One step at a time, let's build this community
Sunday, May 8th 2011 @ 3:17 AM
Once upon a time, Natural Jewish Parenting was a magazine, and one day soon, it will again be a magazine! But in this in-between period, Natural Jewish Parenting needs to become something else, too—a community.
I have built this website to be a place for all Jewish parents to come together to explore the many ways we can nurture the well-being of our children and ourselves.
When NJP started, the internet was just beginning to be a presence in our lives, and the print magazine was mostly a one-way flow of communication from the writers to the readers. But so much has changed since then, and there is so much potential that has yet to be tapped—the potential for all of us to learn and gain from one another by sharing what we are knowledgeable about and what we care about.
So the NJP online community is a safe and warm place to do that. This community is for you and it will be what you make of it. Talk to each other in the forum. Post your experiences in the blogs and respond to others' posts. Even share videos!
As this community grows, I hope it will become a place that feels like home. As part of that vision, this isn't meant to be an anonymous message board—a common phenomenon found on the internet—which can feel isolating. I encourage NJP members to be themselves, post photos with their profiles, and use their real names. (Of course, maintain your privacy by not posting personal information you do not want other people to know or that would embarrass others in your family or community.)
To make this kind of "realness" possible, I personally screen every single member. I want this to be a place where you can relax and enjoy honest connections with others. (And to anticipate a concern some members might have: some categories in the discussion forum are or will be limited to women only, for additional privacy when needed.)
The NJP blogs are the interactive heart of this site. I have a great bunch of new bloggers ready to begin (some have already begun posting) and I invite you to join in, too. If you'd like to write once in a while or on a regular basis, ask me about how to do that—it's easy.
Once the blogs are rolling, I will be adding brand-new feature articles, as well as archives of the contents of past issues of the print magazine. Also, look for health, vaccine, and nutrition news summaries in the "News Roundup" section of the blogs.
Then it will be time to get even more interactive, with the NJP Channel and the women's-only Music Room—and lots more surprises down the road.
Please join me as we create a vibrant and welcoming place to share the journey of Jewish parenting together!
