Mumsnet Talk

Getting the feeling my post title isn't catching much attention! Be a shame if people don't chip in because I'd love to develop something that the consumers have been involved with from the start..

Not something that I would use as I am a blogger and do all that there.

Also one of the big baby sites (Baby Centre, maybe?) already does a similar thing to what you seem to be saying.

I think it sounds like a good idea but I'd be surprised if there wasn't something similar already out there (mind you I can't think of one)

You'd probably have got more response if you'd put what your product was in the title btw.

I quite like the idea, I have a lot of family overseas so it might be a good way to keep them updated.

I know of other sites that already do this, it isnt original and the others ones are free so you would struggle to get anyone to pay for it.

I like the idea. I think for people who have family oversees it could be a 'one stop shop' for everyone.

You say that it will be free for most users, what features would you charge for?

I like the idea, I use Facebook but something like this would be useful for family who are not on it

Really appreciate the feedback so far.

To answer SilverMachine's question: The idea would be to keep the service free for all 'standard' users who don't have overly heavy data requirements (much like Gmail does for example). If people want to use the site for storing lots of data then that would also be fine but they'd have to contribute to the associated costs.

To pick up on the point that Bogeyface made. There are indeed lots of sites out there that claim to offer something akin to an online baby book. I take the view, however, that they have yet to get it right. That said, the reason I want to get the views of real mums is because I recognise I might be off the mark.

Are there any features in particular that you think would get you interested? Difficult to say without seeing something I know.

Thanks again for the feedback.

I like the idea. I have no idea what's out there. I was wondering if invited guests would be able to download pictures / photobooks? That would be good. A facility for making photo Christmas / thankyou / birthday cards for either parents or gradparents (users and guests) might be nice.

It might be going too far from the original point but could grandparents and other relatives leave their messages and photos. I ask because I keep baby records, boxes, photo etc a lot but it is something I do on my own, thinking somene will like to look at them one day. I like it but it's a bit lonely! I would really like that.

YY agree with latrucha. I think 'security' would be a big issue for people. They'd need to know data/photos were secure online.

What about 'Vital stats' lines - maybe visually showing height/weight. Those are the sorts of things that relatives are always interested in.

Perhaps it could even start before the baby was born. Name suggestions/weight/time guesses. Those things are again hot topics.

BTW I think it's great you are canvassing opinions from parents.

Oh but one more thing - I'd be careful of trying to target the typical nuclear family. Parents are really diverse. Not married/co-habiting/shared residency, civil parnerships, lone parenting Dads, adoptive/foster parents. Cast your net far and wide!

Great feedback and thanks again!

To answer a couple of the questions:
- Being able to invite other family members and friends to contribute is very much on the design map. The product would be designed to help dispersed families.
- Security is absolutely paramount - you are right.
- Vital stats and pre-birth are both great suggestions and are certainly on the design map

A couple of additional questions:
- The product is designed to live online. That said, it would be possible to integrate a service whereby parents could order hard copies (i.e. printed versions). Would parents want this service or would they be happy to let the environment live exclusively online?

I think it would be useful myself. Our family is in Spain though, so international families would need to be considered (payment methods etc) even if it was just that they could 'save' what they wanted and I cold go in and buy it for them. Being able to put additional languages might also be useful.

I mean my family are Spanish and don't speak English. Wasn't clear.

Great - good point.

Another suggestion (which is sort of somewhere between the two) is the idea that users can choose to download a copy of the babybook. This would mean that it doesn't just live online, and families could chose if they want to print elements out.

Thanks for engaging latrucha. Appreciate it.

You would want to let people upload pictures, video, text, maybe create scrapbook pages etc? Definitely a place for entering all the "firsts".

I remember when ds was a baby the onetruemedia montages of photos set to music were v popular.

These are all things that could lend themselves to selling hard copies - even if it was just getting income by linking to other suppliers via some sort of affiliate scheme.

I think design will be incredibly important for you. You'll want to make it customisable but also have great looking templates so that people can create something that looks really attractive with little effort.

I do like the idea of being able to obtain a hard copy, useful for sharing with elderly relatives who may not be able to access the online version. I also agree with latrucha that it would be great for other relatives to be able to post messages and photos as well.

I can see this as something that we would be interested in.

Interesting to know and thanks for your input guys. I take the point absolutely about elderly relatives who aren't quite so tech-savy wanting to see a hard copy.

Suzikettles - you've hit the nail on the head regards design. It is all about the creation of a low effort, high output environment.

Appreciate all the comments so far

Bright and unisex are very popular, but so are the blues and pinks. You'd need to cover all these bases designwise.

How is this different from a blog, or facebook?

There is already a parenting app for Iphone.

Thought worth answering the QuintessentialyHollow's point as its a fair challenge.

In short, yes - you could view the concept as a blog as I am not reinventing the wheel in terms of functionality. However, there a couple of points that crucially distinguish this concept from a 'standard' blog
1. It is a product that is specifically designed for parents and will support functionality that you would not see on your average blog. It would also provide multi-channel (i.e. website and app) touch-points for users

In answer to the challenge around facebook, my view (which I'm in the process of validating) is the following:
- A large number of parents feel uncomfortable (rightly or wrongly) with the idea of putting up pictures of their children in the public domain not least of all because the children in question have no say in the matter
- There is a movement developing away from the 'share everything' mentality and the value of smaller, more niche networks. An app like 'Path' is a good example of this
- Facebook is trying to be all things to all men (and does a pretty good job for the most part). That said, I'd argue they can't provide a niche product, specifically tailored to a given target market without beginning to dilute their core functionality.

Your final point about the iPhone app for parenting is also valid. There are in fact multiple site and apps available for parents that claim to do what I am proposing. I firmly believe (and again, am seeking to validate) that not one of them is yet to get it right.

Big thanks again to all who've responded.

Wanted to say a quick thanks to all those who got involved with this thread.

For anyone who'd be interested in knowing what else is out there, its worth taking a look at two sites which claim to do something similar to what I proposed here:
www.intoloop.com
www.tweekaboo.com

It would be absolutely fantastic to know what people think about these two. They are very different from each other and give you a decent understanding of what's out there.

Thanks again to all involved.