A website - or, if you prefer, a digital newspaper - gives a young person a chance to write the same sorts of things that might appear in a student magazine or perhaps a yearbook. The same goes for pictures, though there's extra scope for animating images and so on.

However, there's at least one very big difference between a website and other publications. The Internet means that, in theory anyway, your words and images can be seen by people all over the world - people very different from you, but perhaps also people with similar ideas and experiences who'd like to share.

Check out first-year Leah Quinn's impressions of her first day at Colaiste Muire in Ennis, Co Clare, taken from Byte (see also A Day in the Life). Every word is unique to her, but thinking about it on the Internet makes you realise it's also very universal: it could have been written anywhere on earth: "On my first day of secondary school, my stomach was in knots, my shoes were killing me, and on top of it all I was unbelievably nervous. I remember walking into the yard on the first day and it was absolutely freezing.

"When I saw all 208 of the other first-years, I felt queasy. I wanted to turn around and go home until I spotted my friends. I went over to them only to find out that they were just as nervous as I was. I felt relieved that I wasn't the only one feeling awkward.

"I was told by several people that I'd get lost in such a big school, but luckily I didn't. Most people in my class didn't get lost either!

"I found it easy to make friends with most people in first year. Everyone was in the same shoes and so they were really friendly. Some people were from small primary schools and knew only a few people in first year, and they were eager to get to know new people.

"The only thing I dislike about first year is that last year, in sixth class, we ruled the school, but now we are the so-called `Babies'. Older students often say, `Oh, look at the little first-years,' but most of them are friendly.

"Even some second-years say this, even though they were first-years not even a year ago. I suppose it's all part of being a first year.

"Mission Week was great fun, and the first year show went on really well. Everybody went bonkers but it was for a good cause.

"So far first year has been great, and maybe this time next year I'll be saying, `Oh, look at the little first-years.'"