Original Poetry Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers

What is OriginalPoetry.com?
OriginalPoetry is an online community designed for poets to express themselves through words. There are many kinds of people from various different backgrounds that have joined our community because of the numerous features this site has to offer. Some of the many things available to our members are: The ability to read, rate and post poems, being able to meet other poets and add them to your friends list, a chance to win one of our weekly poetry contests (simply by submitting an original poem of your choice), and much more. You can join today by clicking here, registration is free and easy!
How do I submit a poem?
To submit a poem you must first be a registered member. If you're not already a member, you can sign up now, the process is free and easy. After you finish registering, click on the "+ Add New Poem" button on the top navigation dropdown list under the "Poem" category. Fill in the fields and click submit. That's all there is to it!
When my poem expires from the weekly contest,
what happens to it?
Nothing happens to it at all. Your poem is simply not in the poetry contest anymore, it does not get deleted, discarded or thrown away. Your poem is still available for you to edit, link to on other websites or even re-submit to the current poetry contest. Remember, a list of all your poems can always be found on the "My Poems" in your "My Account" area.
How exactly does the weekly poetry contest work?
Poems will be posted for rating and review the first day of the week following their entry, so that the person that submits their poem at the end of the week has the same chances of winning as the person that submits their poem at the start of the week. The entries will be displayed to the other registered poets and readers, and they will then have the opportunity to judge those poems and rate them in our system. The rating system is a standard Gross Count Mean Number System, and will tell us which poems were considered to be favorites of the readers. At the end of the poetry contest a winner will be selected among the poems with the highest rating.
What's the prize for winning the weekly poetry contest?
By winning the weekly poetry contest, you also win one of the 52 open spots (one spot for each week of the year) in a poetry book that we are going to have published. Click here to see this years book. Once all of the spots for the book have been filled, the book will be published. If we do not get the required interest from any publishing houses... we don't care! We will self publish the book, produce 10,000 copies and sell them on Amazon.com. Any profit made from the sale of the poetry books with be split between all of the poets published in the book and originalpoetry.com. Fifty percent (50%) of the profit will go to originalpoetry.com and the other fifty percent (50%) will be split among the 52 published poets. If you have any further questions regarding the poetry contest, please contact us at: support@originalpoetry.com
How will I know that my poem has been posted?
Once you have submitted/posted a poem, you will automatically be taken to the "My Poems" which displays a list of all of your poems (with your most recent poems being first).
How do I rate a poem?
Navigate to the poem page of the poem that you want to rate. At the bottom of the poem you will see "Add Comment" with a text area for you to add a comment. Once you have added a comment of 50 characters or more you're then asked to submit a numerical rating from 1-10. You may only rate a poem once.
Can I upload a picture for my poem?
Yes you can! After submitting your poem you will be given the option to upload a photo to be displayed on the poem page. Simply click the "Browse" button to navigate to the photo you that want to use, and click the upload button, that's all there is to it! If you decide not to post a poem picture and then change your mind, or if you want to edit your poem picture later; all you have to do is navigate to the poem page of the picture that you want to edit and make your changes.
How do I edit or delete a poem?
To edit one of your published poems, go to the poem you would like to edit. Look for the "Poem Editor Panel" on the top of the page. Select the "edit" button next to the poem you would like to edit. The poem will then open allowing you to make changes. To delete a poem: Go to the poem you would like to delete. Look for the "Poem Editor Panel" on the top of the page. see a "Delete Poem" button, once you click the button a dialog box will appear to verify that you want to delete the poem. Simply click "OK" in the dialog box and your poem will be deleted. Warning: Your poem can NOT be recovered once it has been deleted.
How do I add to or edit my friends list?
To add someone to your friends list: Navigate to their poem or profile page and click the send friend request link under their profile picture. A request will then be sent to that person where they can either accept or deny your friend request. Being friends is a mutual feature, so if the other person denies your friend request then you will not become their friend or vice versa. To edit your friends list: Navigate to your "My Friends" under the Friends drop-down menu in the top right of the screen. You can then go through your friends list and chose to remove the poets that you have already befriended.
What is plagiarism?
Plagiarism is: "The use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author (or in this case, poet) and the representation of them as one's own original work". We take plagiarism very seriously, and anybody on this site that is found to have plagiarized someone else's poems is subject to have their poems disqualified from any and all contests, and have their user account permanently banned.
How do I ignore another user?
To ignore and block all communication with another user, visit your "My Friends" page found in your "My Account" area. Click on the "Ignored Friends" tab and enter the username of the person you would like to ignore.
If the case is serious in nature, you have the option to flag that person. The user flag can be found under a poet's picture on their profile page. Once a user flag is received the situation will be reviewed and the appropriate action will be taken. Please allow us 24 hours to take action (if warranted) on any user flag request.
Why aren't my poems being rated or viewed?
As our online community continues to grow, sometimes (though not intentionally) your poems may get overlooked. We will continue to look at different methods of getting exposure to poems that have little to no votes or views, but until then, there is something that you can do to help get your poems noticed. A good way to get your name out there and your poems read is to make friends with other users on this site, or leave comments on their poems. Once you introduce yourself to other poets, you can begin asking them to give you feedback on your poems (e.g. read and rate them). Not only is this a great way to get your poems noticed and read, but you also get to meet and network with other people who share the same likes and interests as you do.
How do I view my poem comments?
To view your poem comments simply navigate to the poem and scroll down to the comments section. Another way to keep updated on all of your latest poem comments is to view "My Poem Comments" and your "My Profile Comments" pages. These pages are found in your "My Account" area.
Can I change my user name?
Once an account has been created, you are not allowed to change your pen name. If you decide that you do not like your pen name, the only way to get a different name is by creating a new account. Please be advised that if you create a new account you will NOT be able to carry over any of your friends, settings, poems, comments, etc.. from your previous account to your new one, essentially you will be starting over from scratch.
Can I change my password?
At this time the only way to change your password is by using the forgot password method below.
I forgot my password, how do I retrieve it?
To recover your password, click on the "Login" link at the bottom of the page. You will then be taken to a log in page with a forgot password link on it. After clicking "forgot password", you will will be prompted to enter in the e-mail address that you registered to original poetry with. Shortly after submitting your e-mail address you will receive and e-mail with instructions on how to reset your password.
Can I change my e-mail address?
Once logged in, visit your "My Account" area and click on the "Edit My Profile" under the User Navigation heading. Here you can change your profile information as well as your email address.
How do I edit my profile?
Once logged in, visit your "My Account" area and click on the "Edit My Profile" under the User Navigation heading. Here you can change your profile information.
How do I cancel my account?
There are two ways to cancel your account. The first way is to click on the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of the website and send an e-mail to: support@originalpoetry.com requesting account cancellation, (this must be done from the e-mail address that you used to register to the site). The second way to cancel your account is to click on the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of the website (you have to be logged in for this method to work, and then request your account cancellation in the message field. Please allow us 24 hours to complete any account cancellation request.
How do I send a private message?
There are two different ways to send a private message. The first way to send a private message: Is to navigate to the profile page of the person that you want to message, then click on "Send Private Message" in the left navigation. The second way to send a private message: Is to navigate to your "My Account" homepage and click on the "My Private Messages" link in the User Navigation to the right. Once you are on the "My Private Messages" page, click on the "Compose New Message" tab and begin to type in the user name of the poet that you want to message, as you are typing, a list will appear that displays all of the names that match the characters that you have entered. From that list, you can then choose the name of the poet that you would like to message.
Can I get an e-mail when I receive a private message?
Yes, this option should be active by default. If it is not, please check your settings on the "Edit My Settings" page in your "My Account" area.
Can I upload photos other than my profile picture?
Yes you can! First navigate to "Edit My Profile" page in your "My Account" area, then scroll down to the bottom of the page until you see the "Picture Editor Panel". Inside the panel click on the "Browse Files" button and locate the picture you would like to add.
What is an "Alternative Content"?
"Alternative Content" is potentially shocking or offensive poems (such as poems with an abundance of curse words or derogatory terms), or user pictures without any restrictions. Please understand that by creating an "Alternative" poem your subject matter will only be able to be viewed by other poets who have enabled the viewing of "Alternative Content" through their account settings. Also, be advised that OriginalPoetry.com still reserves the right to delete any content under certain extreme circumstances.

Poetry is not an expression of the party line. It's that time of night, lying in bed, thinking what you really think, making the private world public, that's what the poet does.

Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997) U.S. poet.