Writing Sample #3:

Chatter - The Chatting Online Newsletter
(Volume IV, Issue 1, January 8th, 2001)

(Unsubscribe information is at the bottom of this mailing.)

Can't click on these links? Go here to read the online version:
http://chatting.about.com/library/chatter/blchatter401.htm

------------------ New Articles ------------------

UNDERNET ATTACKED
One of the largest IRC networks is now a victim of a Denial of Service attack. Find out what this means for the typical Undernet chatter.
http://chatting.about.com/library/weekly/aa010801a.htm

WHO WANTS TO BE A ... CHAT EXPERT?
That's right. Borrowing from ABC's hugely successful gameshow, "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?", we've come up with a cute little quiz of our own. Answer all of the questions correctly, and you can be considered to be on your way to becoming a chat expert! No actual prizes -- but play for the prestige!
http://chatting.about.com/library/weekly/aa111800a.htm

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CHATTER OF THE MOMENT - Whose profile is being featured?
CHATROOM NEWS - Changes to Chatroom 2!
TROUBLE IN CHAT - Page the hosts!
AFFILIATE PROGRAM - Make cash on each click.
LINK TO CHATTING ONLINE - How to link to Chatting Online.
ARCHIVES - Enjoy Chatter? Take a look at past issues.
FORUM - Take a peek at the discussions we're having.
RELATED - What other About.com sites might you enjoy?
TIP OF THE MOMENT - Something you may not have known...

CHATTER OF THE MOMENT
In each newsletter, I'm going to quote part of someone's Chatter Profile. Your job is to find out whose profile I'm quoting from. If you're the first person to mail me the correct answer, I'll mention you in the next issue of Chatter as the winner. Your prize is a plug for your homepage, your website or your favourite site on the web. (PG-rated only, please.)

No one responded correctly to the last Chatter Profile question. For what it's worth, it was Lazarus who was featured as the Chatter of the Moment. Now, tell me whose profile is below:

"Hi, Im the WallMartGreeter of room. Im short, weigh 400lbs,have a wart on the end of my nose, and am incredibly annoying. I'm sure you'll LOVE me!!! Come join in the fun! "

Go to http://chatting.about.com/library/blprofiles.htm, find the person's profile and mail me (chatting.guide@about.com) with the person's nickname.

If you want to be the Chatter of the Moment, all you have to do is have a profile and I'll choose it, eventually! Just fill out the form at:
http://chatting.about.com/library/blprofileform.htm

CHATROOM NEWS
I've gotten wind of people passing themselves off as HOSTs in Chatroom 2, and telling people to clear the chat and such. Please do not listen to these people. There are no HOSTs for Chatroom 2. Only Chatroom 1 has HOSTs and rules. To chat in a more adult environment, where there are no rules of conduct, select Chatroom 2. For a more family-rated chat, select Chatroom 1. To chat in either of the chatrooms, visit:
http://chatting.about.com/mpchat.htm

TROUBLE IN CHAT -- Someone's spamming the room or otherwise making it an unhappy place to be. What are you to do? Well, aside from using your IGNORE USER button, which we highly recommend, we've got a way for you to page us. We do sleep and we might not be able to get there, but try paging us at the address below, if you've got a problem.
http://chatting.about.com/library/bltrouble.htm

AFFILIATE PROGRAM -- Do you like Chatting Online at About? Do you think it's a valuable resource? Are you already linking to us? Do you want to earn money for each click from your site to mine? Of course you do! About has an Affiliate Program, so if you are or will be linking to Chatting Online, don't hesitate to sign up now. You'll get a certain code to enter in your links to my site and when people start clicking on them, you'll start earning cash for each click! Sign up now at:
http://affiliates.about.com

LINKING TO CHATTING ONLINE -- So maybe you're not into the Affiliate Program, or maybe you'd like to use different graphics to link to my site. No problem. We've got a couple different images for you to use to link to Chatting Online. All the code is included, just cut and paste! Take a look:
http://chatting.about.com/library/nlink.htm

ANCIENT ARCHIVES -- Each issue of Chatter is put on my site before I send it out. Take a look at past issues:
http://chatting.about.com/library/chatter/blchatter.htm

------------ Other Geeky Reading -------------

Web Design Newsletter, by Jean Kaiser
http://webdesign.about.com/library/blnewsletter.htm

Web Search News, by Chris Sherman
http://websearch.about.com/library/blnews.htm

-------------------- Forum Post of the Moment --------------------

HOW MUCH TIME?
On January 7th, at 8:32 pm, XLADYROGUE wrote:

"How much time do you spend chatting online?"

Post your answer!
http://forums.about.com/ab-chatting/start/?msg=177.1

--------------- Related at About.com ---------------

If you enjoy Chatting Online, please take a look at these other great About.com sites:

Email - http://email.about.com - Heinz Tschabitscher
Family Internet - http://familyinternet.about.com - Marcy Zitz
Focus on AOL - http://aol.about.com - Sharon Gillson
Internet Conferencing - http://netconference.about.com - Laura Schneider
Internet for Beginners- http://netforbeginners.about.com - Gwen Schertel
Net Culture - http://netculture.about.com - Donna Howell
Personal Web Pages - http://personalweb.about.com - Linda Roeder
Usenet - http://usenet.about.com - Jen Heneberry
Web Search - http://websearch.about.com - Chris Sherman

--------------- Tip of the Moment -----------------

I'm ashamed to say that I only learned about this tip a couple of weeks ago. If you use mIRC, you can switch between tiled or cascaded windows using Ctrl-Tab. Try it out! Thanks so much to my good friend TrexPhile for letting me know about this great shortcut.

------------------ That's All, Folks! ------------------

Chat safely, and I hope to see you online.

Julie Martin
Chatting Online

Newsletter © Julie Martin, 2001-Present

Links in the newsletter were valid and functioning as of the date of distribution at About.com and have been left in place to demonstrate a typical newsletter format.

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