Storybird

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Gotta say, this is a really good website if you’re a minor and looking to share your writing. It’s way safer than some other options out there, and there are a lot of pros, however I’ve been finding more and more cons recently. There is wonderful art to choose from for your books, as well as a loving community of other writers. But in recent years you’ve started to need a subscription to write at all—as opposed to needing one to publish your work without paying for “review tickets.” Also, the moderating. This was originally a great way to keep the website safe, by moderators reviewing comments before they were published and stories (to make sure they followed the guidelines, and to give them the appropriate age range). But. The moderating and censoring of comments has gotten out of control. With stories, it’s still more or less acceptable, but with comments? No. If you take APT for example, the age rating for that is 6+, and ask any mod and they’ll tell you that they only let through comments appropriate for that age range. I’ve seen some things that don’t align with that statement. Comments regarding things like vaping have gone through, whereas ones about the LGBTQ+ community have been censored. A personal experience of mine was writing a comment regarding how in a neuroscience course of mine, they were referring to biologically male brains and biologically female brains as mens’ brains and womens’ brains, respectively. Citing that course, I wrote about how being biologically male doesn’t equal being a man, and being biologically female does not equal being a woman. I was careful about my comment, and made sure nothing I said was too mature for a six year old—adults in my life checked it and agreed with me—and yet it got deleted. Talking about biologically male or female brains is in no way too mature for a child. My own sisters, who at in kindergarten, are perfectly able to understand how some people are biologically female, but not girls, and vise versa. It’s not a “mature” topic at all, provided it is handled sensitively, and appropriate language is used. This is just one of many examples that I and my peers have seen. I’m very concerned that the moderators have been letting personal biases interfere with their moderating skills, making the safety of the website more questionable. When using Storybird, it’s worth noting that you may find some abused censorship in what comments go through, but that is one of my only complaints. Anyway, this

StoryBird is a great app. Really. But it logged me out multiple times and I had to find my password again and again. FIX THIS! It’s very annoying.

I have been using Storybird for five years and have only recently encountered such disinterested moderators and rude users. Books that I publish seldom receive helpful reviews—the moderators focus more on their own books and a chatroom called APT than their purpose, which is helping users to grow. SkyBluePurple, a moderator, behaves inappropriately, asserting herself as users’ “virtual mom” and encouraging them to share their names on APT. She unnecessarily involves herself in users’ affairs, their ages ranging from 11 to college. She prides herself on being our “mother,” and I’m sure parents would feel uncomfortable with her frightening engagement with young children. She used to have a strict privacy policy, stating that no ages or names would be shared, but eventually relented and sacrificed users’ privacy and online safety. The very thing she used to actively promote is now meaningless—all because “she cares about us as our virtual mom,” calling users her “virtual children.” Certain users add slight remarks which moderators readily publish, promoting arguments between users. Users made political remarks last year in November and made comments targeting proponents of the transgender community and those who oppose it. Users can freely delete comments. Don’t bother purchasing a ridiculously expensive membership; the moderators are more focused on engaging socially with users than providing useful comments on how to improve writing. You’d receive more assistance from the “APT pets” that everyone is obsessing over.

Moderating System: Storybird has a moderating system where only certain books can qualify for certain age groups. If a book covers sensitive topics, then Storybird staff members will make it accessible to an appropriate age group. Comments are also moderated to make sure of a friendly community. Getting Books Noticed: On Storybird, it is very easy for your books to be noticed. You can not only go on Skybluepurple’s selection of book communities to suggest your book to other readers, but you can also make friends that may notice your books. There are always several “Book of the Weeks”! Types of Books: The types of books you can write include chapter books, picture books, poems, and comics (as of 2021). Many people also use the chapter book feature to publish songs or a book of poetry. Why it’s Worth It: This app can get you/your child so much more into writing. It’s a friendly community, and also helps with socializing. -Peacewonder

So. I subscribed to the app. And i worked hard on a story! It says that i need “tickets” to publish it. I don’t recommend downaloading or buying premium bc if doesnt even let you publish it.

Storybird is beyond amazing! I’ve been using it for almost two years now, and let me just say, everything about it is perfect. Sure, you have to pay for a membership, but how else are the amazing people who work behind the scenes gonna get paid? You can write stories, enter an amazing community of writers, and even print your own books! I would definitely recommend this app to anyone who loves to write. -sswriter

I wish Storybird existed when I was young. This is a great resource for teachers and perfect for kids who want to read or write their own stuff. The community is very friendly and encouraging and what’s more, the kids all get encouraging feedback on all their writing called “expert reviews.” You do have to pay for membership, but it’s definitely worth it.

I used Storybird back in elementary school and now when I come back you have to pay to write. I just don’t understand why it’s not free I use to love storybird but this isn’t cute.plus I can’t even access my old account or read my old books which was the whole purpose of me coming back to the app 🙄 Would not recommend ★☆☆☆☆

This app is a great resource for me, and my son, who writes 24/7 now! Thank you Storybird!