Yoursphere Parent Newsletter, September 2009
In this issue:
Wow, summer has really been a whirlwind at Yoursphere! From national TV appearances to our vibrant new look to the dozens of exciting new spheres created by members, it's all happening at the safest, most dynamic social networking site possible.
New Spheres!
Whenever a member launches a new sphere, no matter how esoteric the topic, the response can be surprising! Who knew so many like-minded friends existed? The latest popular spheres created by members include such interests as Frogs, GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Bearded Dragons, Dirt Biking, Hair Styles, and one of our personal favorites, Picky Eaters Unite!
But the winner of our Best Sphere Award, as nominated by our members, is "Your Story." Created by a member as a forum for kids to post their own short stories and receive feedback, the sphere has been a runaway hit. Yoursphere members are submitting fresh stories daily and garnering wonderfully positive feedback (yes, positive feedback! Imagine that happening on any other social networking site), along with helpful tips and encouragement from each other. It's terrific to behold for two reasons: 1) that kids feel confident enough in the Yoursphere community to post their own material and offer it up for critical review, and 2) that readers are responding in honest yet helpful ways, without the insults, flaming, etc., that plague other websites. We didn't create the "Your Story" sphere, but we sure are proud!
Yoursphere On National TV!
Last week Mary Kay and daughter Madison were interviewed on the Fox News program "Fox and Friends." While Mary Kay was thrilled to spread the good news about Yoursphere from our biggest pulpit yet, Madison really enjoyed her "star turn" on TV (which even included a personal makeup artist)! Watch the video here.
Mary Kay was also interviewed by a panel of three on the Fox Business show "Happy Hour".
The spots offered Yoursphere its best opportunity so far to let concerned parents find out about our burgeoning community.
Mary Kay recently presented to large group of PTA members of the San Juan Unified School District.
Contest Winners
You've read about the Best Sphere contest winner, now meet
"Brookie," our Freeze Frame self-portrait competition champ! Nice smile, Brookie!
And finally, say hello to..."RHIDOG!"
That's the winning name chosen by members for the miserable looking pooch pictured here. (Don't ask us for an explanation, we're as clueless as you here! We thought entries Barf-alomew, Fluffy, and Punk were more apt. But hey--that's democracy for you!)
Young Writer's Contest II Update
Our second Young Writer's Contest asked, "What's your summer passion?" We learned about the joys of swimming, reading, summer camp, horseback riding, gymnastics, writing, drawing, and many, many more May-September activities kids love to do. The response was terrific--thanks to all the contestants.
Meet our winning wordsmiths Jasmine, Kate, and Maria! Each scored a $300 savings bond, a one year membership to Yoursphere.com, and the chance to become paid Yoursphere.com contributing writers. Nice job, folks!
New Look
Yoursphere.com had a minor makeover as the site was streamlined visually and the homepage made more appealing. What do you think about the changes? Let us know!
Back-To-School Fundraising
The kids are back in school and education budgets are shrinking! Yoursphere is the perfect solution for schools, youth programs and teams, looking to raise money. A quick and simple solution, a one-time Yoursphere-directed fundraiser can even reap financial benefits for your school for years. It's easy--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
In our Fashion sphere, Yoursphere contributing writer Heather weighed in on the touchy subject of teens and makeup. Below is a portion of her essay.
Every day so many teenage girls struggle with their looks. We all care on some level about our appearance or what others think about us. We want be liked, to look good, and even more important, to feel good about ourselves. Often there are times when we just do not know how to do that! Well, here is a little bit of beauty advice that might solve some of those burning questions about what makeup colors are right for you!
For girls who like to wear makeup, the makeup colors you choose should not only go with your outfit, they must also complement your coloring. Here are the major skin tones and the colors that best complement them...
...Just remember, don't overdo it with the makeup! Heavy makeup can look really unnatural, it's much better to enhance your looks than hide behind a mask! Another thing to remember is that glamour and beauty aren't just about looks. A lot of the time, the most attractive people we know are the one that are happy with themselves and kind to other people. Their size, shape, and clothes don't matter that much because their inner glow shines through--their beauty comes from being themselves!
Web Safety Tips
Yoursphere and our friends at connectsafely.org remind parents to use caution when maintaining a "mom blog" or online album of family photos. Such images can be copied by anyone, anywhere with a computer, and your cherished shot of the kids goofing off at the Grand Canyon may someday end up as an unpaid for "stock photo" used by advertisers. (Indeed, one mom was surprised to find her family's photo hanging in a grocery store in Prague!) Harmless, for the most part, but disconcerting. One woman said that photos of her that were taken at age 14 were later used as the cover of a pornographic DVD. Some tips:
1) Remember, the Internet is global, so any images posted are instantly out of your control.
2) Use low resolution photos, so that if they are printed they won't be detailed. 72 dpi is the most common low-res setting for Web use.
3) Take advantage of privacy features, when available.
4) Review your photo-sharing website's Terms of Service to find out who has the rights to photos you have stored on their servers.
5) Consider using a password protecting your album or blog, even if that means grandma has to learn yet another password!
Web Safety News
Take a look at this helpful article "Parents role is vital to stopping e-bullying" from the September 2nd Detroit Free Press. Among the tips for parents is to self-educate and make sure your children "avoid social networking sites that allow anonymous postings." Hmm. I believe we thought of that years ago!
And this article from Orlando Sentinel tech writer Etan Horowitz examines the question, "Is Facebook a place to connect with friends--or meet strangers?" His conclusion differs from the experience suggested by Facebook's marketing techniques.
Yoursphere On Twitter
Yoursphere is tweeting Internet safety! Check it out here, or follow Mary Kay's tweets.
For those who would like to delve deeper into the latest Internet safety techniques and concerns, or wish to engage in a dialogue, check out Yoursphere's parent-only Internet safety forum. Completely separate from Yoursphere.com, 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 challenging and unique. As always, Mary Kay's blog can be found here.
As always, thanks for continuing to entrust Yoursphere with your child's Internet experience, and helping "raise the bar" for teen networking.
Yours,
Mary Kay Hoal And The Yoursphere Team
