archive for the 'worth mentioning' category

Get something for nothing! PRIZEY launches!

Jeremiah, of blog Z Recommends fame, has recently launched a great new team-blog called PRIZEY.  Straight from their home page, “PRIZEY is a listing service for great giveaways that don’t require blog links or abuse your personal data.”  In other words, they scour the Internet looking for freebie giveaways and then provide readers with a handy, comprehensive guide to all that’s out there.  Pretty neat!  If you’re a deal lover (and who isn’t), then PRIZEY is for you.

What Makes a Town Family-Friendly?

Morgan, one of our Parentographers, recently wrote on her blog about the things that make a town family-friendly.  Here’s her list:

What would you include on your list?

Primer of Family 2.0 Sites

There is an ever-growing list of online communities devoted to helping parents get the advice they seek.  Below is a primer to help anyone who’s looking get a better idea of the range of sites that are out there (not including the thousands of personal blogs written by moms and dads):

Social Networking Sites (like MySpace, but for parents):

• Minti —  Australian site; maybe the first social network to focus on parents; large international audience.
• MothersClick — Facilitates interactions among offline parent groups with online tools; handy Q&A area.
• Mayasmom — Pioneer of bringing “Kidisms” (funny things kids say)to the masses.  Also allows parents to post their own journal entries.
• CafeMom — Started by the owners of ClubMom (including Meredith Vieira of the Today Show).  Launched in late 2006, this site has already attracted a sizeable following.
• ParentsConnect — Nickelodeon’s take on the MySpace for moms theme.  Allows video uploads and has event calendars for major U.S. Cities.
• Family.com — Disney’s recently re-launched portal for everything “parent”.  They have a Top 1000 list of the best parenting sites submitted by their members.

 Other Top Advice Sites:

• Babycenter — Along with iVillage, their message boards cover more than any other site and they are well-used.
• iVillage — NBC recently purchased this site, so it will be interesting to see what changes they make.  For now, still one of the top discussion board sites out there.
• Berkeley Parents Network — A site for parents living near Berkeley, CA, but has lots of advice from members that would apply to parents anywhere. 
• ParentHacks — Practical parenting wisdom from other parents in the form of a communal blog.

 If I missed a great one, please tell me by posting a comment!

Digg for Parents

First, Csara over at babytalkers (a useful blog and discussion forum for parents) listed our site as one of her 15 favorite “Mommy Blogs”.  We’re in good company on her list and are very proud to be included…in fact, I think this is the first time that we’ve ever best listed as someone’s favorite anything!

I’ve also been enjoying a technology news-round-up service from the venture firm Y Combinator that delivers (via RSS) very focused articles of interest to Internet entrepreneurs.  It has become the news I check most often and I’ve been wanting something similar for parents since there is just so much good content being written and shared every day.  Now, Csara and company have come up with what may be the solution: www.thebabybug.com.  If you’ve used Digg, the format and approach will be familiar.  You submit articles and the community votes on them.  The ones with the highest number of votes reach the front page.  I encourage you to check it out and, if you’re a blogger yourself, tell your readers and submit your stories!

DadLabs: Traveling with Kids

DadLabs is a humorous look at parenting from the viewpoint of some Austin, TX dads.  They make short videos on topics ranging from traveling with kids (I love the last tip!) to “Bathtime 101: When Kids Poop in the Tub“.  They’ve also got blogs, a DVD for sale, and other practical parenting advice.  If you have a few free minutes, I think the site is worth a look!