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The latest installment in our Ypulse Youth Website Profile series is the new teen site Fitsmi. The site is currently in closed beta, but since we were given a sneak peek we thought we’d blog it…

What it is… a new health site for teen girls struggling with weight management and body issues. Managing Editor Karell Roxas emphasizes “It is NOT a diet site. It’s a community for girls looking for help from their peers and from experts.” The site is divided into the channels: “Eat,” “Style” “Inspire” “Move” and “Connect.” Experts include a nutritionist for the Eat channel a “fashion hound” for the Style channel, etc.

Who It’s for… as mentioned, the site is for teen girls who are struggling with their weight and related body image issues. Also, in conjunction with the site, there’s Fitsmi Moms, for moms looking for ways to help their own overweight teens.

What works for us..what impressed me most about Fitsmi was definitely its tone. Initially I was skeptical from the the color scheme that the site would skew more tween than teen, but as I started reading this became less of a concern. Both the bloggers and the general copy came off to me as casual, positive and authoritative – on par with the best of teen mag writers. The voice is not overly familiar (no inappropriate usage of text speak), but still manages to stay away from sounding like a health teacher or a cheesy cheerleader (the site’s tagline, a cheeky play on the presidential slogan, pretty much sums it up: “Yeah, you can” ). Playing it cool, but not too cool (a subtle, but important distinction), I think the site’s support staff successfully creates the feeling of a safe and open space for teen girls. It also helps that most, if not all are transparent about their own personal histories with body issues.

Challenges.. as much as I like the site’s approach, I’m concerned about what will happen when more of the site’s content is turned over to its teenage users. Having weight as the focal point, even with an underlying message of self-affirmation, just seems risky when it comes to teenage girls. While I trust that the team behind Fitsmi is prepared for such situations to come up, I still wonder what their game plan is if, for instance, the social component of the site, meant to serve as a virtual support system, took on more of a competitive tinge? Or, similarly, how they will ensure that girls on the “Fitsmi Plan” (a regimen described on the site as ” your own personal to-do list created by our experts to help you reach your healthy goals. It’s a combination of Eat, Move and Inspire”) will avoid dieting pitfalls like obsessiveness and secretive behaviors. Lastly, on a more technical note, I telt like a master list of topics and/or archives of past articles would help users navigate the site.

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Categorized under: Web

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