Jessica
The internet is a big place. When you dip your toe (or plunge yourself full body) into this virtual world, you may not find people who love the same things you do. You may find some people who share your interests, you may uncover a few old friends, or you may get stuck in a surreal loop where you only find spambots and ex-boyfriends. The thing that’s truly difficult to find is community.
I love Read Write Poem, because it’s always been about the community we create together. Sure, there’s weekly prompts, great articles, fun polls. But really, it’s about the people you meet when you visit each other’s blogs and read each other’s poetry. It’s a wonderful thing.
So, as you may have heard by now, this community is stretching and growing. Through the new Read Write Poem site, which will launch on Friday, there will be a bunch of new features, such as:
- Groups organized around a shared interest
- Personal Profiles
- News wires that allow you to broadcast your updates
- Private Forums
- And of course, opportunities to friend each other
Let me just say, that I’ve seen the test site, and it is a thing of beauty to behold. Now, I’m a member of a few social networks, from my college alumni page to Facebook. What I love about this new format for Read Write Poem is that it’s all poetry, all the time. It’s a small, quiet corner of the wide virtual world where you can find writing partners and co-conspirators and obsess about poetry as much as humanly possible.
If you have ever visited Read Write Poem, please take the time to check out the new site when it launches tomorrow at 6 AM Eastern. And if you are one of my in-real-life friends who is thinking of starting a blog or likes poetry (you know who you are), please go check it out now. You won’t regret it!
