12) About the Writer: Writing Effective Writer Biographies
As discussed before, incorporating EAT helps enhance content quality and helps more people discover the developed content.
Apart from ensuring EAT within our content, we need to ensure that we have effective writer biographies that support the developed content.
In this discussion, we will understand how to ensure effective writer biographies through applying EAT and other best practices.
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Expertise
- When considering the expertise factor for author biographies, expertise refers to the credentials or experience the author has.
- Medical content is best supported/expertised through medical professionals, for example, and similarly, relevant experience or education qualifies as expertise.
- However, if one does not have a degree, expertise can be demonstrated through lived experience or other ways. For example, being an active listener for 7 Cups for 3 years does demonstrate expertise in listening and supporting mental health concerns.
Note: To keep up with the Expertise factor’s need, 7 Cups currently either pairs content writers with experts and content is published through the expert profile with the writer biography contained at the end of the co-authored article, or publishes writer works through a shared account called “7 Cups Community, Global Support” - the biography of this account is optimized to reflect EAT.
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Authoritativeness
- Authority in terms of an author biography refers to the number of citations the author has. This includes their publications and other published content, as well as any reviews or things that show the impact or quality of their work.
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Trust
- Trust is also determined by an author’s citations - trusted authors have published content for websites and publications that score high on EAT factors.
- Trust is also established through the quality of an author’s content.
Activity
Using the factors discussed above, write a biography for your prospective articles at 7 Cups. Feel welcome to include your real name/pseudonym or first name - anything you are comfortable with being prospectively published!
After you have written the brief paragraph-form biography, point out what parts of the biography highlight each of the EAT factors.
Respond to at least one other student’s biography and comment your feedback for improvement.
Bonus (Optional): Consider starting a 7 Cups creator portfolio here!
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This post is brought to you by the Content Development and Marketing Program, find out more information about the program here
@SoulfullyAButterfly Kristin Wolfe initiated her listener journey 7 Cups in July of 2014. Currently, her main focuses include: leading the Listener Sharing Circle teams and overseeing Active Listening graders as a Quality Mentor Leader. She appreciates the opportunity of participating in the Content Development and Marketing academy course to strengthen her writing skills and graphic design skills. Kristin is working a full time job in Property Management and advocately re-writing policies and procedures for employees and residents. During her free time, you can discover her creating new ideas for the teams she works on, in the chatrooms, or writing new LSC forums posts.
Expertise - I included the time of when I joined 7 cups, this shows I've been on this site as a listener for 6+ years.
Authoritative - I create forums for the LSC (Listener Sharing Circle) team and linked the source.
Trust - The forum posts I create/have created are published on 7 Cups and have received upvotes and feedback.
@KristinHelps Nice job. It is good as is.
@KristinHelps Nice Job I would not change a thing.
@KristinHelps
concise and as per guidelines .
@KristinHelps That is brilliant . Well done !!
@KristinHelps
Thank you so much for your entry. I like how you mentioned your other tasks on 7 Cups apart from listening.
One feedback I have is that you could also see your job as a part of your expertise or authority as it has to do with writing, so you must have good practice with writing.
A well-written Paragraph-form Biography with perfectly highlighted EAT points.
Well written , keep it up
Nice biography!
@KristinHelps this is really great! I like how clear it is and how easy it is to follow
@KristinHelps
Woahh I love that
@SoulfullyAButterfly Happy Porky
Is a person with a learning disability, I was born with it.
Due to being disablied he is not able to work,but that does not stop him.
He has background in disabilities as he is trained as a teacher aid.
He is also an ordained minister.
He pastors his own online church.
He is trained as a listener at 7cups.
He has been at 7cups since Dec of 2019.
He loves to help others.
He helps out in the disability support room.
My favorite Quote
If you have a disability do not give up.
My topics I like to Focus on
Learning Disabilities
Leadership
Self-Help
He has a lot of expertise helping others.
He is authoriy because he knows what being disabled is like.
People can trust him.
@Happy900 authority,so sorry.
@Happy900 this is a great biography with experience! I agree with your E.A.T. comments for your biography. I also have interests in the self-help and leadership topics!
@KristinHelps Thankyou. Your so sweet and kind. Love your kindness.
@Happy900
It is as it should be, Great job!
I loved the way how you never let your disability become a barrier between your goals. Heartiest congratulations on all your achievements & brilliant performance. 
@Happy900 Good biography .You get straight to the point and it's concise
@JasGab20051997 Glad that you liked it.
@Happy900 What an awesome bio! I have to say, I applaud you for being so passionate in all that you do. Despite your disability, you do not let it define you or hold you back in any way. You embrace it and look at you--- shining! Wow! You are truly amazing and strong! Wishing you much continued success!
@SoulfullyAButterfly
Blissart is a verified, a trained active listener at 7cups for more than a year and has already helped more than 400 members with varied issues. Besides listening actively, Bliss is also involved in training other listeners as a Quality Mentor and a Listener Coach. Being of compassionate, caring, empathetic, non judgmental nature, Bliss has always been the “go- to” person. Deep interests in spiritualism, yoga, human behavior and nature have helped Bliss nourish a calmer, understanding, tolerant, non judgmental , altruistic and a progressive mind set which help in active listening skills.
E- much listening experience at 7cups
A- Leadership roles
T-active listening and fields of interests
@blissart Clear demonstration of EAT. Your bio is concise and to the point. I think it would be better if it were "calmer, more understanding,..." though, or "calm, understanding,...".
@FinleyTews
Thanks for pointing out , i feel so too now 
@blissart
well written and articulated ! :)
@blissart You did really well.
@blissart amazing bio, well done!
Hai Anh Nguyen is a queer mental health and LGBTQ+ advocate, verified listener and intern graduate with honors on 7 Cups of Tea. They started their listening journey in 2017 with lived experience with grief and supporting loved ones with various mental disorders, including DID and psychosis. They aspire to be a good ally for members of marginalized groups, and to make others on 7 Cups feel safe and heard.
- Expertise: lived experience with grief, queerness and mental health support, knowledge on mental disorders and LGBTQ+ identities
- Authority: listening and interning experience
- Trust: willingness to learn, supportive spirit
@FinleyTews
Strength: concise and warm, makes reader felt understood and welcomed
Can be improved: the mention of "lived experience with grief" has an ambiguous meaning (i.e. did you help people going through it or did you experience it yourself?); acronyms such as DID can be explained
@FinleyTews Nice job.
@FinleyTews
Great biography!
@FinleyTews
Concise and straight to the point. Mentions all the EAT points well.
@FinleyTews It contains all the EAT points. Well done!
11820Read won a scholarship covering education fee plus room and board for her university education, for which she had to leave her family and home country. Amid the difficulties of adapting to the new country's language and culture, she graduated valedictorian. A migrant and an introverted Highly Sensitive Person (HSP), she is a natural in understanding others' inner struggles and aims to help them going through these with her articles. 11820Read recently earned an MA degree after two years of study thanks to the same scholarship and has research interests in moral education and children's character building. In her free time, she can be found reading novels, writing short stories, or composing articles to be published in Roman Catholic magazines and websites.
E: experiencing the hardship as a migrant and thriving through all the difficulties
A: list of achievements, such as scholarship and completing grad school in 2 years
T: the mention of being an HSP and understanding others, as well as the aim to help
@11820Read
@11820Read I really enjoyed how you wrote about your own struggles to show expertise!
@11820Read Nice job.
One thing I would suggest, is that you could have told us what your MA,is in,(What Field of Study).
But other wise nice job.
Liked reading it.
@11820Read
I like the way you use your life journey ..graduating phase and penning down in article which aim to help other. that cover ETA.
That’s wonderful. Well done.✨
@SoulfullyAButterfly
Electric is a recently verified listener, only starting in November of 2020 they have managed to gain lots of skills and learn lots about themselves throughout the journey they are travelling with 7cups. Having completed the internship with honours, joining the Team lightship group and now this Content Development and Marketing skills they have attempted to really engage with the community and with what 7cups has to offer. They are determined to work hard to ensure they are giving theyre all to the community that they are spending so much time in.
Expertise- I talked about how despite being relatively new is a verified and engaged listener.
Authoritative - I have been part of team lightship
Trust- I have stated how I am a determined and proud member of the community
@electricWhisper3694
I love that you brought up the internship! I forgot to include that one in mine. I also like that you sound very eager to impart your wisdom!
@SoulfullyAButterfly
SynSavory has been a verified Active Listener on 7 Cups for the past 2-3 years. While volunteering on here, Syn is pursuing full-time graduate studies as a student in counselling psychology and is in the practicum portion of her degree where she gets to utilize her helping skills for those in need.
Currently, her main interests include wanting to help others, providing peer support for other active listeners, doing occasional forum posts, and safety patrolling on 7 Cups. She appreciates the opportunity to strengthen her writing skills, especially as a life-long learner.
During her free time, Syn likes listening to music, doodling, and writing.
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Expertise – I highlighted my experience as a Verified Listener and included my latest degree.
Authoritativeness – I have done leadership roles like casual forum posting, safety patrolling, and peer supporting.
Trust – I am a safety patroller meaning that I have been trusted to help make the site a better place.
@SynSavory
It is a very good biography. I like the personal touch that you have put in the description when you talk about your hobbies.
@WendinCaring
Thank you!
@SoulfullyAButterfly
WendinCaring is a verified 7 Cups listener.In February 2, 2020 she completed the Community Track of 7 Cups internship program and started participating in 7 Cups' community building. She has taken the leadership roles on various team, such as Safety Patrol and Peer Support. Regarding mental conditions which are close to her heart, WendinCaring frequently contributed answers to the 7 Cups Community Q & A page and gained approvals from the community. As a storyteller, she believes the shared truth can help heal the wounded soul.
Expertise - a graduate of 7 Cups intership program; have life experience of mental health concerns
Authoritativness - Leadership roles
Trust - a verified 7 Cups listener; have a number of published contents on the community Q & A page
@WendinCaring Thank you for your contributions to the Q&A. Really appreciated. EAT can be seen in the above bio. However, maybe mentioning the categories where the contributions have been made would have helped with the EAT more.
@SoulfullyAButterfly
DonaldDraper is an active listener on 7cups since 2015. They currently volunteer as a Healthy Living mentor where they host events & discussions, post informative threads, and keep the subcommunity active. Along with it, they are heading the Popup discussions project through which they try and inject positivity into the members and listeners alike. A listener coach and mentor who has helped over a hundred listeners improve in active listening. They are also an active part of the Mindfulness, Positivity & Gratitude, and Community Projects team.
They have worked around 7cups in all areas, which is reflected in their reviews and badges. During their 7cups journey, they have earned various certificates which include Internship with Honors, Leadership Development Program, Community Building, Active Listening (Level 1-10), etc.
Outside 7cups, they are a blogger with over 50 articles and a published author. They are also a regular contributor on Quora with 5k views a week on average. The areas they usually write about are Self-Help, Life Skills, Academics, Relationships, Healthy Living, Creative Writing, Philosophy, Spirituality, etc.
EAT :
1) First paragraph reflects expertise on 7cups.
2) Second paragraph shows achievements to reflect authoritativeness.
3) Third paragraph reflects trust by showing the work done outside 7cups.
@DonaldDraper Very impressive. Continue to spread as well as build the good in you.
@SoulfullyAButterfly
Activity
Using the factors discussed above, write a biography for your prospective articles at 7 Cups. Feel welcome to include your real name/pseudonym or first name - anything you are comfortable with being prospectively published!
Dr. Saadiya Sulaiman is a trained & verified active listener on 7 Cups of Tea since 12th April 2019. She has completed her Bachelors' in Medicine & Surgery in 2019. Currently, she is enrolled in MSc in Clinical Psychology & is working in a hospital. Her role on 7 Cups involves being an active listener, safety patrol & lightship team member. Some of her 7 Cups' achievement involves - Completion of 7 Cups' Internship with Honors (443 hours, 26 weeks, 28th June 2020), LDP - The Community Building Course (19th Jan 2021). She is an enthusiastic writer & is a part of her College Magazine Community, Yahoo! Answers Community (since 2013). Her main areas of interest include - Self-love, Healthy Relationships, Family, Exercise, Stigmas & Discrimination. She takes great interest in answering questions, a few of her pieces of writings over 7 Cups' of Tea can be found here. She is honored to have joined Content Development & Marketing Program & is looking forward to honing her skills as a writer.
After you have written the brief paragraph-form biography, point out what parts of the biography highlight each of the EAT factors.
Expertise: The credentials & experiences mentioned onsite/offline point to my expertise.
Authoritativeness: My Q&A work section linked by me highlights it.
Trust: The posts, honors' project & answers submitted by me have fair quality content & reviews.
Respond to at least one other student’s biography and comment on your feedback for improvement. Done
My Honors Project
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E: credentials or experience the author has.
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By completing your Bachelors' in Medicine & Surgery in 2019; being enrolled in MSc in Clinical Psychology & working in a hospital, You have clearly shown your credentials.
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You have also shared your experiences on 7cups which added to your range of expertise as a listener.
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A: Authority in terms of an author biography refers to the number of citations the author has. This includes their publications and other published content:
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You mentioned being a part of the College Magazine Community, Yahoo! Answers Community (since 2013). This is a good way to demonstrate that your work is good enough to be published on different sites. However, I’m not too sure if being a part of is the same thing as having your works published or not.
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T: Trustworthiness is also established through the quality of an author’s content:
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Your Honor project HERE showed that your writing was reviewed by Academy's mentors and other peers and hence gave another layer to how trustworthy your writing can be.
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Overall, I love reading your biography a lot. I hope that the MSc Clinical Psychology program has been treating you well. You showed me creative ways that I personally can demonstrate my own biography that meets EAT’s requirements.
Thank you for sharing your work - Well done!
@kindLemonade
Hello Lemonade,
I highly appreciate you taking out time to write a detailed acknowledgment of my work. Thank you so much for letting me know your in-depth insights. I am glad that my written piece could help you formulate your answer. Regarding authoritativeness —
It includes the number of citations or the published worker the author has but also anything that shows the impact and quality of their work and I believe my references did a fine job in showcasing my quality of work. Hence, I decided to include that too. 💜
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Authoritativeness
- Authority in terms of an author's biography refers to the number of citations the author has. This includes their publications and other published content, as well as any reviews or things that show the impact or quality of their work.
Keep it up and wishing you all the best. ❤
@lyricalAngel70
Angel, hey hey 💜 I loved reading through your biography! It's precise, professional, and most important of all, aligns with EAT so well! Thanks a lot for sharing this with us 💜