Simon Pulse Blogfest Is Underway! Get Bloggin’!

Just a reminder—the Simon Pulse Blogfest has kicked off!  Here is a short synopsis about this landmark event that arrived in my “inbox” yesterday from the organizers of this great blogfest!

“It’s here! Our first annual Simon Pulse Blogfest launches today, giving you the chance to watch more than 100 of your favorite teen authors come together on a single jam-packed blog for 2 weeks, answering fan questions. We previously solicited questions from teens and chose 14 great ones, with the authors addressing one question every day!You can come on the blog and post your own responses to any entries as well. Please note – your own responses won’t show up immediately, as for safety purposes we are moderating the blog. But any posts that don’t contain inappropriate language or personal information WILL go up! Not all authors will be able to respond to your posts – many authors are touring and on the road, and aren’t able to check back to see the responses to their entries – but other authors will be joining in and answering back. And we’ll make sure all authors get printouts of any comments you leave about any of their entries, so they know your thoughts!So head on over to www.PulseBlogfest.com to watch the fun! Click here to read the rules first before posting your own comments, but after that, dive in and have a blast. And in case you can’t always stop by the website every day (we’ll have new entries going up every HOUR) be sure to visit our downloads area for a screensaver you can have on your desktop that pulls the blogfest directly into it!

The fun kicks off today with a question submitted by Dana, who asks our authors: “What would you be doing if you hadn’t made it as a writer?”

Just a handful of the authors posting over the next few days include:

Holly Black Julie Hearn Staton Rabin Judy Blume Karol Ann Hoeffner David Randall Jennifer Bradbury Nancy Holder Deborah Reber Kate Brian Ellen Hopkins Randi Reisfeld Teri Brown James Howe Kristopher Reisz Linda Buckley-Archer Jeffry W. Johnston Ashley Rhodes-Courter

Save the Date: YA Author Pulse Blogfest Coming March 14-27!

Do you love YA literature?  Have you ever wanted a chance to interact with your favorite YA author?  Do you enjoy blogging?  If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then mark your calendar:  the Simon and Schuster Pulse Blogfest is coming March 14-27, 2008!

“This is a great opportunity for Simon & Schuster’s teen authors to come together and not only cross-promote their works to get the widest exposure possible, but also to give all of their fans an incredible online event that promotes reading and offers a behind-the-scenes look into what it’s like to be an author,” said Rick Richter, president and publisher of Simon & Schuster’s Children’s Publishing.

Each author’s blog post will include information about the author, his or her upcoming work and will link to a contributor webpage.

Some of the authors who are scheduled to take part in Simon Pulse Blogfest include Avi, Holly Black, Jennifer Bradbury, Susan Cooper, Melissa de la Cruz, Sharon M. Draper, Jennifer Echols, Susan Fletcher, Ellen Hopkins, James Howe, Jeffry W. Johnston, Richard Lewis, D.J. MacHale, Eric Marcus, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Brian Sloan, Robin Wasserman and Scott Westerfeld.  This esteemed list also includes Unquiet Library blog reader Lauren Baratz-Logsted!

“I can’t wait for March and the SimonPulse Blogfest,” said Crank and Glass author Ellen Hopkins. “I am excited about connecting with my readers in such a creative way.”

Nearly 100 young adult authors have signed on to be part of this web 2.0 extravaganza–you do *NOT* want to miss this blog-o-riffic event.  You can submit questions for discussion by visiting the Pulse Blogfest MySpace page!

Who Blogs More: Boys or Girls?

According to a study called “Teens and Social Media” released by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, girls are blogging more than the guys.  In 2004, only 19% of teens surveyed were blogging, but the latest sutdy finds that 28% of survey participants are now blogging. 

Why are more teens blogging in 2007?  Tony Hung, editor of the BlogHerald, says, “The report postulates that there is a greater integration of blogging as an educational tool amongst schools; some classes in some schools even report that they were asked to post papers to their blog before submission so that their classmates could comment and provide feedback — both for online and offline conversations in class.”   As you may already know, more teachers in the Cherokee County School District are using blogs as educational tools.

 The researchers who conducted this survey note that “…the use of social media—from blogging to online social networking to creation of all kinds of digital material—is central to many teenagers’ lives.  Some 93% of teens use the internet, and more of them than ever are treating it as a venue for social interaction—a place where they can share creations, tell stories, and interact with others.”

 Here is a snapshot of the findings from the report:

 

Teens and Social Media: Summary of Findings at a Glance

The use of social media – from blogging to online social networking to creation of all kinds of digital material – is central to many teenagers’ lives.

Girls continue to lead the charge as the teen blogosphere grows; 28% of online teens have created a blog, up from 19% in 2004.

The growth in blogs tracks with the growth in teens’ use of social networking sites, but they do not completely overlap.

Online boys are avid users of video-sharing websites such as YouTube, and boys are more likely than girls to upload.

Digital images – stills and videos – have a big role in teen life.

Posting images and video often starts a virtual conversation. Most teens receive some feedback on the content they post online.

Most teens restrict access to their posted photos and videos – at least some of the time. Adults restrict access to the same content less often.

In the midst of the digital media mix, the landline is still a lifeline for teen social life.

Multi-channel teens layer each new communications opportunity on top of pre-existing channels.

Email continues to lose its luster among teens as texting, instant messaging, and social networking sites facilitate more frequent contact with friends.

Source: Lenhart, A. Madden, M. Rankin Macgill, A. Smith, A., Teens and Social Media: The use of social media gains a greater foothold in teen life as email continues to lose its luster. Washington, DC: Pew Internet & American

While there are now more teens creating blogs than there were when we last surveyed, the teen blog-reading audience has also grown. Half of all online teens (49%) now read the online journals or blogs of others, up from 38% in 2004. Fully 59% of teens who go online on a daily basis read blogs, compared with just 39% of teens who go online several times per week.

Demographics of Teen Blog Readers
Percent of blog reading teens who are …
Sex
Boys	43%
Girls	57
Age
12-14	39
15-17	61
Family Income
Less than $30,000 annually	14
$30,000 - $49,999	23
$50,000 - $74,999	22
$75,000 +	41
Locale
Urban	27
Suburban	52
Rural	21
Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project Survey of Parents and Teens, October.-November 2006. Teen blog readers n=444. Margin of error for teens is ±4%.

 

The older the teen, the more likely he or she is to follow the blogosphere; while 40% of online teens ages 12-14 read blogs, 58% of online teens ages 15-17 are blog readers. Just as girls are primarily the ones who are authoring teen blogs, they are also primarily the ones reading them. More than half of online teen girls read blogs compared with two in five online teen boys (55% vs. 43%). Again, older girls lead the pack, with 64% reading blogs, while just 52% of older boys are blog readers.

You can read the entire 44 page report that was released on December 19, 2007 at http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Teens_Social_Media_Final.pdf . 

Check out the Georgia Peach Book Nominee 2007-08 Blog!

Check out the new Georgia Peach Book Award for Teens 2007-08 Blog!  This is a site where you can blog with other Georgia teens about the 2007-08 Peach Award nominee books you are reading!

Here are the blog rules:

• Students, teachers, parents, and coaches who have read a book may comment on it.
• All comments must be approved by the blog moderator before being published on the web. After a comment has been submitted, it may take up to 24 hours for the comment to be available on the blog.
• Comments that are not considered appropriate will not be published.
• Comments should be substantial. You may talk about whether you liked or disliked the book, but please give some details to support your opinion. Was the book a genre (historical fiction, realistic, or fantasy) that you particularly like or dislike? Were the characters or plot unrealistic? How does this book compare with others by the same author?
• You may also comment on a previous comment.
• You may sign your comment with your first name only, or you may make up a name and an email address.
• You may include the name of your school. For your security, do not include any other information that could be used to identify you.
• No comment that belittles another commentator, uses inappropriate language, reveals personal information, or is off topic will be approved by the moderator.