Youth Author Portrays 'Positive Blogging' for Her Readers
by Mary Rettig
August 4, 2006
(AgapePress) - - A Christian author says, despite all the bad publicity "blogging" websites like MySpace and Facebook have gotten, they can be used in a positive way to reach teens with the gospel.Dandi Daley Mackall is the author of a new series of books for pre-teen girls called faiThGirLz! The books, she says, are about four girls who blog "positively" about their friends, their family, and their faith -- modeling for readers, says the author, that the Internet-based socializing craze can be done responsibly. Mackall says blogging is a huge part of young teens' lives today and can be encouraged -- but not without a lot of parental counsel and guidance.
"We all know that the Internet can be a very dangerous place, and there's some mean things that go on in blogs. You just have to browse MySpace to see [examples of this]," says Mackall. "[But] we can take this new, open power in the Internet and turn it to good. Why not model positive blogging and positive Christian influence?" she asks.
Mackall explains that in the faiThGirLz! books, the girls place a scripture as the theme for every one of their entries. She says she is hopeful the examples of her books' characters demonstrate to young readers how not to get caught up in the bullying and sexuality that has been reported in the media about social networking blog sites.
"Some [blogging activities] can be dangerous, and some can be unhealthy," she acknowledges. "I just thought [it would be helpful] if I wrote a series where I'm not saying blogging's bad." She explains that the girls in the series blog together eventually, "so they work on real-life relationships and they blog in a positive [way]."
Mackall says, as easy as it is to be on the wrong side of the Internet and put out bad things, it is just as easy to be on the good side -- and there is always a potentially huge audience to hear things that God is teaching through the blogging entries of a faithful Christian teen.
Mary Rettig, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
