Just a reminder: It’s okay to leave comments!
I think it's time to end my experiment with Simily.
© 2023 K. R. Smith All rights reserved
Wednesday June 13, 2023
Important Changes to the Simily Platform
To Our Fellow Similians,
Simily’s mission has always been to build a place where creative writers and readers can thrive online. As the platform has grown, we noticed a shift in the quality of content and engagement on the site which took us further away from this mission. Over the past few months, our small team has spent countless hours and resources defending the site from bad actors focused on driving spam and bot traffic. (If you’ve been with us for a while, you understand the bumps in the road and we can’t thank you enough for sticking with us!)
It’s time we bring our focus back to creating a social platform that allows creators to share high-quality writing with an engaged audience.
We’ve spoken to hundreds of you and based on your feedback, we are excited to announce a series of changes to the Simily platform. Each decision was made in an effort to make Simily a home for creative writing and foster an engaging community of readers and writers. These changes were designed to set our Similians up for long-term success and we can’t wait to continue this journey with you all!
So, what’s different?
Social settings are changing. In an effort to support meaningful interactions on Simily, the ability to direct message other writers, create groups, and post in groups on Simily will now only be available to paid users.
There is an application process to become a Simily Writer. As of now, members will need to apply to become a writer on Simily. We will no longer allow anyone to publish whatever content they want. By curating the content on Simily, we hope to create a better, higher-quality experience for our writers and build a library of incredible stories for our readers.
I have stories on Simily, what happens now? If you posted on Simily before this change took effect, all of your stories will be reverted to drafts. We encourage you to apply to be a Simily Writer through our application process! If your application is not accepted (or you decline to apply) you have until August 1, 2023 to download your drafts from the site before they are deleted permanently. If you are approved as a Simily Writer, your content will be published live on the platform. All new writers will be required to apply for the ability to post content on our site.
Can I apply to be a Simily Writer? Absolutely! Submit your application through our application process!
What about my earnings? When an author is approved as a Simily Writer, all earnings from previous stories will be maintained. If you have a current balance above the minimum earnings threshold, you can request a payout by emailing hello@simily.co.
The following countries are eligible to be paid out through Simily: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States.
For additional information, please view our Community Guidelines and FAQs.
We know these are big changes for Simily! If you have any questions or would like to share feedback, please do not hesitate to reach out to hello@simily.co.
Thank you!
Simily Co-Founders
Shore
Leave 43 Travel Advisory for anyone coming in from Philadelphia and points
north
Sunday (6/11/2023) a portion of I-95 near Philadelphia collapsed due to a
tanker truck that caught fire while parked underneath an underpass. This is
reportedly near the Cottman Avenue exit. All lanes of I-95 are closed in both
directions between Woodhaven Road (Exit 35) and Aramingo Avenue (Exit 26).
According to officials it will take months to get that fixed. If you are
traveling to Shore Leave from Philadelphia and/or points north, please plan an
alternate route such as the New Jersey Turnpike. Since everyone else will be
doing the same, please plan on heavier traffic and delays. Please drive safely!
The Shore Leave Team
Shore
Leave 43
Plan your trip accordingly!
I have three entries in this anthology. One is a short story (Memory Lane) and the others are flash fiction (On the Flip Side & Wrapped in a Mystery). The other stories are from Miranda Kate (who put this all together), Michael Wombat, and Victoria Pearson. Here's the table of contents:
As you can see, there are a lot of stories here, so there's a good chance you'll find a few that strike your fancy. I don't have all my "Amazon Author page" stuff sorted out yet, but that will happen shortly...
If you want to see how this came about, you can read my previous Patreon post here.
Also, if you would like to see other stories and poems I've done, please check out this list!