In May 2016, I took a risk and applied to create content with a platform I'd never heard of before. As an English major, I had little to no experience with any format different from MLA and had never published articles online before. When I joined the community with my best friend, I worried that I wouldn't be good enough to write with this new and successful platform; I spent at least three days revising my writing sample. In the end, joining The Odyssey became one of the greatest things I've ever done. It's May of 2017 now and I'm celebrating my one year anniversary with Odyssey. Here's what I've learned from creating with my team for a whole year.

Your voice matters. Odyssey is a millennial-based platform that is home to thousands of creators across the country. Despite being in a sea of articles, your voice does and always will matter. People all over the world have the opportunity to read your work the minute it is published on the web. Creating content about not only current events but also trending opinions is essential in not only finding your voice but also establishing it. With Odyssey, I found my voice and I am so grateful for the opportunities they have afforded me in the past year.

Content is everywhere. Your inspiration is often right around the corner from your current position. With Odyssey, creators have the opportunity to write about a plethora of ideas and concepts - there are no boundaries. Whether it resides in your local community, your college community, or in the news, content is everywhere you look. Writer's block is a temporary problem; content is always waiting patiently at your fingertips, just waiting to be discovered.

Gaining an audience is possible. In the beginning of my creative career with Odyssey, I feared that no one would read my content. I soon found that this fear was misplaced; gaining an audience is a simple and easily completed task. By sharing your work on social media, tagging friends and family who may relate, and posting in groups and group chats, your articles will have the potential to garner readers all over the world. After working with Odyssey for a year, I've earned over 47,000 views and over 3,000 social engagements just from the content I've posted in the past year.

Teamwork makes the dream work. Home is where the Odyssey community is. Without strong writers, strong editors could not prevail. Together, those who continuously create in the community and attentive editors help establish a meaningful and mature voice that will inevitably impact readers worldwide. Teamwork and team building are extremely valuable skills in the professional world and creators at Odyssey work extra hard to achieve a cohesive and transparent environment for all their staff.

Creating a professional brand is essential. Sharing your articles on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn assist creators in gaining engagements and views monumentally. Having published web content is an honor and should be showcased as an accomplishment on your professional pages. This can also be an effective way to garner social media followers. In addition to sharing the articles, retweeting and or posting other articles and news related to your professional identity can also be helpful when establishing or building your brand.

Odyssey enables creators to branch out. Odyssey may appear to be a platform that supports opinions shared in college communities, but it is so much more than that. The platform also enables creators to engage in photography and art, whether it be via a personal method or encouraging them to seek local artists' work. In addition this, creators learn the importance of citations and crediting authors and artists for their works, ensuring no one is plagiarized. Finally, Odyssey is a fantastic learning tool for those who are either interested in getting their feet wet with journalism or those ready to dive headfirst into the world of web journalism.

There is something for everyone on Odyssey and we welcome anyone interested in joining our platform. If you have any questions about Odyssey, what it means to be in a community or how to join, feel free to comment on this article! Shippensburg, PA is currently recruiting new creators and we'd love to have you on board!