So, MLM, Irk, and I started kicking around the idea of doing a quarterly anthology focusing on WebLit. If I recall correctly (I hadn't finished my coffee yet), one of the ideas we liked best was a magazine-style sort of compilation in digital format, easily printed or downloaded for personal archiving, or to have on hand as promotional material and conventions and the like. I figured it would be a good thing to toss out to everyone.

Because, well, a lot of us just can't talk about ourselves enough. No, really, I just see the introductions area getting pretty difficult to navigate if this gets really really popular, and profiles are an easy way to index content by person. ... Or, to put it simply, it's easier for me to click on say Karen Wehrstein's profile to get her web URL than hunt it down in an intro thread (if she's posted one) or whatever.

I promise I won't list my occupation as "prostitute" in this forum.

Enabling signatures might also be slightly awesome.

I'll start a thread for the sci-fi genre.

My longest-running work is Space & Time (seven months and counting!), and it's set in a Galaxy that may or may not be far, far, away. The action takes place onboard a space station and focuses on an alien slave child, her master, and various other characters. It's sci-fi for those reasons.

Wow, we have a site and a logo. Just like that.

The starting three-talking-point weblit(erature) rationale is in an author's note on one of my online novels here but to reiterate (with edits):

- the word "literature" points out that there are people writing on the web who are every bit as good as people publishing on paper, and so promotes the idea of us as professionals

- it is parallel to "web comics" and so can benefit from the association

- it can be neatly shortened to "weblit."

I'll go first, then!

It seems to be mostly a writer resource at its core, so I was wondering if there'd be a special sub-set of features just for readers who come to this site who are not writers. Having stuff here for readers will draw more traffic in, which of course means more cross-promo for our sites.

Will we have an index of WebLit authors/sites? If we do, what service would this provide that isn't done by WFG or Muse's Success and such? I think a central list of members and member sites would show solidarity and also reward those who join up.

Here is where we share our tips on places to promote or buy advertising. If we'd like, at least. I think everyone knows about Web Fiction Guide and such, so I was hoping we could all point each other towards places that nobody knows of yet, or thought to advertise on. I'm trying to focus on places that aren't traditionally used to advertise weblit.

Hey you! Yes you! This idea isn't going to take off until there are a lot of us talking! So start spreading the word.

• Put a link in your sig file, both in email and on other forums.
• Post to your Facebook or MySpace status.
• Tell your readers.
• Tell the other forums you're on.
• Tweet it, especially in writer hashtag chats.

Here's a convenient button:

Me, Lyn Thorne-Alder, Irk & Char were talking about this at one point.

There are a number of us who use some kind of points system to encourage reviews and participation, offering some kind of rewards in return (bonus stories, character questions, etc).

But it often seems that readers build up scores and scores of points and then don't use them all.

Wouldn't it be cool if there was some kind of way of translating points to another story? It might encourage readers to check out other stuff if they knew they could use their points for a reward there.

Welcome to WebLit.us, where writers, reviewers and readers of free web literature combine forces to further the WebLit movement! WebLit is quality original writing by authors who are serious about their work and present it on the Internet, whether they're writing novels, serials, non-fiction works, short fiction, flash-fiction or experimental literary forms.