FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS For Answers to questions you do not find below please read our Users Agreement(click here!) DO I NEED TO BE A MEMBER TO READ? TO POST? To read on WPF's forums, you DO NOT have to be a member. In order to post, however, you are required to have a PUBLIC username and password. A separate PRIVATE username and password are required for the ~THERAPEUTIC TOUCH~ forum, and all other locked forums within WPF. Locked forums are indicated by an icon next to the forum name. HOW DO I ACCESS THE ~THERAPEUTIC TOUCH~ (Adult Content) FORUM? Because ~THERAPEUTIC TOUCH~ contains material that may not be suitable for younger viewers, this forum is password protected. In order to obtain access to this forum, you must be 18 years of age or older. Go to this page to request a PRIVATE Membership WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A PUBLIC AND A PRIVATE MEMBERSHIP? PUBLIC memberships are recommended for those who are not interested in accessing the locked forums on WPF, and are the only memberships available for those under the age of 18. If you are over the age of 18, and wish access to the locked forums on WPF, we recommend you request a PRIVATE membership from the start. This will allow you access to all areas of WPF, both public and private. WHY IS MEMBERSHIP REQUIRED? We have had some difficulties in the past with a completely open forum. Anonymous users were abusing our boards. Hence, administration decided to have a members-only forum. If you are interested, you can join now! I NEVER RECEIVED MY ACTIVATION KEY. WHAT SHOULD I DO? After your membership has been approved, you will be sent an activation key to whatever e-mail address you listed in your application. This key is necessary in order to start using your membership. If you have not received your activation key within a reasonable amount of time, please send a letter informing us of this to adminwpf@wildpoetryforum.com. We will manually activate your membership. Your letter should include the membership name you chose in your application. Before writing, please check your junk mail folder. Our automated e-mails are often filtered there by your e-mail provider by mistake. WHAT ARE MEMBERSHIP LEVELS AND WHAT DO THEY MEAN? There are six levels of membership at WPF. These levels are based on the number of posts, as participation at Wild counts for more than mere longevity. The system keeps track of the number of posts and automatically advances the membership level when the posts reach a certain number. The membership levels and the number of posts required for each are as follows: New Member: 1-50 posts Member: 51-100 posts Valued Member: 101-300 posts Intermediate Member: 301-1000 posts Advanced Member: 1001-2500 posts Senior Member: 2501+ posts Your membership level will be listed below your name on the left-hand side of each post you make at WPF. If you are new to WPF or are unfamiliar with a particular username, being able to see the member's membership level is a convenient way of knowing whether he/she is new to Wild or has been a long-term part of our community. WHICH FORUM SHOULD I POST IN? The three main posting forums are ~SUBLUXATION~ (Workshop), ~CREATIVE VISUALIZATION~ (Light Critique), and ~BIOFEEDBACK~ (Heavy Critique). ~SUBLUXATION~ We designed this forum mainly for BEGINNERS. If you are new to writing or new to the internet writing forum experience, this is where you should begin. You will find tips on proper critiquing techniques in there as well as much needed support as you attempt your first poems and/or wobble about on untried poetic feet. This forum is also useful for intermediate and advanced poets when they are attempting to learn some new form or are just not certain whether a particular poem is working, either linguistically, thematically, or structurally. If you or your poem need special, gentle attention, please post in ~SUBLUXATION~. Kathy Paupore is our head moderator in that forum and she is well versed in offering just the type of support and guidance necessary in the situations outlined above. She is a published professional, and her specialty is working with new and/or blocked writers. When and if you make revisions to the work you’ve posted, go into the edit function and post the revision(s) over the original. Work posted in ~SUBLUXATION~ is considered work-in-progress and is NOT considered for Poem of the Week and the IBPC. We suggest that when you feel comfortable that the poem has reached its best revision, that you re-post it in ~CREATIVE VISUALIZATION~, the next step in your writing journey. ~CREATIVE VISUALIZATION~ We designed this forum mainly with the INTERMEDIATE poet in mind. If you have been writing for a while or have been participating in online writing forums (either WPF or one of our neighbors) and feel you know a good deal about poetic structure, you should feel very comfortable in ~CREATIVE VISUALIZATION~. This forum is for those who only wish general comments, and/or minor suggestions on their work, no matter what their skill level. We also intended this forum for those authors who are NOT interested in pursuing publication, who are comfortable writing in their own particular style as a hobby or creative/emotional outlet without regard for publication and only wish to have their poems displayed and appreciated. M is the head moderator for this forum and has been working in this particular kind of forum for ten years. When and if you make revisions to the work you’ve posted, go into the edit function and post the revision(s) over the original. Work posted here IS considered for Poem of the Week and the IBPC. Please do not post the same poem in both ~CREATIVE VISUALIZATION~ and another forum here at WPF. This is considered "double-posting" and is not permitted. ~BIOFEEDBACK~ We designed this forum mainly for our ADVANCED poets and for the published PROS. This is our toughest forum. You will be expected to have a good deal of writing and/or online writing forum experience under your belt. You will not be coddled here, but neither will you be flamed. Your work will, however, be subjected to intense scrutiny on all poetic fronts – language, form, theme, construction, etc. You will receive line-by-line discussion and suggestions for improvement. You may even be told that the poem itself does not work from a content standpoint and that you should go back to the drawing board. This is the forum that will most likely turn you into a published professional if that is your goal, or assist you in taking your work to the next level if you’ve already been published. We expect commentors in this forum to give detailed crits. If you are unaware of what constitutes a detailed critique, then this forum is NOT for you. We ask that authors post at least two DETAILED crits on others' work for every poem of their own they post. When and if you make revisions to the work you’ve posted, go into the edit function and post the revision(s) over the original. Lisa Cohen is our head moderator for this forum and she has a good deal of experience in this area. She is also a published professional, so her talents and guidance will prove quite valuable to you. Work posted here IS considered for Poem of the Week and the IBPC. Please do not post the same poem in both ~BIOFEEDBACK~ and another forum here at WPF. This is considered "double-posting" and is not permitted. There is NO MAIN poetry forum at WPF, no forum that will garner you more attention than any other. There is simply a PROGRESSION of forums to take you through your poetic journeys. If you are new to us or to writing, start in ~SUBLUXATION~, move to ~CREATIVE VISUALIZATION~, and finally enter ~BIOFEEDBACK~. Once you are comfortable, you can move back and forth among the forums depending on what you want to accomplish with each specific poem. Sometimes you will be totally lost on a poem (~SUBLUXATION~), only want general comments (~CREATIVE VISUALIZATION~), or want detailed and thorough assistance to bring a piece to best/final for publication (~BIOFEEDBACK~). We have tried to design WPF to address all kinds of different authors at many stages of growth and development. Adhering to these guidelines on where to post should improve your poetic experience here at WPF enormously. The other Forums at WPF are specialty forums and are self-explanatory. Please read the brief intro information at the top of each of these forums and you will know what should be posted there. WHAT ARE THE POSTING LIMITS? If you post numerous poems back to back in a given day, do not expect numerous responses. Most members will generally comment under one or two pieces and leave the rest. Membership at WPF is a reciprocal arrangement. The more comments you make on others' work, the more comments you will generally receive. Posting at least two/three or more comments on others' work for every poem you post is also a good general guideline. The administration recommends that you post no more than one poem per day to allow readers the chance to appreciate each individual posting. Two to three poems a week is an even more realistic goal. Please don't be a "board hog." Overposting pushes work down the boards too fast. Please be considerate of other members and their desire to have their work on display too. There is no limit on the number of comments you can make on others' work, so if you must overpost, do overpost commentary, not your own poems. WHAT IS EXPECTED OF ME WHEN I COMMENT ON SOMEONE'S WORK? Please remember that you will receive from WPF exactly what you put into it. Generic comments like "This is a great poem" or "I loved this poem" are not very useful to the authors. When you comment, attempt as much as possible to make your comments targeted and valuable. Point to what you did or did not like specifically. Keep your comments focused on the poem, not the poet. If you have never critiqued in the past or you are unsure of how to critique here at WPF, please click on the following for helpful information: Critiquing Tips. Also, please check the top of each forum for more specific information about how to comment. General Critique Guidelines for all forums: If you are unfamiliar with a particular member here at WPF, please check the member profile first. Their answer to the question of what kind of critique they prefer will assist you in offering commentary. For example, refrain from offering detailed commentary to a member who has requested only light critique or general appreciation. Critique and commentary must address the POEM and not the POET. You need not agree with every comment or critique offered by another member. However, arguing about or defending the work is counterproductive. The proper response to a critique you do not agree with is a simple: "Thank you for the time and effort you spent in reviewing my work." Defensive or hostile responses are not constructive. If you do not understand a comment or suggestion another member has made, ask for clarification before assuming meaning or intent. Offering and responding to critique is not an exercise in power, control, or ego-gratification. A good critique is true to the poet's voice, and an appropriate response is gratitude for the time someone spent to assist you, even if you do not agree with their commentary. Remember that for the most part, we are relying only on our words to convey all the nuance that facial expressions, body language, tone of voice, and personal history normally convey in face-to-face interactions. When in doubt about another member's intent, don't assume the worst. Ask questions first. CAN I POST THE SAME POEM ON MORE THAN ONE FORUM? Please do not post the same poem or other works on more than one forum, unless specifically told it is permitted by Admin. That is called "Double-Posting." If the WPF staff finds a work that has been double-posted, all of them, including comments, will be deleted except for the first/original post regardless of the forum in which the original is displayed. If double-posting becomes a continuous pattern for you, you will be suspended from posting anything at WPF for a period of not less than 1 (one) month. Posting a substantial revision or altered piece is NOT considered "Double-Posting". WHAT IS ADMIN'S PICK FOR POEM OF THE WEEK? Since the establishment of WPF in November of 1998, we have selected one poem each week from all the work posted on the eligible forums within Wild (~CREATIVE VISUALIZATION~, ~BIOFEEDBACK~, ~ASANAS~) to receive a special honor called Poem of the Week. Poems posted in ~THERAPEUTIC TOUCH~, ~BALANCING QI~, and ~SUBLUXATION~ are NOT eligible. In addition to this poem, several others are noted as Honorable Mentions. The Poem of the Week and Honorable Mentions are then showcased on the Hall of Fame page and archived. An announcement is made on ESSENTIAL OILS notifying the members of the winners of these honors each week. The Poem of the Week winners are also the candidates from which three selections are made at the end of each month for submission into the IBPC. If you'd rather your poems NOT be eligible for recognition, whether that be for Poem of the Week, Honorable Mention or IBPC consideration, please notify administration of your wishes by writing adminwpf@wildpoetryforum.com. We will honor those wishes and exclude your work when we make our selections. WHAT IS THE IBPC? IBPC, which is short for the InterBoard Poetry Competition, is a cooperative of many different forums and poetry boards. It is an ongoing monthly competition among these boards that encourages interaction and community building while showcasing the best talent of participating boards. When you post work on Wild Poetry Forum in the above-named eligible forums, you are automatically eligible for the IBPC. Wild selects three poems from our Poem of the Week winners each month to submit into the IBPC. These selections are combined with the selections from all the other participating boards and sent to the IBPC judge(s) (author’s names and the boards the poems were originally posted on are stripped off to make the judging fair and unbiased). Each month, first, second and third place winners are chosen along with a number of honorable mentions. Those winning poems are featured on the IBPC website as well as the main discussion forums of all of the participating boards. If you would like more information about the IBPC and how this competition works, please click on the following link: IBPC There you will find all the rules as well as the current month’s winners. An archive to past winners is also available. HOW IS A POEM SELECTED FOR POEM OF THE WEEK / IBPC? WPF does not have a nomination process like they do at some of the other participating boards. Our Poem of the Week winners are the group from which our IBPC submissions are selected. And the Poem of the Week winners are determined by a moderator vote. Each week, the moderators are asked to vote on Poem of the Week along with a number of Honorable Mentions. After compiling moderator votes, final decisions are made about Poem of the Week and the Honorable Mentions. These poems are posted in the Hall of Fame and an announcement is made on ~ESSENTIAL OILS~ (General Discussion) each week. Every month at the end of the month, we have at least four and sometimes five Poem of the Week winners (depending on how many weeks there have been in that month). From those honorees, three selections are made for submission into the IBPC. If your poem wins Poem of the Week, you will be sent an e-mail detailing all this and asking your permission for the poem to be submitted into the IBPC. As stated, there is no nomination process; however, members are invited to nominate poem(s) they believe are deserving of Poem of the Week honors simply by writing to Admin at adminwpf@wildpoetryforum.com. We will take member votes into consideration as selections are made. Please note that you must write to us by Sunday of any given week with your votes from the prior week's postings. Your votes can include any poem(s) posted in ~CREATIVE VISUALIZATION~, ~BIOFEEDBACK~, and ~ASANAS~ during the prior week. All other forums at Wild are ineligible for Poem of the Week/IBPC consideration. WHAT ABOUT IMAGES AND HTML? The current image limit is 75kb. HTML is allowed as the forum script permits, including, but not limited to, special features like bolding and italics. HTML for these forums is a bit different than most are accustomed to. Formatting instructions are available on the left hand navigation bar in a link entitled "Formatting" under the "Documentation" heading. Also, ~INTUITIVE HEALING~ (Test and Practice Forum) is available for you to doodle in while you learn formatting and other special WPF features. WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY "ADULT CONTENT?" Because even the Supreme Court of the United States struggles with this definition, we have general guidelines rather than specific rules regarding adult content. If it's written specifically to arouse and titillate, and it has no other focus, it's erotica and belongs in the ~THERAPEUTIC TOUCH~ forum. In the public forums, we have no restrictions against four-letter words or strong language. We do allow oblique references to sexuality/sensuality in the public forums. And granted, after that it gets kind of sticky. In the case of less clear-cut issues, admin and the staff try to judge based on how the adult content is handled in the context of the piece. Is the poem trying to make a political/social point? Or is it just using references to sex/sexual parts in a gratuitous fashion? Sex for sex's sake? How explicit is it? Is it just a breast or a thigh? Or are we seeing penises and vaginas floating by? Another guideline we use is television. Would it play on major TV networks in the U.S. before 9:00 p.m.? If so, then we let it remain on the public boards. If it's only for late night or pay TV, we ask the author to post it in ~THERAPEUTIC TOUCH~. We choose to make these decisions on a case-by-case basis. When there is some question about a piece, every member of the staff gets to take a look and come to his/her own conclusions. Then we discuss it back and forth and admin usually sides with the majority of the staff. We STRONGLY encourage authors to send us the piece by private e-mail if the author has doubts about the poem’s suitability for the public boards. We will be more than happy to review the work, and to inform the author about the most suitable forum at Wild for that particular piece. We are always available for questions by writing to moderators@wildpoetryforum.com or adminwpf@wildpoetryforum.com. So, if there are questions, write to us first before posting. That is much less difficult (for us and the author) than having to move a piece after it’s been posted. WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY POSTING PRIVILEGES? The ability to post here at WPF is not a right but a gift from us to you, and our moderators are NOT paid to help keep things running smoothly. Any amount of time they spend here to help you, answer your questions, mop up wayward posts, and yes, reprimand you is generously volunteered and they should be treated with the respect they deserve. IS WORK POSTED AT WPF CONSIDERED PUBLISHED? No, the work posted here at WPF in NOT considered published by us. You, as the author, retain all copyrights to your own work. WPF is an online critique workshop, not a magazine, journal, or other publishing venue. Work posted here is often in a draft stage of development and is not considered "best/final." Work is displayed at WPF for differing periods of time, depending on the forum in which you post. Work is regularly archived, and that work is then placed in a locked forum accessible only to other WPF members. You should NOT refer to any work displayed here at WPF as a "publication credit" and you should NOT credit WPF as a First American Serial Rights publisher should you someday publish that work in a magazine, journal, or book, online or in print. Any further questions about this issue can be directed to us at adminwpf@wildpoetryforum.com. BESIDES POSTING AND COMMENTING ON POEMS, ARE THERE ANY OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES AT WPF? Yes, we have attempted to make WPF a very full resource for writers of all levels. Here is some brief information about other programs at Wild that may be of interest to you: WPF Weekly Creativity Challenge Program The Weekly Creativity Challenge Program can be found in the ~BALANCING QI~ forum. For more information, click on this link:WPF Weekly Creativity Challenge If you are new to writing, you might be frightened at first to try to compete. However, please remember that this program is less a competition than a learning tool. If you put aside fears about competing and not being skilled enough, you will find that the Creativity Challenges offer you a chance to write poems and learn new techniques you might never have thought of or run across. Consider the Creativity Challenges a classroom of sorts. We certainly welcome less experienced poets who are attempting to learn. You will not be ridiculed. You will grow as a poet. Please do check out all of the expired Challenges in our ~ELECTROMAGNETISM~ (Archive) forum to see how fun and educational they can be. Click on this link: Archived WPF Weekly Creativity Challenges Even though these Challenges are closed, please do consider giving them a try. You can then post the results in any of our critique forums and receive comments and additional help. WPF Workshop Exercise Program The Workshop Exercise Program can be found in the ~SUBLUXATION~ forum. These exercises are designed for beginning poets who wish to learn and more experienced poets who would like to add to their poetic repertoire. There is no competitive aspect to the Exercises as there is to the Challenges. Please consider joining in the fun and feel free to play with abandon. Again, consider them a classroom, not a courtroom where you will be judged. For more information, click on this link: WPF Workshop Exercises Also, feel free to check out the archived Workshop Exercises in ~ELECTROMAGNETISM~. You will find them here:Archived Workshop Exercises BALANCING QI -- Community Involvement Forum If you would like practice writing small poems in short time frames that adhere to a set of guidelines, please investigate BALANCING QI, our Community Involvement Forum. The style and type of poem are dictated by the author of the individual thread. By author of thread we mean the person who started it. Any other member may then add to the poem or contribute a poem to the chain by posting in the thread according to the parameters set by the original author. You will find many different types of poems in this forum, including haiku, cinquain, tanka, limerick, etc. In addition, you can find threads that simply require you to write small free verse poems based on a set of criteria, for instance, a poem that contains six words given to you by the member who posted in that thread prior to you. BALANCING QI is a great place to learn about new forms, and to contribute to a growing thread of poems. You are not required to comment or to critique in this forum, so it’s also a good place if you just want to write and post your creations. There are no posting limits in this forum, except on the Weekly Creativity Challenges (one entry per member per week – see the Creativity Challenge Guidelines for details on this program). For more information, click on this link: BALANCING QI Forum WPF BookShop We have many types of books for sale in the BookShop -- books by our members, books by famous poets, books that teach the skills and techniques of writing, particularly poetry. There are also links to poetry-related DVDs, products, etc. You may investigate our BookShop by clicking on this link: WPF BookShop The BookShop can be particularly valuable to new writers who are looking for instructions and training in writing poetry. We've done the work for you and found the best books. Now all that's left for you to do is choose some selections and start reading! WPF Library The WPF Library is housed in the ~NATUROPATHY~ forum. We've had some pretty fascinating discussions here at WPF about writing in general, poetry in specific, and other topics. You will find many of these discussions in our library, from answers to grammar questions to publishing tips. If you have a question about poetry or writing in general, chances are we might have handled it in the past. Please wander through the Library. We may have already discussed exactly the topic you have in mind or question you have. You may access the library by clicking on this link: WPF Library Please consider all these valuable tools when it comes to improving your poetic skills and learning more about this craft we all practice and love. IF I NO LONGER WISH TO PARTICIPATE AT WPF, DO I HAVE TO FORMALLY CANCEL MY MEMBERSHIP? No, you need not formally cancel your membership if you no longer wish to participate in the WPF community for whatever reason. Before you leave, simply uncheck any boxes on your profile that requested automated mail to be sent on your posts. Any memberships that have remained inactive for a period of two (2) years are automatically deleted. An open, unused membership at WPF causes you and us no difficulties. Unless your membership has been suspended by us, you are always welcome to return, and if your membership has been deleted after the two-year period of inactivity, you can always re-apply. HOW IS WPF FUNDED? Wild Poetry Forum is a not-for-profit organization. It is funded primarily by its own administrators, and supplemented via private member donations and purchase of products in the WPF BookShop. Membership is free and private donations and BookShop purchases are not a requirement. However, if you wish to donate to WPF you can do so through the option for donating located in the BookShop, a program through PayPal. Although we do very much appreciate simple cash donations, we would prefer that you help WPF through purchases in our BookShop. WPF receives a percentage (about 4%) on everything you purchase there. This includes both the products listed and anything else you purchase through WPF’s link to Amazon. If you choose to help WPF in this fashion, you acquire books and other products you most likely would have purchased anyway, and WPF benefits. It’s a win-win situation for everyone. All money donated or received via member purchases is funneled directly back into WPF and used to fund important member programs. For more information on either donating or purchasing products, click on this link: WPF BookShop WHAT DO YOU DO ABOUT PLAGIARISM? We take plagiarism very seriously. PLAGIARISM WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Should you be caught posting someone else's work as your own without permission, you will be suspended from posting at this site and your membership will be revoked indefinitely. We would also appreciate being notified of any suspected plagiarism on WPF. If you recognize a piece of work, but know it was written by a different author, please alert us at adminwpf@wildpoetryforum.com. The alleged plagiarism will be fully investigated by us. The original author (if that author can be identified and located) will be contacted. WPF maintains close relationships with other poetry boards on the Internet. The Administration of these boards will be notified of the plagiarist's username and IP address. As far as plagiarism is concerned, don't even consider it. Thank you! WPF Administrators We hope you have found this information helpful. Thank you for your attention. If you have any further questions not answered here, please feel free to e-mail us your questions and comments!