DarkPoetry is a community website where all sorts of writers congregate to share their works, get advice, and have friendly competitions. As the name implies, much of this writing represents a shadow of the life experiences of our members. Some write to vent, others to shock, and most to just share a unique perspective on troubling subjects.

DarkPoetry is above all a welcoming place where you will not be judged unless you invite judgement, and you should feel at home in no time. To get started, fill out our 10 second membership form and dip your toes into the cool pool of mystery that is DarkPoetry.

So I said at the outset of this month that I wanted to concentrate on making profile customization more accessible. But I'm drawing a bit of a blank in the creativity department.

So it occurred to me eventually that I'm not the only creative genius around here, and that I should ask you to invent a new look for your profile. If you do HTML, code one up. If you can draw in a computer drawing program, draw a new profile (the more detail the better), stick the picture on photo bucket or something like it, and send me the link! Or post it for everyone to look at and comment on.

I have some ducats to award to the most detailed and creative (yet still practical enough to fit into ordinary html) ideas.

One of the more important areas of the previous incarnation of DP was the Elders, where more experienced members (over 22 generally) have offered to share their personal stories and lend an ear to others that are undergoing similar difficulties in life.

I am inviting members who qualify to join the Elders. We need a few more people to help ensure that this service is always available.

If you are having trouble with one of the issues listed as areas that our current elders have offered to help with, please reach out to them.

Have you ever wondered how this site was hatched? DarkPoet has written down the story of DarkPoetry, or at least the parts that members will find relevant today.

This is part of an ongoing effort to clarify the mission of DarkPoetry and increase the effectiveness of the service that DarkPoetry offers. DarkPoet wants to know: What is DarkPoetry to you?

Your copy of the October DarkPoetry Almanac is ready!

Inside, you'll find a masterful poem, a workshop on poetic diction, some news about the goings-on at DP including the new DarkPoetry Council (and a new Councilor), and events.

So the next big mission at DarkPoetry is to start to develop some new "looks" for member profiles. So that you can really make something unique that stands out and tells something about your personality and style.

Please join the discussion (re-login required) and describe what the ideal profile for you would look like.

I don't usually post news about the updates to the site's software I have been making, but I thought it important to say to the Internet Explorer users: A lot of stuff that was broken before should work now.

DarkPoetry should have better performance, the composition editor should work a lot better for the IE folks, and oh- WorkRank is back. Expect your works to have a new rating once everything calculates overnight.

WorkRanks will now range from 0-99 with 99 being assigned to the top works on the site. These numbers will vary some over the coming weeks as the algorithm is adjusted, but it will be a lot more reflective of the importance of members works than it used to be.

You'll soon be able to play around with the DarkPoetry Cabals feature, which lets you create your own group (cabal) of people for various and nefarious purposes. Your cabal memberships will appear on your profile, and new features will be regularly added, oriented at group participation.

Currently there is only one Cabal but once all the kinks are worked out of that one I plan to make it possible for those most privileged of members to create their own.

Scarrzz has won a 90 day boost to gold membership by virtue of those who voted for "Beneath The Mask" in the last contest. Please post your own comments and contest ideas!