Plinky
Slick writing-prompt generator is spammy, lacks privacy.
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this website.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Plinky is a website that shares daily writing prompts users can respond to. Answers are posted on the site and can be shared through social media channels like Facebook and Twitter or embedded into a Wordpress blog or Tumblr. It's a neat site for writers, but privacy settings are really undeveloped. Also, there's a bunch of spammers floating around the site posting explicit stuff.
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What’s It About?
Plinky offers a daily writing prompt that users can respond to. Teens first set up a profile with a username and optional bio and profile pic. They can \"follow\" other users to see responses to the prompts. Users can post answers on the site and can share them through social media channels like Facebook and Twitter, or embedded into a Wordpress blog or Tumblr. Plinky allows writers to not only respond with words, but also to add images and rich text to their answers as well.
Is It Any Good?
Plinky is great in theory, but it has a long way to go. Many of the Frequently Asked Questions have these kinds of answers: "We're working on it" or "Not yet." The good news? Design is chic and clean, and the prompts themselves are fantastic and diverse. They just need to build their community, banish the sexy spambots, and take the time to work on important privacy features before Plinky is a safe and recommended place to send writerly kids.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can do a version of the classic writers' activity, "morning pages." Grab prompts from the site and write them on a chalkboard in the morning. Then have kids sit down and write for 5-10 minutes on the subject without stopping.
Talk to your kids about your expectations for responsible social media use, especially in unregulated environments like this one.
Website Details
- Subjects: Language & Reading: reading, writing, writing clearly
- Skills: Creativity: brainstorming, imagination, producing new content, Communication: conveying messages effectively, friendship building, Thinking & Reasoning: asking questions, decision-making, thinking critically
- Genre: Creating
- Pricing structure: Free
- Last updated: November 5, 2015
For kids who love writing
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