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YM Blog Contest Results!

August 20th, 2010 . Posted in blogging/internet, freebies, Links on YM | 4 Comments »
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Our summertime days have just flown on by and I have enjoyed seeing all the wonderful blog posts that have been added here to the YM Blogs. It is so fabulous to have so many different mommies contributing and adding their voices – we get to hear such a great cross-section of young moms, who have lots in common but also lots that is different from each other.

Our YM Blog Contest wraps up today and I’m just thrilled to be announcing our two winners today, so I’ll get right to that now! 😉

Our runner-up prize, selected based on the young mom who posted the *most* (in blog posts and comments combined) is… Kayla! she is a young mommy of 2 from Atlantic Canada. Kayla, I can’t wait to send you the Summer Fun Pack I put together as a prize – I’m sure you and your two munchkins can still get some enjoyment out of it for the rest of our warmer days.

Every comment and blog post was also one entry that counted towards the *random*draw for the big prize, so in total we had 29 entries! The number that was randomly generated for us was #2, so in my list that I had made of blog posts and comments, that number points right at our 2nd blog post… hmmm, who was that who posted the 2nd blog post??

ymcontest_randomdraw

So the winner of our book giveaway – who will get a brand new copy of What to Expect When You’re Expecting is…

Read the rest of this entry »

YM Blogs Contest!

July 19th, 2010 . Posted in blogging/internet, by Kris, Links on YM, teen pregnancy & parenting | 1 Comment »
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AUG20: This contest is now closed! Click here to find out the results of who won! 🙂
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I’m happy to announce our first contest here on YoungMommies.com! Who knew it would take 10 years, I guess we are behind the curve and just focused on hanging out together more than promoting our site. But we gotta get some energy and publicity infused, so here we go! 🙂

This contest is the first of 12 great monthly contests, the first prize of each one being a brand new copy of “What to Expect When You’re Expecting”!

Summer Fun Prize Pack for the YoungMommies.com contest!

We’ll choose a different runner-up prize as well for some contest. This month’s runner up is a fun Summer Prize Pack, including a pack of inflatable beach balls, a portable cloth bag (with a little Canadian pride, whether you live here or not, I figure it’s a fun extra!), a couple packs of Trident fruit layers gum, and a lightweight kids’ stainless steel water bottle to tote to and from the beach and other summer activities.

Summer Fun Prize Pack for the YoungMommies.com contest!

This month’s contest will be all about the YM Blogs and getting them rolling again. We have some new mommies joining us as Authors and will have some new posts up for you to comment on. The Contest will be open to both Authors AND commenters, so if you’re interested in becoming a contributor to the Blogs, you can find out how on the YMBoards (register to become a member). The only requirement is that you be a young/teen mom or young/teen mom-to-b*e!

The contest will run for one month. So please make sure you add your posts and make your comments before the end of the day on Thursday August 19th. On the 20th, we’ll draw the names of both the winners. One of the winners will be chosen based on the number of entries (both posts on the Blogs and comments combined) and the other winner will be chosen randomly from the number of valid entries**.

Please let all the young moms you know about this contest, as it’s open to any young mom, NOT just the ones that are already members of the site! 🙂

See below for definitions of who may enter and what is considered a valid entry and enjoy the contest!!!

* Contest participants: You must must MUST be a young/teen mom or young/teen mommy to be. If you’re not already a member of the YM Boards and/or you haven’t posted a Salute, you’ll need to do so to show that you’re in fact who you say you are. I’m sorry for this extra loophole but I don’t want just anyone to be able to crash the contest and defeat the entire purpose of our site which is helping young mommies!!!

** Valid entries: To be sure we know your entry is valid (and not a spambot!), you’ll need to include some info relevant to the blog post and/or the YM Contest. So if the topic of the post is about a young mom who’s having issues with a baby dad, you can comment something about your own experience with that topic or express your sympathy for the moms going through that situation or at the very least expressing how you enjoyed the post and writing and your hopes for winning the contest.

The Fight Against Fakers

July 31st, 2009 . Posted in blogging/internet, by Kris, food for thought, Links on YM, teen pregnancy & parenting | No Comments »
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Have you heard about the person who faked her baby’s death?!

Here’s an article on the topic… I was sad and upset to hear about it, but unfortunately, not terribly surprised!

Over my past 10 years running communities and groups online, I’ve seen more fakers and lurkers and weirdos out there than I care to remember!!

We do get to enjoy meeting new friends and forge some wonderfully close relationships with our online mommy crew, but the darker side of the internet is waiting as well.

In the Young Single Mommies Community, we occasionally had a male member try to join to hit on some of the single women in the group. One time in the YM Community, we had a young women join and we found the link to her blog. It talked about soccer and her social life and everything except the pregnancy she was telling us all about (and included pictures of a slim young woman… hmmm, I find it hard to believe you are 7 months pregnant?!).

In the YM Boards, we have had more than our share of fakers, including one young woman who stole photos of her sister and nephew and assumed their identity. She tried to defend her lying because she had been pregnant herself but had lost the baby. While this is a sad situation, it still doesn’t excuse convincing a few dozen women that you are a real mom of a baby and wasting our time with questions and stories that turn out to be lies.

No wonder we’ve developed so much security and rules to try to protect those of us who *are* real mothers and are just trying to find support and advice. For example, on the YM Boards, we now post “Salutes” (pictures of us and our children that include proof of the date) to gain access to more personal forums and member photos.

What motivates young women to pretend to be teen moms? Is it a perception that it is “cool” to be a pregnant teen? Is it a way for girls to try out the experience of being 16 and pregnant without having to actually go through the reality of it all?

What do you think??

Tips for posting pics online

April 29th, 2009 . Posted in blogging/internet, by Kris, Links on YM | No Comments »

Although sharing photos of your kids is easier than even thanks to photo-sharing websites, social networking sites, and online galleries, it also means that it’s easier for everyone to access your pictures (including some people you may not want to share them with).

Here are a few tips to think about when you’re posting pictures online:

1. Know your audience. Think about who will have access to the pictures. Check the privacy settings of your album – are you opening it up to friends and family, to a site or board of a limited number of members, or to the whole internet?
2. Protect your identity. Watermark your photos with your name, e-mail, or other ID. This can make it less tempting for a faker to try to pass them off as their own.
3. Choose carefully. Only share a limited amount of pictures and be aware of what information is on them. Even with a strategically-placed facecloth, that cute picture of your child in the bath could be used for purposes you really didn’t intend.
4. Maintain control. Try to make sure your pictures are stored in a place where you have (and will continue to have) access to them. Be aware of any rights you may be transferring over when you submit a picture to another site (e.g. baby contest).

I’ve posted some more specific tips for pics on the YM Boards as well!

Keep those pics coming, but keep them as protected as you can. 🙂

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