Recently in Messages from IML Category
Share Your Adoption Story With IML
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When we asked for ideas on which new topics to cover on IML, we got some great suggestions. Many of you told us that you'd love to see us talk about Adoption...so that's what we're going to do! Right now we're researching lots of information for tweens on this subject. Stay tuned for its unveiling soon!
In the meantime, we're hoping to find a couple of real kids willing to share their stories with IML. Are you adopted? Or do you have an adopted sibling? We would love to talk to you about your experiences and feature them on our website. You can see some other IML'ers' stories here:
If you'd like to be one of our next "true tales," drop us a line at itsmylife@pbs.org and tell us a little about your experiences with adoption. Please don't forget to get a parent's or guardian's permission first!
"Impostering"
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We know that so many of you love to post on our You Said It pages because they're moderated and safe. Meaning, we look at every single submission to make sure it doesn't contain anything that's inappropriate, offensive, or just plain mean to other users. While our site may not have as many cool activities as your favorite virtual world or chat room, we hope that at least IML'ers feel they can express themselves without fear of online bullying.
Still...some users find a way to make others on IML feel hurt and angry. You've even come up with a name for it: "impostering." You've been "impostered" when you've been using a certain name on IML, and then someone else posts using your name. Since we don't have a login system (yet), it's unfortunately very easy for a person to do this, and we're really sorry that anyone's experienced it. Here are some things we'd like you all to keep in mind:
- Because we read so many submissions every day, it's hard for us to recognize that someone is pretending to "be" someone else on IML. Occasionally, it's obvious, and in those cases we'll delete the post.
- Since we delete or edit any posts that contain what we consider to be inappropriate language or subject matter, don't worry about someone "impostering" you with a submission that's going to offend or hurt people.
- You may think you've been "impostered," but it might be just an innocent mistake. If you have a common name or have been using a cute alias, it's not unusual for someone else to want to use the same one by coincidence. If it happens a lot, post a message to your same-namer and see if you can work out a compromise.
- If you want us to remove a post where someone has used your name and you feel it's on purpose, send us an email at itsmylife@pbs.org and we'll take care of it as quickly as we can.
Our You Said It pages are for IML'ers to share your experiences, feelings, and advice. We hope you can all help us keep them safe and fun!
Tell IML: What new topics should we cover?
At IML we've always involved real tweens in our big decisions. Over the years, you've told us what you like most about our site, what we could do better, and what you'd love for us to add. We listen to all of these comments and take them very seriously. So now, we're inviting you to help shape the future of It's My Life yet again...
We're going to be adding two new topics to the site in the next few months, but we can't decide which ones! From past suggestions, we've put together a list of issues we haven't covered yet but IML'ers would like to see. Write to us and tell us which two you think we should tackle:
Adoption
Living With A Single Parent
Opposite Sex Friendships
The Arts: Express Yourself (writing, music, dance, drama, visual arts)
Can you think of something that's not on this list? Tell us!
One thing we should mention is that many of you are writing to us about wanting a live chat on IML. Unfortunately we don't have the person-power right now to keep a live chat moderated and safe -- as it would have to be -- although we have talked about having a weekly scheduled live chat sometime in the future. In the meantime, keep those YSI (You Said It) posts coming! We do our best to get your posts approved within 24 hours but sometimes it does take longer if we have a ton of posts to review. We know it's hard to wait and it's totally not the same as chatting live, but we hope it's worth it to know that every post is checked and sometimes edited to make sure it's appropriate and bullying-free.
The 3 R's 4 R World
Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Hopefully you've heard these words so much lately that you've taken them to heart -- or are sick to death of them. Or both. It's all good, because then you know what they mean!
So now IML needs your help. We're putting together a brand new section of our site called "Green Living," full of advice for tweens on how to accomplish those 3 R's, as well as other actions that will help save our planet's resources. It's not easy to change habits and give up certain things, but we're sure lots of you out there have already found creative and maybe even fun ways to do just that.
So we want to know: How do YOU reduce the amount of trash you generate? Do you reuse something on a regular basis? Have you and your family hit upon a good formula for recycling? Maybe you and your friends had a clothing-swap party. Maybe you've figured out how to make something rather than buy it new. We're looking for your ideas to include on It's My Life! You can send them to us with your first name and age. If we use your comment on the site, we'll send you a package of groovy IML light-up pens and stickers!
It's My...Blog!
Well, hey! Hi there! Yes, this is IML's shiny brand new blog. We just took the wrapper off. Like it?
Welcome to a whole extra place for tweens to read and think about life stuff. You know, the stuff that's sometimes big and sometimes small but still matters a lot. The stuff that everyone has to deal with in a million different ways.
It's also a place for us to talk about current events, trends, movies, books, TV shows, music, and celebs...and how these things connect to the real life stuff.
The It's My Life Blog is where we can also kind of talk to you, our fabulous IML'ers. We might tell you about something new on the website or point out a section that you haven't seen. We might respond to questions and comments that pop up on the You Said It pages. And we want you to talk back, too! You can weigh in on something you read here -- or really, about anything at all -- on the "What's On Your Mind" page (and just like the other You Said It pages, it's moderated and safe).
So, come back and visit us often! It'll be a good time.
