In August 2006, I left my job as managing editor of The Burlington Free Press to embark full-time on this crazy notion that someone from the outside world could engage a few kids to write.
The first thing I did (after, of course, the required one day off) was to start building a Web site. It took me two weeks. But it worked. And, starting with one member of youngwritersproject.org -- me -- we've now grown to 3,560 members -- mostly students -- and we've chunked about 1,000 students along the way who've graduated....
What I have discovered about this site that is most amazing is how much the students talk about the site being addictive and monstrously time consuming. Now I know they speak the truth because I look at my Google Stats from time to time and see -- Average daily visits; 450 to 800; average pages visited: 10+; average time of visit: 11 minutes. Now if you know anything about Web site metrics that's pretty darn good. And if you take out the 32 percent who bop onto the site and leave immediately (now that's attention deficit!) the actual average is much much higher (hasn't Google heard of mean?)
So, to return to the point, the kids lose themselves on the site. And here's how, and perhaps why:
I just received an email form an adult writer who is going to be a mentor -- along with some of his writing buddies. So I went to the site to give him Moses-like powers so he can navigate all over and do mentor-like things. So before I could click "Administer" there was an intriguing comment on the recent comments: "Well-written, but familiar." I followed the link and there a student had commented on a wonderful story written by a first-timer. The student told the writer that it reminded her of a story written by the late Douglas Adams (Hitchhiker's Galaxy...) Not wanting the young author to be discouraged, I thanked her for sharing the story and hoped she would share more writing about her own experiences and stories.
Then I noticed another comment: "Please comment on my story." This took me to a simple little poem about farming by a 7th-grader from Dummerston. How was I to refuse. So I posted a comment.
Then I looked at another comment which took me to a remarkably funny story about teen angst and anger; take a look: http://youngwritersproject.org/node/26017
And by then, of course, I had forgotten why I went to the site.
Then I remembered. And I returned, discipline hat firmly affixed to my skull, and I gave the new mentor/author Moses like powers so he could join in the fun of providing feedback to young writers.
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Submitted by ggevalt on Thu, 02/12/2009 - 15:46
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