Fair Poetry.com
A Guide to Setting Up Poetry Contests at State and COUNTY FAIRS
'Poetry at Fairs' by Steven Robert Heine.
Are you looking to add poetry as an exhibit class at your State or County Fair? Sometimes Fair officials are intimidated about adding a literary exhibit class to their Fair. This is your guide to setting up poetry contests at State and County Fairs, written by one of America's foremost authorities on Fair poetry contests, Steven Robert Heine.
Here are the Basics:
1) Keep the classes simple. Many fairs go overboard with dozens of classes for such forms as 'romantic poetry, cowboy poetry and on and on. I have seen Fairs that had 20 or more classes for different types of poetry. Poets entering the contests simply get overwhelmed by the number of classes. Having judged dozens of Fair poetry contests, I can honestly say that even as a judge I have sometimes been overwhelmed by the dozens of classes and complexity of the rules. Keep it simple.
2) Require all poetry entries be matted. Paper /cardboard mats can be purchased at almost any craft store or even online. Mats provide a nice clean look for the overall exhibit. As a judge, I judge down for poems that are not matted.
3) What Not to Accept:
Do not accept entries in glass frames. Poems in glass frames can fall down during the wear and tear of the Fair and the Fair may be liable for injuries that result from people getting cut on broken glass.
Do not accept entries in wood or metal frames. Wood or metal frames can be difficult to display and my fall down because of their weight.
Sheets of paper not matted may be accepted, but as a judge, I always deduct points for entries not properly matted.
About the author: Steven Robert Heine is a West Coast poet. He has spent his life writing poetry and promoting the reading of it. In 2011 Heine was seriously crippled in a fall. Several surgeries later, Heine lives with a great deal of pain. (He is not on any disability). He tries to provide this site as a service to the poets of Alaska.
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Bluehost. Bluehost offers pretty much all services. Design is through Wordpress. Plans: ‘Basic’, $7.99 per month. Allows one website and one included domain. ‘Plus’ $10.99. Allows unlimited number of websites. ‘Choice Plus’, $14.99 per month. Allows unlimited number of domain and some extra services, such as domain privacy. For an ecommerce site, you will want to use ‘Woocommerce’, plans run from $13.99 (for one store) to $17.99 (for unlimited stores.
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A2 Hosting. Drag and drop platform for building with A2 software. Plans include ‘Startup’ $2.99 per month (one website), ‘Drive’ $4.99 (unlimited websites), and ‘Turbo-boost’ for $9.99 per month, (unlimited sites).
Siteground. Wordpress hosting. Plans include: Startup, $3.95 per month, allows one website, GrowBig, $5.95 per month, allows unlimited websites, and GoGeek, $11.95 per month, unlimited websites and more features. (no free domain with account).
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Webflow: I’ve included Webflow in this list because it uses a unique interface. It is not a Webflow in this list because it uses a unique interface. It is not a Wordpress site. It may take some time to learn and get used to the Webflow user design tool. Keep in mind that ALL website designers are an interface to move the html code.
NameCheap. Dot.coms start at $8.88 per year. Hosting plans are $2.88 per month to $8.88 per month. NameCheap has their own ‘drag and drop’ builder. NameCheap is a good site to save money on domain names.
Domain.com has domains starting at $9.99 per month and also provides hosting plans starting at $3.75 per month.
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Web Hosting Article.
Web Hosting Article
Magnificent 7seven Reviews.
Webhosting
I have exciting news for you! I have spent months creating this article which will not only help you to create your own poetry or writing website, but it can save you money and time. I have reviewed many web hosts and even some domain sellers. Some of these are affiliate links; meaning there is no additional cost to you above what the web hosts charge, but if you purchase products or services from them you will help support my money.
Please pay close attention to what you are paying for domain names. I have listed three inexpensive domain registrars. Most hosting companies will sell them to you and many provide a domain free with your paid account.
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As recently as a few years ago, most sites provided access to the programming language of the website, or html. This allowed you to make changes to the programming and see how that reflected on your website. Fortunately, knowledge of html is no longer necessary. (You may still find it helpful to learn what the basic elements of html are, in case you need to insert a link in your site or see the code for your site).
Please note: I was not paid by any of the companies listed below to promote their sites. I did find it interesting to research what they have to offer and list some of the main points to consider. And yes, these are affiliate links but they have all been researched.
1. What is the cost of a website?
Many hosts can get you started for free! OR with a very monthly rate for the 1st year. Cost is usually listed as a ‘monthly cost’ provided you pay for a whole year at a time. IE: if the cost is $20.00 per month, you may be required to pay $240.00. Make sure you get a plan that fits your needs. Usually you can upgrade to a more expensive plan as your needs grow.
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7. Does this vendor sell domain names and for how much? And will they provide me with a free domain name with my order?
8. What is the difference between shared web hosting and a dedicated server?’ The answer is, that a dedicated server is a server used by no other sites and thus those sites can’t impact the server or slow it down. Dedicated servers are quite a bit more expensive per month. Most websites should be fine running on shared hosting.
We will try to answer those questions. You can click on the link provided to get Common Website Terms you should know:
Html: hypertext markup language. This is the actual programming code. No matter which programming tool you are using, whether it be Wordpress a sitebuilder, that interface is adjusting the html as you move and change features.
CSS: cascading style sheets. This refers to how you website is presented in the programming.
When you have purchased hosting and are ready to build a website on the hosting server, you must put your domain on that hosts server. You do this by putting in the code numbers for that server into your domain names. Both the hosting provider and your domain seller will explain to you how to do this.
VPS Hosting: ‘virtual private server hosting’. VPS hosting acts similar to a private server with more flexibility than shared hosting. Most new users will only need shared hosting.
Domain names: this is VERY important, when purchasing a domain name, pay little attention to the initial price of the domain name. What is important is the renewal cost. I have seen domain registers that charge very little for the initial price but upwards of $30.00 per year to renew. Most paid hosting plans give you one free domain name with the purchase of a plan. Beyond that, you will need to go to the market to buy additional names.