only a first name. As for places, big city settings (London, New York, etc) seem to work, and when it's a small town, the same name game helps: make the town clearly fictional (ie. "Nowhereville").
hi mark! in case you didnt know, my name is kebcoconut and i am so in love with your stories. You might remember me from when you commented on some of my stories. I have some new ones and was wondering if you could make time to read them? the one I really want you to read is story bird, the past and the present. its ok and i toatly understand if you cant read them. I know how busy you and the other story bird creators are! i am working my way up to being on the featured list or at least the new and noted, so please tell me what you think! and be honest! it would be an honnor to have you read and comment on my stories...please reply and read my stories asap.No rush tho!!! im just super anioux to see wut u think! I hope you like my stories, and one day i hope to be a writer just like u!]
your biggest fan,
kebcoconut
do you like cheese and chocolate?
Mark, sorry to bother you about this matter, it's just that I'm really really curious about who has the most storybirds ever. Last time I asked you, you said you'd have a programmer check. I hav more than 50... So I might be somewhere at the top! Please let me know soon.
Mark, I have a question about the process for moderating storybirds (again). So, how long is the average wait for a storybird to actually be made public? like, so other people can read it. Right now I have about eleven stories sitting in my published box but are not, daresay, 'published'. in fact, so pretend it is like a line. story 1, story 2, story 3, etc, etc. Then story one and story eight get published before stories 2-7. It doesn't exactly make sense. Is it because maybe more attention is drawn to one storybird than another? or one seems more interesting? or, you know what I am getting at, blah blah blah. Thanks!
melchora hearted this
Yes, it would be very fascinating to find out who has the most Storybirds, of course, only so far. I know a lot of talented people who I encourage to write even more!
A bunch of the people I know have their rank around 50, 60, 70, 80 stories, and I have 92 (I really like to write!)
This is definitely just a want, not a need, so you don't need to dive in too deep, but if you do, let me know!
lol coolies :D
@kebecoconut: I'll try and make some time :) No promises, though.
@charlize65: I DO like cheese and chocolate. In fact, I love chocolate cheesecake.
@bblack @lemonade5678: looks like Titanic8642 is in the lead with 110 books as of today (Monday, July 25).
@smiley316: if you tweak or edit a book, it can re-enter moderation and throw off your "line" metaphor. But, purely speaking, if you wrote and published a book each day, they'd be moderated in that order. Again, though, we'll be slower for August in moderation as we get our fancy new system going. Then things will pick up quite quickly.
@rileylamont: music is an awesome theme. Great idea. We have some interesting plans for Challenges in 2012. You'll like them.
@joelmorelos: take a look at my comment and links above:
http://storybird.com/comments/cr/19/701/#c481268
As for "how many Storybirds are there in all?" As of 11pmEST today there were 1,511,286.
21jlai hearted this
Hey Mark this is just a suggestion but why not make a way to friend somebody on storybird so you can keep track with each other and they can decline and accept the message to be friends just saying.
Mark
There is this person that keeps copying me, I'm not going to say who they are but almost in every way. They copy other people too and don't even tell you they're going to do it. It really frustrates me. I'm fine if they get inspiration and tell me, but I feel that if they just go ahead and don't even say they got the idea from you, that makes me feel mad. Any ideas of what I should do?
Great job!
And please please please please please please please pleaaaaase make challenges for kids.
About ages 8 and up I guess but im not saying that youngs ones cant write because I have a private storybird that a kindergartner made was accuatly pretty good.
Yes please please make a challenge for kids! About 8 or 7 or something and up. I would love to participate in challenges, but I'm only 11. I think Riverread's idea is awesome. I have wished before that there would be some way for kids to do challenges too. Please think about it! I'm sure a lot of kids would be very grateful!
thank you,
Brailey (Bblack)
Storybird Challenges for Kids, Please!
Mark,
I have the same kind of complaint as happycupcake. I mean, there is someone here who keeps on copying my stories! I am fine if they give me a little heads up about it, or ask if they can, or leave a little note to me somewhere in the book! If they just go and hog the idea it makes me really angry. They are also copying other peoples, work, too. I asked them to please stop, but I don't think it's working. What do I do now?
bookloverjoy hearted this
mark~
Yes. We have lots of cheese.
I, too, would love to have a comeptition for kids becauseI, like so amny other Storybird-ers, am too old to enter. Think about it - S.E. Hinton wrote The Outsiders at age 16. There could be other people like that on here, not old enough to enter, but waiting to be discovered. So please consider a competition for kids.
And we definitely need more cheese. Mmm-hmm.
~bookloverjoy
mark~
Underneath the comments, it says "Permalink". I was just wondering, whatexactly does that mean, and what happens if I click it?
~bookloverjoy
Mark,
Bookloverjoy makes a point! (even though I don't know who S.E Hinton is) A contest for kids would encourage more children like us to write more often underneath an idea! Most people have a hard time coming up with ideas when they have run out of steam. If you had a contest for kids, more kids could write more because if the idea you have given them (you know, like the topic for the contests: the theme) SO..... I think you should consider it. PLEASE?
-smiley316
@riverread: we'll be adding Following/Followers across the site in 2012. That allows you track the stories and art of people you like. Following will also have a personal angle: if the person is someone you know (ie. you have their email address), you'll be able to post on each other's walls and see their stories before they're moderated for the public.
@riverread @bblack @bookloverjoy: Regarding Challenges: we have some interesting plans for 2012 that will include younger writers. Stay tuned.
@happycupcake @smily316: leave a message for them asking them (nicely) to stop. If they don't, contact us at support [at] storybird [dot] com. Send us links to your stories and his/hers so we can compare the stories and dates. We'll take action if it's needed.
@bookloverjoy: a permalink links you directly to that space. You can then share a comment in a long thread rather than just the whole page. For instance, here's a permalink to my comment from a week ago: http://storybird.com/comments/cr/19/701/#c503077
Great job,great story! I also want to enter challenges! Could you read some of my stories?!
With all due respect,
Titanic
P.S You can call me T. (^o*)
I think that the story bird team should make like a book mark thing, if you are reading a book, you book mark the page that u left off on. heart if u agree. (If you dont agree, and u want to just heart this because u like it, say that!)
-also , if u could read some of my stories, I would REALLY appreciatte it. I think storybird is a great website! Rock on!(more like READ ON!)
MrsAwesome hearted this
I was wondering if you guys ever planned on doing the whole "blackbird" thing. you know, the thing for older kids? It would be really nice to share some of my scarier stories with people my age.
Dude, did you know about the e-mail sent to storybird about a friends list and stuff? I sent it! (^-^)
@fallgirl: it's definitely in the works. But we won't launch it until 2012. Too many other things on our plate right now.
@titantic8642: didn't see that. But we're thinking a lot about friend's lists/follow/following/social graph.
i think that if we give storybird a more social-networking vibe, more kids and teens (such as myself) will get involved in writing stories! i also luv the idea of blackbird!!!
<3, recycle656
Could you make it so that you can invite other people from storybird?
Sorry to bother you, but I just LOVE the artwork on Storybird (as well as the amazing stories). Could you, by chance, tell me who was the first artist, and who is the newest? I am so curious about it!
sunnysideup123 hearted this
Mark
I'm just wondering why tis has happened:
There's a new rule that you are not aloud to put other people into your stories,Why? Everyone's really upset.....
Jocelyn00 hearted this
cool. i love storybird
its a great way to get into writing.
Have you guys seen the 6 letter and 100 letter stories that have been going around?
they are awesome!!
read them!
:o)
Mark-
You explained to me the reason for getting rid of books including other people... will storybird tag games still be allowed?
@happycupcake: answered that here: http://storybird.com/books/sadly-this-is-about-the-interviews-we-were-doing/
@rosecottage: agree. They are awesome and inventive.
@smiley316: yeah, we're allowing tag stories to stay. They don't have the same issues as the other stuff.
Thanks for the information
Hey, who has the most published stories on storybird?
@sunnysideup123: there were five "charter" artists:
-Sebaastian Van Doninck
-Victoria Usova
-Irisz Agocs
-Paul McDougall
-Aaron Berchild
The most recent one is Rebecca Shepherd.
@smiley316: ask @adam. He can pull the number from the database.
How come Chichiboulie's art isn't available anymore?
I saw ecca used some of his/her artwork in a story, and it looks pretty cool. Did the artist decide to take it down?
@smiley316: It looks like you do! Keep on writing.
hi Mark,
My friend, Zanderwillbefamous, and I collaborated on a story called the lazy monkey. We published it on the 18th. When he searches me, that story shows up in my stories. But when I search him, it says that he does not have any stories. I am wondering if this may have to do with the fact that I have a class account and he has a kid account. Please help us!
Storybird is a Song
Mr. Mark-
I have a really good friend who is a great artist. She can't have a shop, though, because she is too young. I know it would be hard to give her money, but what if kids could have their own shops, but wouldn't get money? Because wouldn't it be cool if kids could you art by kids? I don't know if it would work, but it is just an idea. i know you have a lot of great ideas, and I trust the team to make the right choice. I have one more question- in some of the older stories, the tilte art seems to be focoused on one spot. I made a story using the same art as the older stories, but it wouldn't focus in. But not only on the title, in this story you have the puppy eating donusts huge. I can't do that. How come?
celtic32 hearted this
@smiley316: Chichiboulie wasn't able to upgrade her artwork to hi-res after our trial phase. She'll be back eventually, though.
@bblack: that's probably the issue. The solution is to have him create his own personal account for non-school work. That solves your problem.
@celtic23: it's rare that kids can produce art at the level we use for Storybird. And, even if they could, we couldn't legally accept the work and pay them given their age.
As for the cropping/positioning of art in some stories—good eye. During the first year of Storybird, we used low-resolution images in only two formats. Then we upgraded everything to hi-res art and added more positioning options for the artists. As a result, when you look at older books (like this one), the art cropping (how an artists positions the frame for the full screen, panoramic, square, and portrait views) varies from more recent stories/artwork. There's nothing you can actually do about it. But good job noticing, nonetheless.
Thanks so much, Mark. Still, it would have been cool. I love Storybird!!!
htdav3 hearted this
pac27 hearted this
ohhh I do like this one its really nice.
Mark;
How come some storybirds are published when they were written on the 28th when some of my stories waiting to be moderated from the 26th are still not fully 'published'?
Sorry if that question doesn't make sense- I just now noticed that that was happening. :)
your syorybird is so good where did you get that idea?
Mark-
I know it's against the guidlines, but we always give each other the links to our new stories. I was going to put it on one of bookloverjoy's stories, but it said it could get my account deleted. It's never done that before. Why know?
@smiley316: it could be because of a moderation queue reset. Or it could be because one was a story response, which are moderated separately from the main stream. Not sure :)
@anastasia3: I originally got the idea from making a book with my son. But Storybird is the product of a team jamming and working hard together for 2 years.
@celtric32: links in comments are fine. Links inside of books are treated as spam, no matter what they are.
Thanks! And, I was wondering, how do you choose the New & Notes stories? Also, if you're is a New & Noted, is an e-mail sent out to you to let you know? Just wondering.......
recycle656 hearted this
I was wondering, when the contests resume in the near future, if there will be any for people under the age of eighteen? I'm really interested in writing for a contest and wish I could enter one.
Recycle's question spiked a question in me.
Are you going to resume the ADULT contests? Oh, and I heard you'll be having something for kids too. Is that true?
I Love You. -An Original Song
Mark..It is my dream for you to comment on my storybirds!!! I love all of your stories and I would like you to read some of mine!!! BIG FAN.....Storybird is like my best friend sometimes...sometimes my only! I love creating stories of life that are better and worse and sometimes my own life. I love exploring other people’s lives through my own and storybird has helped me do that!!! Please at least read mine...ps...big fan
7V30 hearted this
@celtic32: N&N stories are found by our storyspotters and chosen by our editors. We look for fresh, original stories with a distinct voice or approach to the subject. Unlike Features stories, which are almost exclusively written by adults, N&N regularly features stories from kids. No emails are sent by us; usually the author figures it out since they start getting tons of comments.
@recycle656: we'll be resuming the adult challenges AND introducing ones for non-adults.
@spearsisfierce: glad you like Storybird :)
OK Mark. Thanks a lot. I really hope that someday I'LL be a New & Noted!!!
Mark, good news about iPad app ... there has been a rollout of the devices in remote Northern Territory (and I use SB there). Do you have an ETA on the HTML5 embeds? and is it ever possible to buy a copy of a friend's book? Keep up the great work.
Hey Mark,
This is a silly question, but I was just really curious. What was the first new and noted book EVER?
@rantonio: the HTML player is in the works, just no release date yet. Regarding buying a friend's book—not easily. We're working on that too.
@jojo_mojo: it was http://storybird.com/books/never-dare-your-hair/
Mark-
Sorry to be bugging you again, but a lot of my stories are becoming private about a couple of hours after I hit 'public'. I don't get a message that it's not accepted in the library, but it still is private. Do you have any idea what is going on and how I can fix it?
Thanks!
@celtic32: we reset the queue recently, so that's probably what happened. Reset to public and it'll go back into mod.
OK. Mark, I gave out all my new story links. They went through the moderators, except one. Why?
hi :)
@1566: hey! Great to see your avatar kicking around. Good summer?
@celtic32: one of the links was a private/unapproved book (ie. it includes the work "token" in the address).
Ohhhh, thanks!!
Awesome book!
(I like the cheese page)
SHSgirl101 hearted this
Mark, I am seriously confused.
I originally went by the account RileyLamont, a school account, but when I logged on apparently it moved all my stories to this account which I called Chyenne, besides my school stories. What's going on? I had to make a new account and everything- which isn't that good, because my mom doesn't like me having more than one account. Now all my comments are still by RileyLamont but I am now Chyenne.
Nele hearted this
Wow. What alot of commentors...I liked the cheese part, I like cheese.
@chyenne (aka @rileylamont): we made changes to the school accounts. One of them is that student accounts are now different than personal accounts. This keeps things cleaner for the student, teacher, and for us. Your old RileyLamont comments will still stick around, but any new comments you make will be from @chyenne (nice username, btw).
Mark, are all the usernames that end with a -1 school accounts? And what is are the differences that you made?
wow a lot of comment !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@celtic32: they're the accounts for the personal stories of that member. If I was @mark in a school AND I had personal stories in that account, I'd get a new account for my personal stories with the username @mark-1.
We made a ton of changes for teachers and how they manage their classes. You can read about them on the blog. But the two big changes that affect students are:
1. Student accounts are strictly student accounts. No personal publishing. If you want to make personal stories, create a regular account. We did this because it was confusing who owned the student account. The teacher who created the account or the student who used it? Now, teachers own student accounts (which means they can delete them). On the flip side, students who create personal accounts own those accounts and their stories. It's more clear now.
2. Students in classes now have a "class graph" that allows Student A to find, read, and comment on Student B's stories, even though the books are private. They can find classmate's stories via search, in the library, and on their profile pages. This class graph is important since it's the same idea for a "friend graph" for regular members. We'll be using it when we launch following and friend lists. With it, you'll be able to see books from your friends even when they are still private/unapproved (the friends you know in real-life/via email). It's cool.
Mark, just a quick Question; how many times a day/week/month do you go on storybird? And if you go on like every three seconds, do you wait until you have a lot of questions to answer them?
Thanks,
Bluebird26
Awesome! When do the public 'friend graphs and lists' come out?
Good.
95nicky hearted this
@bluebird26: I think I'd rather retain some level of mystery and refrain from answering in detail :) So my answer is "I'm here when people need me." ;)
@celtic32: I'm not sure. Our current slate of projects are the iPad app, an overhaul to the Read page (age filtering, categories, etc), shareable reading lists, the shop, and some behind-the-scenes work. Possibly late 2011? Maybe early 2012. We'll see. We change our minds sometimes and shift priorities all the time.
OK, thanks!
Mark
I don't really understand how you can transfer stories to your new account?
Are you a member? Let me know ASAP! I have a lot of questions.
this is a great story
Mark
Sorry to be asking you something (agian!!) But, how do you make a 3+ person story?
Thanks for story bird and magnificent story.
mariaceliadarosa hearted this
@happycupcake: if you were a student that had personal storybirds in your account, after the big change you should have seen a yellow triangle in the top-right corner of your dashboard. Click that and use the button in the pop-up message to activate your personal account. When you do that, the system automatically transfers your personal stories out of your old account and into the new one. That way you have a student account for school work and a personal account for everything else.
@celtic32: I have no idea. I think Bacon or Smiley know how. You should ask them.
Smiley told me. Thanks though!
deepfried_freak hearted this
That was marvelous!! It's good to let storybird users know what going on and what is coming. :) I do have one question though:
Why do some stories make it into the public library, but others, of the same value and/or content, remain private?
Mark
You are going to get many request and suggestions They happen because they are passionate about the concept you have created!!
Rest easy in the understanding that you have created a amazing resource for students and children.
My advice - go easy on the changes - keep it simple and accessible for everyone.
Continue to have faith in what you have produced and where you are going.
Paul
Hi!
I have a suggestion for storybird. I have maybe 5 or 6 people who read and comment on my stories regularly. I do the same because I am interested in that particular person’s work. So, maybe people should be able to follow them....to always know when people have new stuff or have commented on other storybirds:)
os9 hearted this
Can't understand! What can you do to make story w/ huge pic.?
Mark, when are you starting up the storybird challenges again?
I'm following lalahead316, when are the storybird challenges going to be up again?
@deepfried_freak: do you mean books that were INTENDED for the public library but are returned by our storyspotters? If so, they typically go against our community guideline and need to be tweaked.
@spearsisfierce: following is on our list. We were actually just experimenting with it on our iPad app and definitely plan to include it on the web. Stay tuned.
@95nicky: hold and drag art onto the page until the gray space becomes full screen. Then release the art and it will take up the full page. However, this only works with some images. You have to experiment.
@lalahead316, @smiley316: not sure. But, while we're waiting, why don't you guys start an underground challenge?
1. Poll the group about a theme and report back here with the final choice for approval.
2. Choose a start and end date for the challenge: 2-3 weeks is probably right. Advertise that to anyone/everyone.
3. Write your stories and tag them with CC<theme>. If the theme is "Friendship," then tag them CCFriendship. (CC means "community challenge") Use the comment field to say whether you book is by a kid, teen/tween, or adult.
4. Use the tag links on the story pages to "see all stories tagged CCFriendship" in order to read/review the entries.
5. Organize a judging panel of 2 grownups and 3 non-adults. Have them review the final entries and choose a #1, #2, and #3 for three ranges: kids, tweens/teens/grownups. I'd suggest judging the books based on voice, imagination, and quality of writing.
6. Report back here on the winners.
7. Get someone in the group to design a "Community Challenge" winner badge/artwork and email it to support@storybird.com when it's done. We'll use that for the winners you chose.
8. We'll post your winners on our blog and, MAYBE, on the Read page.
9. There are no prizes and this is a community effort.
10. If it goes well, you can do another one. Rinse and repeat.
This offer stands for a month. If you don't take it up by then, it dissolves.
PS. I'd suggest mapping out some EASY cut-and-paste instructions for everyone. Run a draft by Figment or CassB.
Mark, that's a fantastic idea. So, to start it off I should have a poll about a topic? Then, I report back here and get approval for the theme. From there, we'll state the challenge and the judges (two adults and three non-adults) and have a 2-3 week deadline for stories tagged, ex, 'musicCC' so that we know of all the stories. They have to see whether or not their tweens/teens/grownups. Tweens is 12 and under, Teens is 13-18, and grownups are 19+. They choose first place, second place, and a third place for each category and then report back to you.
The part about the badge design needs some clarification... Would we ask one of the actual artists or someone from the writers? How would we get it onto the website? Scan it on and then email it to you? My next-door-neighbor is an artist. They would draw something. Do I just ask nidhi or someone? I'm confused on that part.
Just summarizing it up. Is that what you mean? Am I missing any details?
-Yes, report back with theme; we'll approve it.
-Yes, state the challenge, judges, and theme. Maybe make a Storybird with the details so that you can share the link with everyone.
-Yes, the tagging is important. Everyone needs to add it if they want their book to be read/reviewed (because how will you find them without the tags?)
-Let's call the age categories: kids & tweens (6-12), teens (13-18), and adults (18 and up). When you publish your Storybird, include in the "Summary" which age category you want to compete in.
-Once you have the winners, report them on the Storybird page that you made to explain the competition. That'll be your "home base". But let us know here when you've announced the winners.
-Sure: ask one of the artists if they'll create a badge. It should be no bigger than 150x150 pixels. It should probably say "Community Competition" or "CC" perhaps. And you'll need three versions for #1, #2, and #3. Nhidi is a great choice, but it's up to you guys who you ask.
-I think that's it. If you run into any hiccups, email us at support@storybird.com
Good luck!
Thanks, I got it now.
I'm thinking about ONE more thing, though; the judges aren't allowed to enter storybirds in challenges, right?
And, since there are 2 adults judges and 3 non-adult judges, do you want me to pick the judges? Do you have any idea who would be willing to judge a community challenge? And, I should bring up the whole judging-topic with the people that we want to be judges before making a storybird about it, right?
Thanks, I realize I'm swarming you with questions. Hope it's not too much trouble to answer them.
-That's right: judges can't enter (so, if this goes well and you do another one, you can rotate the judges so the first judges can enter their own work in the second competition)
-You should talk to your posse about which judges to pick. Don't overdo it; just some quick conversations. You'll always have other competitions to include others if they feel left out.
-Yes: choose your judges before you create the Official Storybird. Include them in the book or the comments. (BTW, tell us when that book is ready and we'll stick it in New & Notable)
-BTW, if an artist agrees to do the artwork, make sure it's a jpeg or TIFF file. Have them send us the art when it's ready. We'll put it into the system.
Got it. :) I'm thinking of getting rockythegoldenpup as one of the adult judges... and celtic32 & deepfried_freak as two of the non-adult judges. I don't know of who else to ask, though. Maybe myself and allalea. Sound good?
I'm going to get started right away. Discuss it with the other storybirders and the people I'm hoping to get as judges.
Thanks for the idea; it's great.
I would love to be one of lalahead316's judges! It sounds fun, if there's an open space.
That is so cute. LOVE THE ART YOU USED!!
I would be willing to help judge your first one. :) If the challenge is 2-3 weeks, could I have at least 1-2 weeks to read the entries? (Depending on the amount entered, I might not need that much time). I'm pretty sure I could do it, but with how popular this site is, it makes me a little nervous how much I'll be able to keep up. Hehehe :)
Mark
Would the winning stories get in featured?
Fall, when everything Changes.
@lalahead316: you should probably make the competition run a month. Two weeks to get the stories entered after you announce the theme and two weeks for judging and announcing the theme. Whatever length you do choose, be sure that the official Storybird includes the deadline.
Also, consider matching it to the month. If it goes well and you do more, it's easier for everyone to understand "November's Competition."
@Bblackwolf: we're not involved in picking the judges. It's a community effort. We'll just showcase the winners.
@rockthegoldenpup: you should expect about 100 stories since this will only be communicated via the "jungle network." But who knows? Maybe more.
@happycupcake: we'll feature them somehow, but not necessarily in "Featured."
Dear Mark,
My name is blairphoebe, and I was wondering, were you the one that started Storybird?
I got a question for you. How do you create your OWN art? I know how to use other people's art in my Storybirds but I don't know how to make my own art to use in my Storybirds. P.S. Are you apart of the Storybird company because when I saw your Storybird it made you sound like you were apart of the company. P.P.S. This comment is meant for you Mark. P.P.P.S Your Storybird is GREAT.
@blairphoebe: I'm one of the cofounders, yes. The others are @kaye and @adam. And there are others on the team, too. But we hide them in the basement.
@asianprincess: you can't upload your own art. Storybird is completely focused on art-inspired storytelling and using the best artists from around the world to help create the magic. And yes! I am part of the company :) Thanks!
Wow, I should have checked out this section sooner! I'm totally willing to help with the member-run challenge. If you need anything, just let me know! :)
MA2013 hearted this
Mark
I think I have finished the community challenge ground rules, in a storybird. Should I go ahead and publish it so the moderators can make sure that I didn't leave any instructions out?
Mark- this is a silly question, but I want to know-
I am a judge on the community challenge. But, looking back, I REALLY want to enter. So, I can't, right? Will the judges be the same for the next challenge? I would judge the first one, and if we continue this, do I have to judge the next one? Or could the COMMUNITY judge the JUDGE'S storyies in another challenge?
THANK YOU FOR MAKING STORYBIRD!!!
livie9 hearted this
@lalahead316: yes. And send the book link to support [at] storybird [dot] com. We'll get it into the N&N section.
@celtic32: you can't enter a competition you judge. But push for a second one in December. Then you can be a contestant.
K, thanks!!!!!!!! Last question- sometime in the future (1-3 years, don't want to give away my age), I will be older than 13. I have a 'kid' account right now, but I'll be on this site waaaayyy after I'm 13. So will I always have a 'kid' account?
ryan5 hearted this
Mark, I have a dilemma.
I can't really email you guys my votes for the community challenge (Ima judge) but I could privately tell lalahead316 my votes and she could email them in with hers.
Is that OK?
MorganC5M hearted this
@celtic32: you'll be able to switch to a regular account when the time comes. And by then, we'll have our "copy&send" feature that lets you take a book from one account and copy it into another (yours or a friends). That way you'll be able to move any books into a new account.
@jojo_mojo: sure.
Did you hep create the site at all?
I don't think I have any questions other than, If I have a storybird that many people have said something like, "OMG Pickle! That was Amazing!!!" But you haven't read it, should I post it on here so you can read it? KK THAT IS ALL!!!!!! RAWR!!
Picklereader hearted this
Oh and I actually have another question. Do I have to have the cheese??? Please don't make me! I HATE CHEESE!!!!!!!!!!! Even ask Bookloverjoy(bookie)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How will I let you guys know that I'm older than thirteen? Do I email you?
Hi Mark! This is ex-bblack. I have been trying to publish a storybird for quite some time now, and it keeps saying that it is not allowed. I have studied community guidelines carefully, but can't find anything wrong with it. I am worried that it won't get published before halloween. Will you tell me what's wrong with it? Maybe I can fix it. It's called wheel of (Mis)fortune.
Please help! Thanks!
Hey is there a way to talk or to make a storybird with someone you don't know personally but are "friends" with on here??
Hey Mark, when all the new entery stuff and that come out, can there be a way to collaborate on a storybird without knowing them?!??!??!?!?! PLEASE MAKE TERE BE 1!!!!!!!
Mark,how can I make storybirds?
HOLY COW!!! 406 comments, 136 hearts, and 4 responses! You have out done yourself Mark, you really have.
@bluebird26 He sure did! :D
Hey Mark!! Its me again...Ok quick question how do get storybirds art to be your avatar? I keep seein people with their avatar being some kinda art work! I thought it was really cool! Sorry for bugging you so much! And no rush! You can get back to me any time! Thank you so much!
-RockStar
I love the new artwork! Gooey SA!!!
You remember me, don't you. Well, when I go on screen name, and click on my name, not all of my storybirds are showing up. Can you help me?
Soph13 hearted this
@spottyeyes: yes.
@picklereader: really, you hate cheese? Even Mac and Cheese? As for collaborating with others who you don't know IRL (in real life), we suggest a tag game or using Story Responses. We don't allow stranger-to-stranger use of the writing engine since it could be used as a private IM/chat board and lead to bad things.
@celtic32: no. It's just something you do on your own when the time is right.
@bblackwolf: can't help. That's an issue with the Storyspotters and the mods.
@rockout99: I think those members are making a screen capture of the art and then using that for their avatar pic.
@blairphoebe: we reset the moderation queue the other day which flicked all of your stories to private. That's why you don't see them in your profile or via search. Be patient. We're growing the Storyspotting team and things will start accelerating.
rcundles hearted this
Thank you soooo much! I'll try to be patient!
THE INTERNET IS NEVER SAFE!
Fatima999 hearted this
Ehlixz hearted this
Ok thank you Mark!!
lazydaylove hearted this
Yes I do. Okay, I guess that would be better than us actually talking because of danger. Thanks!!!!!
Picklereader
K, Mark, question;
I have the results for the community challenge, but what do I do with them? Post it on lalahead316's Community Challenge story?
Interesting you have a really cool job!
Smiley: email support. They'll fwd it along.
got it.
How do you put your own art on storybird without becoming a shop, or can't you?
Also how do you get the artist Aaron Berchild?
Can you be a private artist, with art only you can use?
HelloKitty55
Oooo! One more thing, how many accounts can you have, coz my little sister wants one, and I've got one, but she wants one?
So can you have two accounts in one e-mail address or do you need to use a different address?
How do u publish your storybird's ?
bmm9501 hearted this
@hellokittyy55: you can't upload your own art. Our focus is entirely on collecting and presenting fabulous artwork from artists around the world.
Aaron's work was used during an early trial and isn't accessible any more
Re accounts: you need different addresses unless you use the child/parent account, in which case your parents can use one email and you can both have accounts.
omg
Thx mark!
. .∞
o
how do you become a judge for the contests?
Mark, is storybird going to post the badges for the challenge? Sorry if I seem pushy, I was just told that you would have them hopefully up by Wednesday.
@mlep1: do you mean the community challenge? Talk to lalahead316. She's leading this in the community right now.
@Camila10yoc: glad to have you in our community. And stay tuned for 2012. Lots of great things happening.
@smiley316: looks like the award/badges will go up tomorrow. We had a big tech problem yesterday that distracted the whole team and the CC stuff got pushed back.
Do you need a website to become an artist?
& do you have to be a certain age?
imcool hearted this
great story no lie.
hello mark i am having some problems with my stories being published and i put everything to public...is there a certain time on when it can be visible to other storybird users?
Mark;
Was the first community challenge successful? Should I make another round of it? I know a lot of people that didn't get to enter this time wanted to enter the next one and I have one person that would be willing to judge so far... How do you feel about that? Should I make another storybird for the next community challenge?
Hey Mark I know that you are very busy but for some reason my avatar won't change
@lala: sure. Keep going if everyone is enjoying it. Just let us know when the next book/theme is read and we'll stick it in N&N.
Hi Mark, how is progress in the HTML5 embeds. My students are loving their storybirds, and are really keen to explore them on their iPads!!!
Mark
I sent the link to support a while ago. Did you get it?
@ebrace: slow. But we'll get there in early 2012.
@lala: yes, they've approved it and #2 is in N&N.
None of my stories are public yet! Why?
babyboy123 hearted this
coolest story ever!
hossein19 hearted this
good
kwel
Mark
How come the storybird challenge isn't constantly in the New and Noted section like it was last time?
WOW that's a lot of comments
@jojo: we have to hack the code to get the story to stay in the #4 position on the N&N widget. We forgot during Thanksgiving. We'll fix it up this week.
Hi Mark! I have not been on storybird in a couple months. Anything new I should know about?
Is there a way to move storybirds from one account to am=nother because some people I know can't put stories in the public library because of their user name or any way to change the user name? Thanks!
@fallgirl: the community has started community challenges. That's cool. But most "new" things have been behind the scenes. We're planning some big stuff for 2012 and will start rolling them out in January. It's very cool.
@pickle: we'll be creating a "copy and send" tool to stories so you can clone your stories and move them to your other accounts. Look for it in the spring.
Shack18 hearted this
Mark
Are you going to do what you did before and forward the votes to me/Smiley to tally them for the Community Challenge?
queenietsehk hearted this
Hi Lala: yes.
Is it alright if I go ahead and start making a third community challenge?
Lala, if you've got the demand for it—go for it.
GeeCory6 hearted this
Mark,
Do you want me to copy and paste the badges for the winners of the second cc?
@lala: you can't. Send us the list and the guys will generate the badges for the winners.
I think I sent the list of winners for the second community challenge, but I can resend it if you need me to.
Mark, when are we going to have challenges again?
@lala: can you resent? No one here saw an email.
WOW NICE STORY I HAVE READ A LOT OF YOUR STORIES WOW NICE JOB HOW MANY STORIES DO U DO A WEEK
Hahaha loved it, its aawesome!!! very coool
Hey mark! Yeah its me again....Please forgive me!
So I had a couple quick questions: Okay, so when I set the thing on private or public (Wich I usually swich to PUBLIC) It sets to private...So I have to go back again and set to public...Does that make any sence at all? And my other question was: When I do set it back to public, all my comments repeate....Is there a reason for that?
Any way, these problems are no biggie!
I thought I'd ask and give you a heads-up!
Ones again; So sorry for bugging you! =)
And just to let you know:
Storybird is appsolutely superb!
-Rockstar♫
Hi! I don't want to sound annoying or anything. I was told that it usually takes about two days for storybirds to become approved once public. However, mine are taking a week or more. I wasn't sure if it was a shortage of story-spotters, something wrong with my account,the huge amount of stories flooding in every day, or the holidays. Thanks and happy holidays.
So THAT'S how the community challenge started. Hey mark I just read this comment. # samantha11
samantha11 says:
I hated it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted 14 months ago (Permalink)
# samantha11
samantha11 says:
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaattttttttttttteeeeeeeeeee it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :| :(
Anyway I can't flag it can you do something
@rockout @allalea: it's definitely an issue with the volume of stories. We'll have it under more control in January and start to see less issues by Feb. Hang tight.
Okay! Thank you Mark!
Its really no biggie...I just thought I'd let you know-and give you a heads-up! Thanks again! =)
I WANNA CAPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GIVE GIVE!!!!!!!!!!! LOL I actually have one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey Mark and Adam,
Just doin a little background research ;]
glad to be working with you!
-K.
Hey, I was thinking, because that's what I do, that we should have a, 'Go 2 Top' button at the bottom for people who have hundreds of comments and at the top at 'Go 2 Bottom' button so it would be easier to go from the top to the bottom and if you just want to go back to your page there should be a 'You' button at the bottom and not just the top. There's my wonderful ideas.
Ok glad that you all are doing so well. Thank you for your help.
I like it
elok2 hearted this
Hey Mark! I am a major follower!
Some "Cheesy" Quotes Book 2
luv2dance12 hearted this
i love this story its all right
I loveee storybird!! thank you so much for creating such a fun, safe, and interactive community for writers and readers of all ages!!!:)
maks05 hearted this
Isabrown hearted this
HHFF hearted this
I was just wondering; did everyone send in their votes for the third community challenge?
good job
lioness22 hearted this
This is a good story!It really helps people who want to know a little about Storybird.
Awesome Boy!! lol, so used to usin' the word Gurl!! LOL, sorry, this is just me
Hey Mark, I'm having a little trouble with storybird. Whenever I click on a book to read it nothing happens except the page is automatically scrolled back to the top. I need alot of help. :(
Hi, Mark! I have a ton of stories that have been waiting to be published for a whole week. I understand if this isn't your first priority, but if you could get them published soon, that would be great! Thanks!
Hey Mark,
I was wondering if i could start another communitity challenge, so that some other people could be winners. I was also wondering if you had any suggestions for me on how to make it better?
Here is the link to look at it and see what you think!
http://storybird.com/books/a-story-bird-challenge-for-anyone-and-everyone/
Thanks!!!
(please reply soon)
-mmcmahon186
luminiere hearted this
Yeah, Storybird is an awesome website. Thanks for everything you do! Oh, and I like cheese.:)
Mark
I am missing one judges votes for the challenge and since it's way past the deadline, do you think I should just continue without the last judge's scores and announce the winners from what I have so far?
blackbutterfly65 hearted this
LeroyNoble hearted this
i want a donut right now n chesse
@lala: your call. You can either nudge the other judge or send us what you have.
ThankYouNo2000 hearted this
dadamy hearted this
Mark-
ever since Storybird took a nap two-three days ago, on the top of my computer screen, where it says Storybird, it has it but a white line in the middle of it, saying 'Stop Censorship'. Is it just my computer and/or account, or is it everyone's?
@ mark two of my storybirds are private. Can you help me? I want them to be puplic. Thanks!!!
~ christina000
@celtic: it's everyone. The banner links to a petition to stop Congress from passing SOPA, a terrible bill that will have drastic consequences for the internet if it passes. Pass the link around to everyone you know and get the adults in your life to sign the petition.
You can also learn more on our blog:
http://blog.storybird.com/2012/01/you-have-two-weeks-to-save-the-internet/
@mark-when will we have another challenge?
CMElias hearted this
Hey, Mark? This is kind of important.
For the past week or so, I have been seeing this weird sign over the storybird logo, reading "STOP CENSORSHIP". So, when I clicked on it, a website popped up, called "American Censorship.org". Then it starts talking about how Congress is going to pass Internet Censorship. I don't really understand it, and part of me thinks it's fake, but the other half just doesn't know what to do.
Mark~
Hey Mark...Yeah its me, sorry!
Ok, I have a Username issue....So you know my username has uppercase letters right?
Ok, so this computer remembers my username, so I can just jump on and go to storybird on this computer...But when I'm on other computers (Such as the Library)
I have to login...But it won't let me.
I know my password my username and everything...But it always says "Incorrect password and or username case sensitive"
Sooo I have no idea what to do....Got any ideas?
Thanks, Rockout
Hi Mark I have a question who invented StoryBird???
No no no
Why is there a stop censorship thing on the storybird logo???
Mark, my cousins were trying to make storybird accounts (our family all uses the same email) and their account activation letters never arrived. They've been waiting since yesterday.
@swiftiegal: official Storybird challenges will resume later this year.
@bluebird26: the American Censorship site is organizing support against a bill that's been proposed in congress called SOPA. The bill is "officially" designed to help American media companies (Disney, NBC/Universal, etc) try to stop piracy on foreign websites (like, say, the Pirate Bay). But "unofficially" the bill introduces VERY scary control features similar to what China, Iran, and Syria use to patrol/control their citizens. It also proposes some very unsmart things that can literally break how the internet works.
Millions of people have been protesting Congress to stop SOPA, but it's a LOT of work since some powerful senators are being helped by those big media companies. (Media companies often help pay for the election campaigns of politicians, and this is how those elected officials pay them back—by pushing bills into law.) So we added our voice to the debate/fight and have petitioned, written, and spoken out about how bad SOPA is for the country, the internet, and human rights. We put the black bar on the site so our members could learn about the situation and decide if they wanted to join us and millions of other people to say "no." (That's how politics SHOULD work: citizens TELL their officials what THEY want—not the other way around.)
We've also been going out of our way on Twitter to poke at the big publishing companies that support SOPA. Disney, Scholastic, Marvel, HarperCollins and many others have made themselves rich by supporting the ideas of authors, but now are supporting a bill that can have a terrible impact on freedom of speech. They're like those "best friends" who smile to your face and then talk about you behind your back. Ick.
@rockout: what's happening is that your browser is remembering the right username/password combo and when you're somewhere else, you're typing in the wrong username/password combo.
If you want to fix it, reset your password here:
http://storybird.com/accounts/forgot-password/
If you've done that and the link you get to reset the password isn't helping you, then double-check what you're entering for your username. Make sure it's the original one you used and be sure NOT to enter your email address as your username.
@storywriter: a few of us invented Storybird. Me, @kaye, @adam, and some other folks you don't hear about behind the scenes.
Aathena hearted this
Oh, thanks Mark. :D
Mark: Thanks for explaining it! SOPA sounds pretty bad...but you explained it to me, I understood it, and that's all that matters! Well, not really. Anyways, I thought it was just something that YOU guys didn't put up; something that someone hacked. Or something. You get my point, right?
febbo hearted this
mark, i need to ask you something, can i have a little quiz for 10 random people to answer, and, whoever gets the most right, gets tagged?! tell me if it's ok on one of my stories!
kimia hearted this
Mark,
hi! Its me, Kebby. I have a quick question to ask,and it might offend you just a little. But I don't want you to be mad. Promise you won't be mad, K? Okay, so I was wondering why I've never been on new and noted. I wonder if you and the storybird creators just don't take the time to read my stories throughly, because I think that they are great. I've gotten several comments saying that I belong on new and noted,so its not just me. Plus, some of the storybird on new and noted arent that good and I think I can do better. I've been on storybird for three years and written 54 stories, and not one has made it to new and noted. I know I'm not a figment68, but I think that my stories should be up there next to hers. I really like writing, and it lowers my confidence when You kinda say they arent good enough to be on new and noted. A lot of times I work for days on end, and you still turn them down. It is my goal to be a featured author someday, but I could never do that if i didnt even make it on new and noted.... SOON! I have an idea-you give me a deadline to try and write the best story ever. Like a few weeks. I'll publish it, and you and the other storybird creators can look it over. Maybe even tweak it a little! Then, If its still not good enough to go on new and noted,I complety understand.:):):):)! Please get back to me on this and comment on some of my stories ASAP!
Thanks!
Sincerely,
kebcoconut, storybird user
jackgirl hearted this
whew i almost thought there was no cheese :P
Remember me? Read Inga & Star 2! And enter the contest!
pageisabelle hearted this
R101010 hearted this
digiruben hearted this
woah, now i know storybird, i mean...i knew how it was before but it's a really good storybrid to teach people to know HOW to use storybird! Good job "mark"!!!
tatesorensen hearted this
Yep, it didn't take me ages to figure out you guys have a big heart, answering all my annoying questions. Oh yeah and cheese, Haha. Funny! :)
Amazing story!!!
Hello Mark,
Sorry to bother you, but I was just curious about the 'storyspotter' position. I noticed other people have taken on the job, and I was inquiring whether I could, too. Please get back to me, thank you!
073685257picklecom hearted this
apoli01 hearted this
jennrot hearted this
NICE!!!! Want Chocolate ; )
@alexjane: sounds fine. Have fun!
@kebe: Kebe, I don't make the suggestions for N&N. The Storyspotters and the editors do. The best I can suggest is a) keep writing and b) keep writing. The more you write, the better you get and the more chances you have of getting noticed.
@mrswells: contact support [at] storybird and we'll pass you along to the team.
Is there an age limit for the storyspotter thing, Mark? Don't mean to bother, but I saw your response to mrswells' comment and it made me curious.
@sunshineysun: No bother. Storyspotters are adults. We recruited our "first batch" to test our system and work out the kinks. We'll be advertising for the second batch in 3-4 weeks. But if you're a grown up that has 2 or more hours/week to give, it's fun and has great perks. Ping us at support.
Inga and Star! (Part 2)
Mark-
I've been looking at Storyspotting a little. I know I'm too young, and that's OK. But I was wondering........will there ever be (well, there a few things)
A notice that you were spotted- I've been 2 times, but was just looking at my comments and saw that. I wish I could have thanked them sooner!!
A major link to show the story spotters- I didn't even know who was a story spotter until I looked really closly.
thanks!
steadyblogging hearted this
Mark, for some reasons I am not getting emails from storybird anymore. I checked my spam and trash folder, checked my settings, and made sure that my email was correctly entered. It's still not working. Do you know why?