Yoursphere Parent Newsletter July 2009

Yoursphere Parent Newsletter, July 2009

In this issue:

Hi Friends-
Here's a roundup of what's happening at the safest, most dynamic social networking site for kids and teens!

Yoursphere In The News

Mary Kay has been interviewed recently on WFHG-FM 92.7, Johnson City, TN and ESPN Radio 1250, Philadelphia, PA. Yoursphere has also been featured in newspapers from Miami's elNuevo Herald, to the Evansville Courier (IN) and Gaffney Ledger (SC).

Hot New Spheres!

New spheres and sub-spheres are forming around the burgeoning Yoursphere universe at a "Big Bang" rate! As members create new ones promoting their own interests, they find friends in spheres like Mythbusters, Dancing, Surfing, Skateboarding, Performing Arts, Cross-Country, and our personal favorite, Chipmunks. (Hmm. So that would be for fans of everyone from Alvin to...Chip n' Dale?)

Vote On Giving!

Engaging members in giving is what Yoursphere is all about! Now members can help select the charitable organization that will receive a donation from Yoursphere. This month's competing causes are The National Adoption Center and The Humane Society.

Make sure your child casts a ballot!

New Young Writer's Contest

Yoursphere.com is hosting a new contest for young writers!

The contest asks a simple question: "What's your summer passion? Love reading books, playing your guitar or fine-tuning the art of make-up? Tell us about it! Or perhaps you enjoy writing epic novels, making a frappuccinos, hanging out with a certain someone, spray tanning, watching soccer, complaining about no summer job, or that it stinks that you have one? Your answer can be anything-we want to know about whatever makes you...YOU! Use any format or tone you like, just tell us in a compelling fashion what you love to do most."

The writers of the top three essays will receive a $300 savings bond and become paid Yoursphere.com contributing writers and a member of our team, as well as receive a one year free membership to Yoursphere.com.

The guidelines:
Submissions should be 350-600 words. Entrants must be under the age of 19, Yoursphere membership not required. All entries are due August 17, 2009. Winners will be announced August 21, 2009.

To enter:
Submit your essay in the body of an email (no attachments) to YoungWriters@Yoursphere.com.
(For all the fine-print legalese, head to Yoursphere.com "Young Editor Contest" Official Rules.

Win $100 Scholarship To Help Pay For Summer Fun

Who couldn't use some extra money to help pay for a fun summer program? Have your child enter our Yoursphere Summer Fun scholarship contest. Two winners will score $100 each to help them enroll in music, science, & art classes (or whatever else they're interested in). See contest rules on-site for details. Deadline is July 25.

School Fundraising

With education budgets shrinking and disposable income scarce, school fundraising can be quite difficult these days. Yoursphere is the perfect solution for schools and youth programs looking to raise money quickly and simply. And a one-time Yoursphere-directed fundraiser can reap financial benefits for your school for years. It's simple--we do all the work, your school creates the safest online community for their students, and even earns a large share (40%!) of the proceeds. Go to yoursphere.com/fundraising to find out more.

Inside The Spheres

From our Notebook sphere, Yoursphere contributing young writer Heather reviews the book, Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden.

Now in it's 10th anniversary, Black Hawk Down is a riveting tale about heroism under fire. I would recommend this book to teenagers because it is not just a complicated political novel--it is a tale of men who try to survive the intellectual decisions that the political leaders make. Though the book is long and geared toward adults, it is very easy to understand. Simple language describes each exciting event, showing the world a true story that was once covered up by the United States government. I really enjoyed the novel, and learned a lot about the world from it. I know that others will feel the same way about it!

Beating Cyberbullying: Ethics Training

Yoursphere strives strives to maintain an online home where members treat each other with respect. Indeed, it's our founding tenet. As our friends at netfamilynews.org reveal, this is increasingly uncommon today. Excerpts from editor Anne Collier:

1. "She was a little big for her age, her face still chubby and prepubescent," writes ZoeysRoom.com's Kaley Noonen in Edutopia.org. "She pulled me aside after the cyberbullying workshop I'd just given to a room full of 20 middle school girls. She looked as though she were hiding something. 'Would you help me get my MySpace page shut down?' she asked." The girl explained to Kaley that an ex-friend had used her password to hijack her MySpace profile and proceed to bully her by posting "all kinds of malicious [sex-related] lies" about the girl on it.

 
As hard as that is to read, anecdotes like Kaley's and so many others from teens, reporters, and other experts are not unusual. Then there's...

• The brand-new finding from the Pew Internet & American Life Project that some 8 million US 12-to-17-year-olds have been bullied (see this issue).
• The recent finding from the Crimes Against Children Research Center about the fine line between bullying an victimization: "Youth who engage in online aggressive behavior making rude or nasty comments or frequently embarrassing others are more than twice as likely to report online interpersonal victimization" (see this summary), and...

At the end of his 10-part Internet-safety series, author, public-policy expert, and dad Adam Thierer writes that "one of the most important parenting responsibilities involves teaching our children basic manners and rules of social etiquette." Helping them apply those basics in their online experiences is equally important, he suggests, offering eight "sensible rules" for online behavior. Rule No. 1 is "Treat others you meet online with the same respect that you would accord them in person."

Parent Forum Welcomes Your Input

Completely separate from Yoursphere.com, Yoursphere's parent-only forum aims to answer your questions about Yoursphere and Internet safety in general, and provide a nexus for parents like you to share experiences with other adults. It's also a place to listen in as Yoursphere team members blog about tech issues, site news, and all the other intriguing questions that make what we are doing here so unique. Recently, Mary Kay blogged about the attack by identity thieves to users of the children's site Neopets.com.

WeSphere--Meet The Folks Behind Yoursphere

Karl Hanf, Director of Business Development

Karl comes to Yoursphere from CBS MaxPreps, where he was Director of Field Operations. At Yoursphere Karl is in charge of our nationwide high school fundraising program. An education veteran, Karl spent 16 years as a high school teacher, administrator, and coach and holds a B.A. from Saint Mary's College and a M.A. and Ed.D. in Education from the University of San Francisco.

Karl and his wife Jodi have two daughters, Julia and Emma. Says Karl, "Since my children are about to embark on the long journey social networking as pre-teens and teens, I want the very best for my kids, as all parents do. Thankfully, Yoursphere can provide my children with the creative tools they need online, while keeping them safe."

We are thrilled to have Karl on our team!

Thanks for continuing to entrust Yoursphere with your child's Internet experience, and helping "raise the bar" for teen networking,
Mary Kay Hoal And The Yoursphere Team