A GROUP of web-savvy teenagers have used their skills to generate 60,000 hits for their online magazine.The I-Mag team are Ones to Watch in 2009 after developing a unique concept written and designed for young people on the east coast.

A GROUP of web-savvy teenagers have used their skills to generate 60,000 hits for their online magazine.

The I-Mag team are Ones to Watch in 2009 after developing a unique concept written and designed for young people on the east coast.

Headed up by budding entrepreneur Jack Houson, reporters cover topics based on issues that interest teenagers and include articles about national subjects such as literature, cookery and cars, as well as podcasts, television and film reviews and sport.

The 15-year-old first launched I-Mag in 2006 with a group of friends from Sir John Leman High School in Beccles.

And following a generous windfall he has managed to take the magazine from strength to strength.

With a career blossoming in graphic design, Jack has also attracted around five writers from across the pond.

He said: “I'd been speaking to my friends and family about it and I thought instead of just having the idea we decided to get something done and it's just grown and grown.

“I wanted to work in the media but I had a strong interest in the web and graphic design so I've been able to combine these two fields.

“It seems difficult to relate from where we were to where we are now. Lots of work went into building the domain and the first year we didn't really get anywhere. But last year we got a grant of �1,200 from Suffolk County Council, which was the first step to redesigning the site as we didn't feel it was user friendly.”

Now Jack has a team of around 20 reporters, with around 15 who attend regular meetings at Beccles Youth Centre.

The rest of the team are based abroad in far reaching destinations such as Australia and America, after they contacted Jack through the site.

“The team changes quite a lot as people have lots of commitments but its all about benefiting young people and getting the chance to meet other people your age.

“We had 60,000 page views last year and 10,000 of those were unique young people compared to the year before, which was a massive improvement. We want to expand even more this year with more pages and visitors on site and reporters will be taking on even more responsibility.”

Check Out I-Mag by logging onto www.i-mag.org.uk.