Today we bring you Part 2 of our interview with Jessica Stahl from The Student Union -- an online community centered around international students studying in the United States. You can read the first half of the interview here. Let's take a look at the rest of the interview:

GS: What kind of feedback have you had from readers, especially students, regarding the posts written by the international student bloggers?

JS: The feedback has been really good so far. We've tackled a lot of difficult subjects, including LGBT issues and Islamophobia, and on a lot of blogs I've seen comments on those sorts of posts go very negative very quickly, but I'm happy to say that the response we got was almost entirely positive and supportive -- and thoughtful as well. We want thoughtful debate and discussion, and we've been getting some.

And actually, what's been most gratifying is that we've actually had readers send me posts about their own experiences that I then put up on the blog. I really encourage that and wish even more readers would get involved that way.

One of our most emotional recent posts came about that way. I was contacted by a Japanese student in the U.S. after the earthquake and we ended up speaking on the phone for about half an hour as she told me about her parents, who live in Fukushima, which is where the damaged nuclear plants are located.

GS: What are some of the challenges you've faced in creating this new online community?

JS: The biggest challenge is always going to be building an audience and getting them involved. We're lucky because to some extent we have the brand of VOA behind us, but that only goes so far. So that has been a challenge, and continues to be a challenge - finding ways to get the word out to the current and prospective international students who would be interested in what we're doing.

It's coming along slowly but surely though! I'm grateful for every new commenter or Facebook fan or Twitter follower we get, and I make sure to interact with anyone who contacts us in any way.

GS: Can you share some of the methods you've used to spread the word about the Student Union? Which methods have been most successful?

JS: I've largely relied on social media - Twitter, Facebook and various online forums. And that's been pretty successful. I've gotten into a lot of great conversations and met a lot of interesting people on those platforms, and I've made some great connections as well. EducationUSA in particular has been really kind to us since we connected online. So social media has been very valuable.

Although, if I'm honest, the best method for spreading the word has been when the bloggers go and show off their latest post to their friends and families. There's still nothing like old-fashioned word-of-mouth.

GS: Ideally, what is your vision for this community in the coming years?

JS: I'd love to see the community become a real go-to resource for current and prospective international students. I hope prospective students see it as a place to ask questions and get insights on the types of things they won't hear about through other channels. And I hope current students use it as a place to share and commiserate and discuss.

But I also think that when it comes to the specifics of what we'll be doing, some of it is hard to know in advance. Because my goal has been and will continue to be that we are driven by our community. I mean, I didn't know when we started in September that we'd end up building a user-submitted glossary - it just grew out of what we were doing. So I want to make sure that we keep doing that sort of thing and responding to the conversations that develop.

GS: And finally, if there are international students that are interested in guest blogging for The Student Union, how can they get more information about doing so?

JS: I LOVE when people send me guest posts. As long as they fit with what we're trying to do, I'm really happy to post other perspectives and stories. Anyone interested in submitting a guest post can email me with either their idea or a completed blog post at jstahl@voanews.com .

Plus, I expect to be looking for some new bloggers for next school year, so anyone who's interested in blogging regularly should keep an eye on the blog, because I'm sure we'll announce that over the next few months.

GS: Thanks again Jessica. We appreciate you taking time to let us know more about The Student Union, and we encourage our readers to explore the community.

JS: Thanks GradShare!