I've been lurking on this and related threads for while. Thought it might be time to jump in.
I'm a first time dad - ds is now 4 months or so. I've been amazed by how little there is on the web for dads, compared to the fabulous mumsnet. Also I've been very jealous of dw who has been logged on here pretty solidly for the last year.
I think a proper forum for dads is a must. I spoke to one friend - father of a 4 yr old daughter - and asked him what he'd found on the net. "Oh," said he. "I hang around in a lot of motoring forums and I sometimes ask for parenting advice in those"
But I think we dads could do with a few other things. Like not being asked whether we're pregnant when we register (sends out the wrong vibes - really it does ). Also, it would be great to get dads' perspectives on stuff like prams and pushchairs. We went for the excellent Pliko Pramette - excellent apart from the fact that for a 6 foot chap, the handles are just that little bit to far away for me to push without stooping. I want a place to find out about that sort of stuff.
Anyway, to get to the rub - seeing as I write for a living, and build websites when that writing is making me rather less than a living - I've been working away on a sort of site for dads that has the stuff that I want to see. It's not meant as a commercial operation, but I have registered a domain name (I'd rather keep it under wraps for now) and I've got a few people writing for me so we can offer perspectives from dads in all sorts of different situations - from the new dad to the separated dad who lives abroad.
And there's a forum - which nearly killed me to put together. But it doesn't ask people who register whether they're pregant
I should have what we chaps with our love of technical jargon would call a 'beta version' of the whole thing up and running in about a week or so. I wondered whether there are any dads out there who would like to have a look and let me know what they think?
God - that was a long post. Still, goes to show that some of us dads can communicate when we're not standing shoulder to shoulder at the bar avoiding eye contact...