Your Scarleteen Wish List

Things slow down a bit here around the holidays. So, this is one of the main times of each year when I try to review all the content we have at the site and map out articles I, and the volunteers, feel we should aim to write or have written to add in the next year.

To do that, I look at the running notes I keep from observing what our users ask for in direct services and our social media; places where they ask for things and I don't feel we have just the right pieces to refer them to, or what we'd want to be able to give when it comes to on-site resources.

I also like to ask our more general readership what they want, too. While our direct services are very busy, they only make up a very small percentage of our daily readers, so we might miss some expressed needs or wants when we pull only from the readers we most often interact with.

What would you like to see here in the next year that isn't here already, or where there isn't as much content here as you'd like?

That can be about:

  • New articles you'd like to see
  • The expansion or update of existing articles
  • Changes in approach to a given article or topic
  • Inclusion or better inclusion of an issue or group in all of the site and content as a whole
  • Features we don't currently have at the site
  • A certain kind of content you want more of, for example, youth-written content, interviews with other experts, coverage of current events relevant to the topics we talk about here, etc.

Perhaps obviously, not everything everyone will want will be something we have the resources or ability to do, or within the -- albeit wide -- limited range of what we aim for and who we serve here. However, that is a wide range, and even if we can't do something, or can't do it at a given time, it really helps for us to know what you want and aren't finding. Chances are also awfully good that if all it costs or takes is time, research and a little teamwork or outside help, we can do it, and if it's something you want and need, we'll want to do it.

One of the most core parts of Scarleteen is and always has been that our content is led by what our readers say or otherwise show they want and need, and that approach remains essential to how we do things around here. Telling us what you want isn't just about helping yourself: it helps all our readers and it helps us to do what we do best.

Big thanks for your feedback and your help!

Comments

Hey, whatever happened to that series, bridging gaps I wanna say it was called...where two women (I think it was only women, but I could be wrong!) from different generations talked about their experiences with a certain issue (being gay, being in an abusive relationship, etc.)? I really loved reading those! Did they get moved to a new site? I thought it was a really neat concept, it sort of bridged that divide between what younger people may see as Old-Fashioned Adults and what older people may see as Young Reckless Kids.

They were blog entries rather than articles... so they're not in the sections but come up if you use the search functions. The "Building Bridges" series right?

I REALLY REALLY liked those too! I'd like to see some more too.

http://www.scarleteen.com/search/node/building%20bridges

Perhaps a few articles about being in the closet with any aspect of one's sexuality. About how to deal with it and how to know when the time is right for one's self to come out. But mostly about being in the closet. Because that is a reality for so many and many queer people will be in the closet at some point in their lives. Because it can be really hard and isolating as many of you know well when one is in the closet. It would certainly help to have more information on how to cope with that when coming out just isn't (for what ever reason) something that someone is going to explore at that given point in time.

Perhaps some stuff on dealing with bias, heteronormativity, stereotypes etc in life, school, work and at home. Because I know that standing up for what is right and what one's beliefs or feelings regarding an issue are is what is best,yet it can be hard sometimes to be the one who interjects constantly into what people are saying to try and eliminate any unfair bias from it.

Alot of people use writing or music as a way of dealing with life/abuse or expressing who they are. More often then not they relate to our relationships with others or thoughts/feeling/reactions. So I was thinking that since I hadn't really come across a section in the message boards like that it would be a nice addition to this absolutely wonderful site