Comments on: Allykatzz Launches ‘Post Secret’ For Tween Girls

By: Bobbie Carlton

Bobbie Carlton — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 09:45:41 +0000

Hi Anastasia,

We also allow girls to post comments (previewed by monitors) on our site (Beacon Street Girls) and they are all monitored — no personal info, no mean comments, etc. Boy, is it educational. Interestingly enough, every comment we decide to post that calls out for help — I don’t feel good about myself or I’m fat or other concerning remark, gets a supportive outpouring from the community that has developed on the site. It makes you proud of our tween and teen girls!

By: David

David — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 20:48:29 +0000

Since you like PostSecret you might wish to try CommonTies.com. We publish art with stories as well. But we do more than just secrets. Also we pay for the stories and art we publish. you must be at least 16 to submit.

By: Denise Restauri

Denise Restauri — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 10:14:06 +0000

Hi! Want to share how we do monitor blogs on AllyKatzz. Every word and picture are reviewed by college students/female adults before posting. We call them the “blog patrol.” We do not post “come into my web and cut with me” blogs. We do post, “I want to cut myself.” And we do post positive/helpful comments back to the girl including, “Don’t do it…You’re life is too important…Talk to your mom or teacher or some adult you trust.” We won’t post “You are a loser” comments back! And the blog patrol does refer girls to toll-free help lines. Anastasia, LOVE to talk with you about the application you’re working on… you know where to find me!

By: Shaping Youth

Shaping Youth — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 21:39:37 +0000

The ‘Post Secret’ tween site is definitely an eyebrower raiser as we’re seeing a LOT of this social chatter in middle-school circles…(both the harmless secrets AND the ‘hmnn…hold your tongue don’t over-think this’ ones)

Granted, some ‘secrets’ are the creation of overblown drama where there isn’t any, (a jaywalking dash becomes “I almost got hit by a car”) while others are more akin to shock effect/oneupsmanship (e.g. who has the most ‘whoa’ tidbit of news for the day) and some are genuinely ‘intervention’ based concerns (tweens IM-ing each other about peers with ‘issues,’ outreach via anonymity, and adults being left out of the loop in ‘Kid Nation’ mode, like a club they ‘couldn’t possibly understand’)

This latter part is the one that leaves me squeamish, since peer to peer handling sans emotional maturity and context of the ‘really tough stuff’ (esp. the self-harm, sexual bravado and shame/blame situations) is risky business.

That said, until parents and educators prove they won’t faint, ban, over-react, or put heads in the sand to ignore the real life issues circulating among tweens, the collaborative mashups of multigenerational insights will give way to secretive whispers. (‘twas ever thus, eh?)

To me, that’s the increasing danger…misinformation potential coupled with easy access to media info re: handling depression/peer self-harm, etc.) that ups the ante on flying solo at a very tender age…

I look forward to hearing how AllyKatzz will handle this from a moderation perspective of the dicey ‘what ifs’ that may come their way as “secrets”…

p.s. Has Izzy Neis weighed in on this yet? I’ll have to check her site…I’d love to interview the AllyKatzz crew for a post, as soon as I’m out of ‘blue screen of death’ system board mode…