We've Hit Publish, Now What?

You have bravery shared your thoughts and opinions with our Editorial Committee, gone through our editing process, signed off artwork and now your submission is live on the WhyNot platform.

So, what happens next?

Amplifying your voice

Our team will share your final piece across our social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. If you are comfortable, we would love to tag you so you can share too!

Your piece might also be picked up by other 'Y' social media accounts near (in Australia) and far (all over the world).

On the odd occasion, pieces are also picked up by external platforms for re-share.

The good, the bad and the not so nice

Your voice is powerful and an important part of kickstarting conversations that matter to other young people just like you.

However, thanks to the continual presence of social media (or maybe just adulthood), we are all too aware that anytime opinions are involved, there can be a downside.

When you ask questions and share your thoughts, ideas, and stories online (or anywhere) there is a good chance that not everyone is going to agree with you.

They might be disapproving of your ideas or challenge certain aspects of your piece. This doesn’t mean you are wrong, in fact, creating a healthy debate in the comments can be a sign that your voice is having an impact.

Receiving feedback, both good and bad, is part of societal progress. So, this is great stuff!

Don’t forget though, WhyNot is committed to creating a digital safe space that encourages respectful and constructive conversation. We will protect our community’s privacy, safety, and peace of mind where possible. It is important that you prepare yourself for both the good and bad of being part of an online community.

For more information head to the Australian Government’s Cyber Security Centre page for some great tips on how to protect yourself online including a list of dos and don’ts.

Trolling and bots vs. genuine human interactions

The online space is a weird and wonderful world that we are all still navigating.

Sometimes when content is shared that might be sensitive, is a hot topic in the news or simply powerful it can cause strong reactions or comments.

These reactions or comments might be someone who genuinely wants to contribute to the conversation. They might be someone ‘trolling’ the post and posts with content similar to yours. OR they might be a ‘bot’.

Our team assesses every comment that comes through. Any that are found to breach our community guidelines - located on our Facebook page - are removed, and repeat offenders banned.

We know the temptation to quickly respond with your first reaction can be high, but we urge you to take a breath. The internet is forever. It’s important to be mindful of what you are putting out there as you don’t know who is watching or screenshotting or just generally taking note.

Another option is to not read the comments full stop. This removes the temptation to respond. It also ensure that you can avoid any comments or opinions that might be insensitive or unfriendly.

If you believe someone is in breach of our community guidelines please report to the WhyNot Editorial Committee via email - whynot@the-y.org.au.

Also check out our creating a space safe page and our privacy policy for more information.

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