Chapter 1: A Joyous Anniversary

Happy 4th birthday to our beloved ILLUMINATION! Let’s raise our glasses and toast to many more years filled with success and joy, all in true Aussie fashion. The celebration continues, mates!

Back in March 2020, right when the pandemic began to make its presence felt, Dr. Mehmet Yildiz (the founder) made a spectacular announcement: he launched ILLUMINATION. Honestly, I have no idea where he found such a brilliant name for us!

On March 19, 2020, he gathered around a hundred writers for this ambitious endeavor, outlining a mission, vision, strategy, and facilitation model that ignited excitement among the team. And believe me, they didn’t just nibble — they dove in headfirst! They formed a close-knit community, chatting daily on Slack as if they were gathering at the local pub.

Dr. Yildiz established ILLUMINATION on four fundamental principles. The first is diversity, which embraces the uniqueness of each member, regardless of age, education, gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, nationality, profession, or political beliefs. He truly left no one out.

Next up is synergy — the aim is to amplify the collective impact, creating something greater than the sum of its parts. This involves intentionally fostering serendipity through universal principles and synchronicity. It’s akin to concocting a splendid cocktail of ideas, blending and merging them for maximum effect. It’s all about inclusivity and cooperation, mates.

These four principles are woven together to form a vibrant culture that benefits everyone involved. Dr. Yildiz envisions scaling his integrated publications, and trust me, it’s working exceptionally well.

In just a year, ILLUMINATION has expanded rapidly, boasting eight different publications that cater to a variety of creators and audiences. We’re talking over 50,000 readers visiting us daily. Now that’s what I call a true success story!

But here’s the real kicker, mates! ILLUMINATION isn’t just for the big names. It’s about uniting everyone, from newcomers to seasoned veterans. That diversity, mates, is the secret ingredient to our success.

And Dr. Yildiz isn’t stopping there. When readers started asking for curated collections and specialized content, he didn’t hesitate. He launched ILLUMINATION Curated, Synergy, ILLUMINATION's Mirror, Technology Hits, Gaming, Videos, Nutrition — you name it, he’s got it all covered, thanks to his dedicated volunteer editors. Each publication features 30 editors, including yours truly.

Now here comes the exciting part: Dr. Yildiz isn’t merely following trends; he’s creating them. He identified a niche for book chapters on Medium, and voilà, ILLUMINATION Book Chapters was born. Guess what? It’s attracting published authors from all corners.

With nearly 28,000 writers joining these integrated publications, Dr. Yildiz recognized the need to support absolute beginners in the writing journey. So, he waved his magic wand and birthed Readers Hope, my personal favorite publication.

What a legend, right?

And to top it off, I joined this fantastic team as a volunteer, helping with publishing and curating outstanding stories. Together, we’ve produced over a million pieces across ILLUMINATION publications!

And I assure you, our stories aren’t gathering dust — they’re raking in millions of views, accumulating thousands of hours of reading time, and even helping some writers earn a tidy sum. Talk about a genuine success story!

Why is ILLUMINATION soaring like a rocket, you ask?

For starters, Dr. Yildiz is all ears when it comes to understanding what readers want, and he supports us creators and editors with the freedom and tools to shine.

But it’s not just about the vision from the top. We have a team of 150 dedicated volunteer editors working tirelessly to screen submissions, weed out the subpar content, and ensure the good stuff gets published promptly.

And here’s the kicker — Dr. Yildiz has brought together over 20,000 writers in a Slack workspace, where we share stories, exchange ideas, and receive top-notch advice from senior editors.

While other major publications are collapsing under financial strain, ILLUMINATION is thriving. Why? Because it’s powered by the incredible spirit of volunteers who dedicate their time to making it all happen.

With the unwavering support of readers and writers alike, we’ve grown from 100 writers to an astounding 28,000 in just two years. From a mere handful of readers to a robust community of 78,000 strong. And mark my words, mates, we’re just getting warmed up!

So here’s to ILLUMINATION — happy birthday, you absolute legend! And to all of you who have joined us on this exhilarating journey, cheers to many more adventures ahead!

I got all these fantastic insights from my good Aussie mate Aiden (ILLUMINATION Gaming), who shared a brilliant video on ILLUMINATION's second birthday, back when I wasn’t even part of the crew.

Chapter 2: Welcome to the Family

Alright, folks, gather ‘round! It’s time to extend a warm Aussie welcome to our newest recruits who’ve hopped aboard this exciting journey with us. We wasted no time in getting them settled, because let’s be honest, they’re going to play a significant role in our journey ahead.

Let’s give them a round of applause that would make a kookaburra proud and a heartfelt hug from the entire community. Welcome aboard, mates! Here’s to crafting some magic together!

Farooq Munir, Maya Wilson, Nomad Narratives, Muhammad Abdul Munaf, Attila Gál, Dr. Bettina Sieber🍎R, 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 🎀R, 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 ✨🌟R✨, 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 🕉R️, 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 Aussie accent, so please don’t feel daunted. This was just to greet you all on this special day. If you need help, you can reach out to me on Slack, and I’ll gladly assist. I understand the challenges of being a new writer on a large platform.

I attempted to follow each of you, but the system limited me after 150, so I’ll try again later. I’d love to read your stories and curate some good ones like I do in my collection. Here’s the latest one.

You can also check Aiden’s work to see how he curates. He’s younger than me, the same age as one of my grandsons, yet he excels in curation.

Please remember to review our onboarding pack to ensure your story submissions meet our publication guidelines. I created a friend link for non-members, so there’s no excuse for not getting involved.

Additionally, please familiarize yourself with the submission guidelines of each publication, as they cater to different writers and readers:

• ILLUMINATION-Curated: New Submission Guidelines 2023
• Submission Guidelines: Illumination Integrated Publications
• SYNERGY: Submission Guidelines 2023
• Technology Hits: Submission Guidelines 2023
• ILLUMINATION Book Chapters: Submission Guidelines 2023
• Readers Hope: New Submission Guidelines 2023
• ILLUMINATION Gaming: Submission Guidelines 2023
• ILLUMINATION Videos and Podcasts: Submission Guidelines 2023
• Publishing and Conduct Guidelines for the Lampshade of ILLUMINATION

And beware of scammers, please. They’ve cloned me six times and even managed to clone a director from Medium.com!

If you want to improve your fitness, check out how I did it in my 70s!

You can find more stories like this in my collection.

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