If you're a blogger, think back and try to remember how you got introduced to blogging - did you start off with a MySpace blog or LJ journal? Maybe a tech-savvy friend set up WordPress for you and showed you how it worked? Or perhaps you just had to figure everything out all on your own? If you were in that last category, then you can really appreciate what Patrick DeVivo is trying to do with his latest project, The Youth Bloggers Network. This site is designed to be a center point of communication for young people who need support and encouragement as they try to enter the blogging world.
Although it's quite possible that there aren't that many "real" people reading blogs, for those that do become interested in the medium as a way to communicate with others, that participation often encourages people to transition from being a blog reader to setting up a blog of their own.
However, for young people and teens getting involved in blogging, there are additional challenges that adults may not face. For example, Kevin Muldoon of Blogging Tips points out that young bloggers may have more issues with being able to afford domain and hosting costs than an adult would. But beyond that, they also simply need an introduction to the tips of the trade and the various blogging tools available.
This is how YBN can help. The site features a forum for communicating with others young bloggers, a resources section with blogging tutorials, and a YBN blog where anyone is able to guest post.
If you think that young bloggers have nothing to add to the community, you need only take a look at Carl Ocab's site, which he began at 13. He's now 15, and the blog can certainly hold its own with any sites run by adults today. He writes about how to make money online, and by the look of it, he's already doing so with his site.
Then there's Jessica Mah (pictured), who was even interviewed by Valleywag last year. Now a junior in college, Jessica is an entrepreneur who began work at 13, when she ran a successful hosting business. She also was a co-founder of a startup called Shockapps.com
Another to take note of is the site FunnyMunny belonging to Paris Spence-Lang, a 13-year-old who wants to be a financial advisor when he grows up.
Two other young bloggers in the tech niche are Thilak Raj Rao of Tech-Buzz.net and David Wilkinson of TechZi whose personal sites are more impressive than many of the sites you may run across that are run by adults and just as informative.
Today's top bloggers won't be around forever, so a place like YBN that helps support and encourage the next generation of bloggers is an important resource. Despite their young ages, there are many bloggers who are already contributing to the blogging community - besides those featured above, the Retire at 21 blog posted a list of the top 30 bloggers under 21. Any one of those people could be tomorrow's blogging superstar...or tomorrow's superstar may still be undiscovered, only in need of some support and encouragement, like that which YBN offers, to grow their site and break out on the scene.
Photo of Jessica Mah courtesy of Anne Helmond
Comments
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This is a disappointing post. For one thing, security is probably the biggest issue with young people weblogging.
More importantly, though, is what you're defining as "quality' with weblogging. Making money and being famous--is that what we want the next generation of webloggers to focus on? Making money or becoming an A lister?
Where are kids who write poetry? About math or science? Who post pictures of their hikes? Who want to be the next great novelist, historian, teacher?
By focusing on money and fame, you'd trivialized this environment, and most of the people in it. Perhaps you need to rethink about what's _really_ important in this space for today's adults before you define it for tomorrow's.
Posted by: Shelley | June 13, 2008 10:05 AM
Typo:
"you've trivialized this environment..."
Posted by: Shelley | June 13, 2008 10:07 AM
13 year old blogger here. :)
Thanks for pointing me to youthbloggers.net.
Posted by: Grant | June 13, 2008 10:09 AM
@Shelley - How have I focused on money as the defining characteristic of a successful blogger? Making money online is just the subject matter that some bloggers write about, but if you look at the list of the top bloggers under 21, you'll see a wide array of topics being covered.
Posted by: Sarah Perez
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June 13, 2008 10:39 AM
But that was the criteria you listed in the writing...money online...successful startup...today's top bloggers.
And you linked to a weblog that looks to closed down (funnymunny).
Posted by: Shelley | June 13, 2008 12:30 PM
@Shelley - Sorry, I think you misunderstood. Carl is arguably one of the top young bloggers and his writes about making money online. But that's just his subject matter. And Jessica happens to be an entrepreneur who writes about that subject matter. Those are their blogs' topics - not the definition of "being a success."
As for FunnyMunny - it loads fine for me.
Posted by: Sarah Perez
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June 13, 2008 12:43 PM
Great post. Thanks for pointing me out to terrific young bloggers. Here are two more young bloggers who are extremely good. I suggest you have a look at them as well
Shankar Ganesh - (Writes at MakeUseOf and KillertechTips)
Karthik Kastury - (Writes at DailyApps)
Posted by: Dave | June 13, 2008 5:36 PM
I started blogging when I was a senior in high school. 2000 was the year that we were all fighting about who was hotter on Hot or Not and who had a better Xanga!!
Posted by: Amit Chowdhry | June 13, 2008 9:14 PM
yeahh.. but sometimes it's so nice to get money by doing something that we like
Posted by: oky | June 13, 2008 10:40 PM
Very impressive, checked out the 13 year old kids blog and I am amazed. Maybe I should put out a blog and say I'm a 10 year old?
Posted by: Personal Trainer | June 14, 2008 12:20 AM
16 year old dude here :)
Checking out the Youth Bloggers Network now.
Posted by: Shankar Ganesh | June 14, 2008 12:56 AM
I've just started my 2 yeard old girl a blog I hope she can start soon blogging to tell everyone about diapers and stuff.
Posted by: joan | June 14, 2008 1:22 AM
joan must be a bad mother, waiting so long... :)
Posted by: gregory | June 14, 2008 7:55 AM
14 year old here. I've been blogging for a couple of years now, but only got serious at the beginning of the year. :)
I've got to check out youthbloggers.net.
Posted by: Chris Thomson | June 16, 2008 8:58 AM
This indeed is an informative post for all young bloggers like me. I disagree with Shilley on the aspect that there are less variety of young bloggers. I've read blogs of many who are not into hi-tech or make-money type.
I have started blogging when I was 12 and am almost into one year in the process. I'm thoroughly enjoying blogging and my interactions with many experienced people in the field and learning a lot in he process too!
I have started my blogging with 'Delve into the mind of a Budding Blogger' http://meghnaspages.blogspot.com where I write short stories, poems, humor, bizarre episodes, fantasy and the like and with its success, started another one 'The Writing Pages' http://thewritingpages.blogspot.com/ where I write about famous authors, books, book reviews and all about writing.
I agree with the article that there are some additional challenges that adults may not face like owning their own domains, lesser knowledge about the tools and tricks, lesser understanding of technology etc. But everybody learns with time and am sure teenagers are not any exception and they rock the entire blogospher with their energy!
Thank you for sharing.
Posted by: meghnak | July 11, 2008 9:08 PM
HI Sarah,
It's quite an inspiring post there. I may not well be counted as a young blogger at my age of 23. But young blogger indeed, as my blog is just four months old LOL.
I am however still stuck in the free blogger platform and am looking forward to switching to independence as soon as I make some money from any of the advertisements placed. I am of course into moneymaking from my blog because I need to be able to quit to full time blogging one day, when I can live with it. Though I am against blogging for money.
However, I believe young bloggers of course needs some more of training and inspiration for sustained blogging and only the adults can provide it. There are however quite a number of youths that can do it quite well, not all. Meghna above me is one I admire. And of course the guys in the list mentioned
Lenin
Posted by: Lenin Nair | July 12, 2008 12:37 AM