Happy 4th birthday, Beloved ILLUMINATION!
Here’s to blowin’ out those candles and wishin’ for many more years of success and good times ahead in Aussie accent. Let’s keep the party rollin’! Cheers to you, mates!
Non-members can read this joyful story via our friend link.
Back in March 2020, right when the pandemic started rearing its ugly mug, Dr Mehmet Yildiz (owner) dropped a bombshell: he magically launched ILLUMINATION. I reckon I have no bloody clue where he dug up this fancy name for us, mates!
He roped in about a hundred writers for this mission on 19 March 2020, laying out a mission, vision, strategy, and facilitation model that got these collaborators buzzing. And let me tell ya, they didn’t just bite — they took a big ol’ chomp. They got together as a tight-knit crew, mates, chattin’ away daily on Slack like it was the local pub.
Dr. Yildiz laid the foundations of Illumination on four bloody core values. First up, there’s diversity — embracin’ what makes each member different, whether it’s age, education, gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, nationality, profession, or even political views. He covered anyone and everyone on the bloody earth. No stone unturned, eh?
Then there’s synergy — it’s all about crankin’ up the combined effect, makin’ it bigger than the sum of its parts. We’re talkin’ ‘bout creatin’ serendipity intentionally, usin’ universal rules and the good ol’ synchronicity principles. It’s like mixin’ up a ripper cocktail of ideas, blendin’, mergin’, amalgamatin’, and bondin’ ’em together for maximum impact. It’s a real fusion, mates, and it’s all about inclusivity and collaboration.
He got these four values all stitched together like a well-oiled machine, creating a culture that’s a ripper for all involved. He’s got his sights set on makin’ his integrated publications a scalable enterprise, and let me tell ya, it’s workin’ a treat.
Within just a year, Illumination’s grown like a bloomin’ wildfire, mates. Eight different publications under its belt, appealin’ to all sorts of creators and audiences. We’re talkin’ over 50 thousand readers rockin’ up every single day. Now, that’s what I call a fair dinkum success story!
But here’s the real kicker for ya, mates!
Illumination ain’t just about the big shots. Nah, it’s about bringin’ everyone together, from the fresh-faced beginners to the seasoned pros. That diversity, mates, it’s the secret sauce for this publication’s success.
And Dr. Yildiz ain’t stoppin’ there, oh no. When readers started hollerin’ for curated collections and specialized content, he didn’t bat an eyelid. He whipped up Illumination Curated, Synergy, Illumination’s Mirror, Technology Hits, Gaming, Videos, Nutrition — you name it, he’s got it all covered thanks to his hard working volunteer editors. Each pub has 30 editors including yours truly.
But here’s where it gets real bloody interestin’: Dr. Yildiz ain’t just followin’ trends, he’s settin’ ’em. He sussed out a niche for book chapters on Medium and bam, Illumination Book Chapters was born. And reckon what? It’s attractin’ published authors left, right, and center.
With almost 28 thousand writers jumpin’ on board these integrated publications, Dr. Yildiz realized there’s a need for absolute beginners to get a leg up in the writing game. So, he waved his magic wand and boom, Readers Hope, my favurite pub came to life.
Bloody legend, ain’t he?”
And last but not least, I jumped on board this ripper team as a volunteer to lend a hand with publishing and curatin’ top-notch stories. Mates, we’ve churned out over a million stories on ILLUMINATION pubs!
And let me tell ya, our stories ain’t just collectin’ dust — they’re rakin’ in millions of views, clockin’ thousands of hours in reading time, and even baggin’ some writers a few mil in income. Talk about a fair dinkum success story!
Why’s Illumination takin’ off like a rocket, you ask?
Well, for starters, Dr. Yildiz is all ears when it comes to what readers want, and he’s got our backs, too. He’s given us creators, editors, and administrators the freedom and tools we need to shine.
But it ain’t just about the big boss’s vision, mates. We’ve got a team of 150 volunteer editors givin’ it their all — screenin’ submissions, bootin’ out the dodgy stuff, and gettin’ the good stuff out there lickety-split.
And get this — Dr. Yildiz ain’t stoppin’ there. He’s brought over 20 thousand writers together on a Slack workspace, where we reading shared stories, sharing ideas, and get some top-notch advice from the senior editors.
While other big-name publications are foldin’ like a house of cards due to lack of funds, Illumination’s thrivin’. Why? ’Cause it’s fueled by the bloody awesome spirit of volunteers who donate their time to make it all happen.
And with the support of readers and writers, we’ve gone from a humble 100 writers to a whopping 28 thousand in just two years. From a handful of readers to a massive 78 thousand strong. And you can bet your bottom dollar, mates, we’re just gettin’ started.
So here’s to Illumination — happy birthday, ya bloody legend! And to all of you who’ve joined us on this wild ride, cheers to many more adventures ahead!
I got all these juicy details straight from the mouth of my good Aussie mate Aiden (Illumination Gaming), who dropped a ripper video on Illumination’s 2nd birthday, back when I wasn’t even on the scene
Alright, folks, gather round! It’s time to give a fair dinkum Aussie welcome to our newest recruits who’ve jumped on board this crazy train with us. We wasted no time gettin’ them all set up, ’cause let’s face it, they’re gonna be a bloody big part of our journey ahead.
So let’s give ’em a round of applause that’d make a kookaburra proud and a warm hug from the whole community. Welcome aboard, mates! Here’s to makin’ some magic together!
Farooq Munir, Maya Wilson, Nomad Narratives, Muhammad Abdul Munaf, Attila Gál, — Dr. Bettina Sieber🍎, J J, Rachel, Bingfeng Sun, John Passadino, Rick Gregson, Rachael Hope, Coach Francois, Homestead Mike, ElizaBeth, Saba, Musings of a Muse, Abdul Issa, Shaped Thoughts, Bhavana Nayer, Tom Bartmeier, Roman S, Javeriah Khalid, Patricia Ann Knight Meyer, Rosie Carter, Tomas Hatvani, Sav Map, Musa, Jake Teo, MA Writes, Vivien Tai, Bre’s Corner, Jennifer Franklin, The Indoor Enthusiast, Barbara Foster, Adi the Cat, Yao Wang, Coach Andrea, Carrie Scharf, Akshay Goyal, Healing Consciousness, Rakesh Kalavagunta, Haoran Chen, Ibti C., Sathishiam, Danielle Nicole Warren, Neeti Chauhan, Ahmed Hasan Saiyed, Alex Turner, Don Campbell, Edwin Sy, Ann Skip 🎀, Andrew, Elizabeth Peyton, Laura Jar | Socielle Content, angela w, Jennifer Young Perlman, Abdullah, Vanya & Nikhil, Taylor Sievers, Xiaoling Li, Shravan Subramanian, BetterBeing, Melissa Mann, tobi — Audio Writer, Dara Laine Murray, HOUSE OF TARA, Kacper Wójcicki, Sabreena COK, Ian D., Merzeal, Ueli, Ricardo ursem, Syed, Dorothy Venditto, Writer and Educator, Food For Thought, Uriel Bitton, Ari_F, Idris Jimoh, MTM Suhail, Ryan Haire, Samaara Robbins, Ian Greig, AJ Starr, Jacob Mitchell Affiliate Marketing, Ari_F, Nia, The Positive Poet ✨🌟✨, Maxx, Farooq Munir, Sara Gómez Trillos, Lisa Fouweather, ANNSANA BABY, Gig-onomy, Garrett Imeson, Daphne Laffer, Elaine Ford, Brian Jakowski, Shoaib Akmal, Roman Sypchenko, Asian Night, Ashia-Joy Ikande, Alex Perrakis, Alex Perrakis, Carmellita, Stanley Chibuike, Card society, All things Big & Small, Safia, Jennifer Oertli (ERT-lee), Eva Joy, J.P. Piazza, Polymatheca, James Moore, Hely Rose Wellness Msc, RYT, Melinda Judy, Mull Over, Victor Stan, Palak Toshniwal, Lacqueredcurls, Chad Dilla, Rafał Zowal, Review books, Catalinchiras, Abdullah Al Mamun, Ernesto Rivera, Safia, Dave Edward Keenan, Nicheless Curiosity, Morgan Khalsa, Dr. Shraddha Shahane, Yoon Y., BY GIRL BOSS, Ronit Bose, Raphael Danziger, Carol Nw, Cat Wu, Dabi JT, Anze Fers Erzen, Nishant Tanwar 🕉️, Ali Uzman, Syd Nault, Jacqueline Bonnici, Denitruth, Iliana Fili, MMJ Writing, Sogand Nobahar, Sara Nobahar, Gregor Pascal, Iliana Fili, Jay Lim, Sophia Higgins, Written By Petter John, MICHAEL KENNEDY MENSAH, Jin Park, Meditate Invest Repeat, NinjaProgress, Ann-Pendo Maina, Matesanz⚕️, Colin Bondi, Josh Porter, NJ Lugo, Aida Baida Gil, NEGI KR KATOCH, FOS Studio, NEGI KR KATOCH, Asad Message, Passive Vault, Ragnar Miljeteig, — Chris Burgess, The Chatterbox Chronicles, Hansel S., B. Ducca, Daan H. Teer, Sam Ross, ZA Writes, Varun Vijay, — — — Jeovany Maneco, Ishika, Rolling stone, Roko Sarić — INSIDE MIND, Argus, Bellascott, TIMEPIE_China (focus on anti-aging), Citizen Aware, The Furry Nation, Tech Truths, Chris Paul, Bobo Moussa, Stephanie, Olga Lukjanova, Tina Lance, Audhora islam, Mont, Lilies Ernanda, Tashvi Aneja, Don Campbell, Haroon Ahmad, Younx, Sincerely, Riley, Kiran Maan, Alma Fernando, Komal Kashyap, Creative thoughts, Aleenaaslam, Jeanne, Zaky Ahamed, Luna (Van) Doan, ZenQuill Anmol, Words by Egypt, Ashif Basha, Ashif Basha, Biscuit1989, Alexander Raven, Yuvaraj Nagubandi, zhammad, Rain Again, snowwa, Chua Rui Yan, Shwetanshu Mazumder, Pamojaearthsolutions, Leah Baricuatro, GOLDEN WRITER, Faith Modiyil, Skhumbuzo Ngubo, Aneesh Bhardwaj, Golam Azam, Atharv Remeshan, Sartaz Nadir, John William Archer, Suraj Goswami, Ana Ramos, raghav bajaj, Sahil Asäd⚡, Tanya Vaid, Sumaira Saba, Ketan, Codinplus, Awe oluwadamilola, thewellnesshabitat, Maya Daniels, Pedro Krause, Theloverofnature, Dhammshil Kaninde, Tech SEO Blogging, ABC’s of Crypto, Quinn Stark, Meditate Invest Repeat, Neha Adhikari, Amynickle, Amynickle, SpotKnocks.
Welcome, everyone. I don’t always speak in an Australian accent, so please don’t feel intimidated. This was only for one to greet you on this special day. If you need assistance, you can contact me on Slack, and I’ll be happy to guide you. I understand the challenges of being a new writer on a large platform.
I tried to follow you all but the system sopped me after 150 so I will try another day. I’d love to read your stories and curate some good ones as I do in my collection. Here is the recent one.
You may also check Aiden’s one and see how he curates. He is younger than me like the same age with one of my grandsons but he is ahead of me in curation.
Please remember to review our onboarding pack so that you submit stories meeting the guidelines of our publications. I created a friend link for non-members, so there will be no excuse.
In addition, please review the submission guidelines of each publication as they serve different writers and readers.
ILLUMINATION Videos and Podcasts: Submission Guidelines 2023
Publishing and Conduct Guidelines for the Lampshade of ILLUMINATION
And watch out scammers, please. They cloned me six times and now they even cloned a director of Medium.com.
If you want to improve your fitness, you may check out how I did it in my 70s!
More stories like this on my collection.
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