Teen Planning Meeting Notes

Two signups for website and forum
Search function did not work properly (typos)
Prize distribution problems
Too much scrolling
Search should invoke upon hitting enter
Hard to find newer released titles

Printable book lists
Teen bio/profile with links to reviews posted by the teen
Ability to post opinions/comments on others reviews
Polls
Stars or points system for books
Ability to chat right at the book title
Better connection between the forum and website
Interactive content idea: short quiz that links to a book, could tie in with theme or have a dating show feel “calm evening in or exciting night out?”
Refresh the FAQs
Links: sub-divide by topic, important that they’re annotated
Make the site wider – use more of the screen
Use Google to power the search

Few users were on the forum
Lots of cliquey off-topic conversations
Frequent users could easily monopolize forum threads
Teens either liked or disliked the forum, no middle ground
Teens felt same login for website and forum would increase usage
Better to keep the forums more focused and purposeful
Teens would like to change the name to something like “discussion place”
Tie in threads and comments to specific books, links from specific titles to the forum

Teens loved the idea
Could be an online book club meeting with scheduled chats with authors and librarians on specific topics
Teens could vote on book club titles and they could be posted online with a discussion for one month later
Archiving of chat discussions (transcripts)
Will work to keep teens involved year round
Line up specific authors, Carrie Mack, Susan Juby “Meet the Author”

Teens liked the idea of a monthly newsletter with content generated by teens
Would involve themes, votes for book of the month, links to short stories and articles with author interviews

Could involve teen writing contests where winner receives critique from poet/writer in residence at VPL
Teens voted against having the ability to post reviews on teen writing
Winners would be chosen by random draw
Maybe rather than comments on specific stories have a general comments area
Remove stories after a period of time; just post the winning review

Chapters Gift Cards
Books
Little buttons
iPods
iTunes
Downloadable books
Books on CD
Travel mugs – stainless steel
DVDs – Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Sisterhood, The Notebook – tie to the book?
Movie tickets
Sunglasses
Digital camera
T-shirts
Book bags, usable as a beach bag
Bid to get your name mentioned in Susan Juby’s next book – prize
Review by Pandora’s collective

Ability to choose prizes online
If you don’t like book titles you should be able to choose gift prize instead
There should be an email confirmation of prize detailing where and when to pick up
teens didn’t like that prizes were different in Alberta and BC

Thrillers – too broad as could be exciting – adventure, scary, real-life, psychological, etc.
Could have “user tagging”
Teens didn’t want more categories
Title can appear in multiple categories – considered a good thing
Series – second tier list
Difficult to set the line for what is considered teen-appropriate

Summer would still be main focus with reviews for prizes
Year-round – other stuff, book club chats, mini-booklists, newsletters
Could change the site based on seasons
Have a general theme for whole year but then extra summer feel with a yearly refresh
Agreement that a lower-key club would be used to keep them connected from summer to summer

Incorporate comic strip – with space for comments
Flip-book theme
Travel theme - monuments
Amateur filming
Main prize – camera
Post photos?
Picture your favourite book (or book character) set in a different country
Journal, diary, scrapbook style to tie into travel
Video journal
Posters – passports, stickers & stamps, monuments, film strip, postcards
“Home & Away”
Foreign translated books
Books from/about that continent
Postcards – logo look like a travel stamp
Camillia Funke – German author
Other cultures who have infused into our culture – e.g. Bindi Babes, Conch Bearer
Highlight books like Diaspora – top books from other countries
Aboriginal books
Magical Worlds – Eragon, outer space, Middle Earth, etc.
Quiz: what do you want your vacation to be? “relaxing light vacation”
Need to have books that are likely to be in the libraries (i.e. not brand-new titles)
Need to consider low-speed internet – not heavy graphics – use white space
Larger text
Less text
Stamps lead you directly into the site
Consider big picture – how to continue for a year
Passport – travel mugs, book bags, travel seats
Trip into a book
Rousseau – English only free when they vote
Choose your destination
Express yourself by world
You’re as free as you think
Get away
Think outside the book
Whatever
Get outta town
Destination Imagination
Something in Elvish?
Book yourself a trip
Booking Confirmed

Theme: “Book yourself a trip”

Irene & Kirsten – “Win a Dream Vacation”
Thomas – Lad Lit booklist and links
Karen VPL – GLBDQ booklists and graphic novels
Helen – booklist on teen parenthood
Kirsten – road trip books and cuisine
Karen – feature five books with a relevant prize