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Welcoming the Obama Girls

November 29, 2008 By

New for Girls in December

It’s almost December, and NewMoonGirls.com brings girls a new theme each week! First up is Money Week including articles about the stock market, what investing means, what the diamond business is really like, and how working to raise money for a charity is just as rewarding (if not more) than receiving gifts! Check this all out (and more) at NewMoonGirls.com. Additional themes this month are Human Rights, Family, and Winter Holidays! Be sure to check every week for new exciting new content.

Wishes for Malia and Sasha Obama

It was so exciting on election night to see president-elect Obama’s daughters come on stage. It’s fun to think about girls just like yours living in the White House—and we weren’t the only ones that thought that! Later that week, a member’s mom called our office to order a four-year gift membership to New Moon Girls for Malia and Sasha! She said she knew what a difference New Moon Girls made in her daughter’s life, and she wanted to offer the same to the Obamas’ daughters.

We’re asking our members to help us welcome them to New Moon Girls AND to the White House in a big way! We’re collecting letters, artwork, video, and anything else that girls create for Malia and Sasha. Girls and adults can upload girl created content to their “stuff” on NewMoonGirls.com, or submit it to the Sister to Sister hub, or email it to submissions@newmoongirls.com.

All of the good wishes will be sent in a package for Malia and Sasha along with their first issue of New Moon Girls magazine! To get girls’ wishes to Malia and Sasha on time, make sure to have them to New Moon Girls by December 15th, 2008.

Special Holiday Price

For the next month, we’re offering both the magazine and NewMoonGirls.com to you for one low price of $29.95! This offer is good for both new orders and renewals. It makes a great gift for your daughter’s friends – and then they can share the experience with each other. Not only will they receive 6 issues of the award-winning, international New Moon Girls magazine, but they will also have 24/7 access to 15 years of archived New Moon Girls content, discussion boards, their own creative room online and so much more!

Great Gift Idea

Still looking for that special gift for the girl in your life or her friends for the holiday season? Look no longer! For a limited time, your girl can enjoy classic issues of the magazine in special themed collections! Just to mention a few: our 25 Beautiful Girls Collection includes nine different inspiring issues featuring 225 girls from around the globe. And with the New Year approaching, our Coming of Age Collection is perfect for the girls in your life that are growing up! To check out even more New Moon Girls Magazine Collections, visit us online at our New Moon Girls Store!

Filed Under: Daughters.com Enews

Stop Violence Against Women

November 25, 2008 By

It’s International Stop Violence Against Women day - November 25. So this is a post I wish I didn’t have to write. Because if there were no violence blighting the lives of girls, I’d be able to write about something more fun.

It’s obviously not fun to cover this topic in our age range of 8-15. And most media for girls won’t cover the topic. We don’t want to scare girls. But we do want them to know that if they face violence, they aren’t alone. And I determinedly “think positive” about the day when we won’t need to prepare girls to protect themselves or to know how to help a friend or family member in danger.

Just imagine that day. Our daughters will be able to walk down the street, get on the bus or subway, and be safe anywhere. Their schools will be free of sexual and physical harassment. Arguments at home will be resolved without violence. TV and movies that include violence against women will seem unreal to girls because it’s become part of history, like legal slavery.

Of course, we’re not there yet. And so New Moon has a special piece that introduces girls to the significance of SVAW Day in an unsensational way. (We don’t want to scare girls or make them feel that they are responsible in any way for violence against women.) It also gives accessible resources for girls (and their friends) who are experiencing violence or other forms of abuse. While no girl should have to deal with violence on her own, we know that every day girls are put in that situation.

We want them to feel supported by knowing that they aren’t the only girl facing the problem and that there are people who will help them.

Until we succeed in making a world without violence against women and girls, that feels like the best thing we can do.

Filed Under: Health & Safety

New Report: Kids Online Safety

November 24, 2008 By

While I was at the Kids Online conference recently, HighlightsParents.com released the results of a survey commissioned to determine the number of parents who speak with their kids about online safety.

More than 500 parents responded to the online poll, and some of the answers were very surprising to me. While a heartening 77% of parents reported having spoken with their children about staying safe online, it was discouraging to me that 75% of parents also indicated their kids access the Internet without supervision.

A parent recently confided in me that she’d discovered her 10-year-old on Facebook. Although her daughter had been savvy enough not to reveal her last name, hometown or other personal information, this parent was still aghast that her daughter had been able to set up the account without her noticing. Although they’d discussed online safety in the past, today that parent is monitoring all Internet use.

As parents, of course it’s important to speak with our children about staying safe. But that one conversation isn’t enough. We taught them how to walk, tie their shoes and ride their bikes, and none of those things were learned in a single afternoon. We owe it to our kids to monitor their online usage and to keep talking with them to keep them safe.

Filed Under: Communication, Health & Safety

Kids Online Conference

November 17, 2008 By

Last week, I was excited to be part of the first-ever Kids Online: Balancing Safety and Fun “unconference” at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA. http://wiki.idcommons.net/Kids_Online . It came on the heels of the 7th Internet Identity Workshop, and both conferences were organized by Identity Commons, which addresses the many identity and privacy issues encountered online.

The day brought together many leaders of online services for children up to age 12. It combined small-group and full-group discussion of how companies like New Moon can improve children’s online safety. This hit home for me as our online practices and guidelines at NewMoonGirls.com are specifically designed to maintain a safe and fun environment for girls 8-12. I learned that our moderation practices meet the highest standard of safety which sure felt good. I also learned that the cost of moderation is high for sites that do it well and that there are many pressures to shortcut the moderation. All the companies also discussed ways to generate revenue (to cover the cost of moderation) without exploiting children by allowing advertising. It’s a challenge, that’s for sure!

But what about spaces like Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube, which say they are only for consumers age 13+ (wink, wink), but which our kids are eager to join? Is it possible to keep our kids safe there? So far, the consensus is no. But, we talked about solutions for this and other questions throughout the day. Even better, we’re going to regroup monthly to plan additional meetings with one another, as well as organize online safety conferences for parents and kids.

I came away hopeful that this meeting will lead to continuing improvement of online safety for our kids. The Internet changes every day, and it’s essential we always be looking for the next way to protect our kids.

Filed Under: Communication, Health & Safety

Today’s Launch of the New Online Community NewMoonGirls.com

November 11, 2008 By

I am thrilled to share some very exciting news today. This morning, we launched http://www.newmoongirls.com/ our new online community for girls ages 8-12. After fifteen years of encouraging girls to be writers and editors at New Moon Girls magazine, we’re delighted to provide girls with a second forum, this one online, where they can create content, explore the community and support one another.

As we celebrated the launch this morning, it brought back memories of the beginning of New Moon, when I was eager to create a magazine that would give my twelve-year-old twin daughters the opportunity to express and feel great about themselves. From the beginning, our entire purpose for being has been to help girls reach their full potential by challenging them to create, explore, and connect with each other.

Today, for the first time, we’re truly able to reach every girl around the world and provide a safe, secure place for her to grow.

It is with heartfelt thanks for fifteen wonderful years that I say to every New Moon Girl, and New Moon parent, past and present – come join us online, too! click below for a short video tour of the site so you can see how it works. And please let me know what you think!

Filed Under: New Moon Girls News
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