DD wants to blog... a little advice please?

[BirdhouseInYourSoul]

DD is 13 and is thinking of starting a blog. She isn't entirely sure of the focus just now but it will probably be style/make up and usual teenage type things.

She is currently having a hard time with anxiety and confidence issues and I think having this as a hobby might really help her so I'm happy for her to give it a go as a kid of journal and outlet type thing. She isn't looking for huge followers or fame or anything.

However, I am worried about the safety aspect of it. She is very sensible but it is still a concern so I've said she cannot use her full name and mustn't make it obvious as to where she lives or goes to school.

Is there anything else I need to consider safety wise? I will be fully monitoring it and the email connected to it. She won't be connecting it to her facebook and doesn't have twitter.

Any other tips or hints for her?

I would be worried about the ability for people to "comment" on her blog posts. People do and say nasty stuff behind the anonymous shield of the internet. I would expect the potential for lots of judgmental comments, perhaps online and offline (i.e. amongst her social group) too.

I think there are ways of ensuring that the blog is "one-way" and people can't comment online but it will be visible to everyone, including school bullies.

Whilst my daughter is younger, we had a similar concern about confidence and found that putting her is a situation where there were peers focussed on something outgoing and together really helped. She does ballet, athletics and drama all away from school which gives her non-school peer group.

We keep her away from technology (facebook, blackberries etc) which may backfire on her in the long run (that's a whole other debate) but seems to be working well now.

Good luck.

I'd say go for it, too, you can learn a lot of technological skills from blogging, which is bound to boost her confidence. Just talk about strategies for dealing with any bad conments, and yep, think Blogger has a facility for people not to comment.

In other news, your daughter may enjoy reading an ebook novel series about a fifteen year old fashion designer, starting with The Allegra Biscotti Collection (By Olivia Bennett).