Once almost exclusively the domain of “techies”, particularly in Silicon Valley, Twitter is now getting quite a fan base across the world and with “ordinary” people.
Even Phillip Schofield tweets, as he announced to thousands of viewers on This Morning during the week.
We know that plenty of parents blog, as do a number of organisations and companies that are concerned about parenting and children’s issues. So we thought we’d try to build up a collection of Twitterers here at Family Relationships Magazine.
If you’re a mum, dad, carer, family- or children-oriented charity, or a company offering relevant products, and you have a Twitter account, why not let us know? Either follow our own Twitter stream at http://twitter.com/familyrelations and we’ll follow back, or email us at family@familyrelationships.org.uk/.
With all the busyness of the New Year, I almost let this announcement slip through the net, but there’s still time to take part and watch the show How to Tackle Tough Topics With Teenagers
From GotATeenager.org.uk:
Judging how to talk with your teenager about risky subjects like sex, drugs and alcohol can be hard. Our webchat with parenting expert Suzie Hayman makes it easier
Chat date: Tuesday 20th January
Chat time: 12.30pm (GMT)
Talking to your child about sex, drugs and drinking can be hard, but it is crucial if you are to give them the confidence to navigate through the minefield of the teenage years. As a parent or teacher, we must accept that the increasing desire to experiment is part of growing up – but not all kids are able to work easily through the risks and situations they face. While we cannot always be there to guide our children, we can make sure we prepare them in the best way possible by talking openly, discussing key issues and offering guidance on how to stay safe.
Knowing how to help your teen without seeming judgmental or out-of-touch is no simple task. That’s why renowned author and parenting expert Suzie Hayman is hosting an exclusive webchat that will make communicating with your kids on tricky subjects much easier and more successful. Suzie has established herself as an authority on teenage behaviour over a career spanning more than 20 years. As well as dispensing invaluable advice she’ll be taking your questions live online and telling you about a new website for parents of teens. Log on to the chat for the full story.
You still have time to submit a question for Suzie to answer, and the whole web chat can be viewed at this WebChats.tv page.
While online dating websites may not correlate exactly with wider society, an interesting study from free dating site PlentyOfFish.com has concluded that women’s promiscuity – or at least their intentions of – has doubled in the last four years.
In 2004, around 9% stated that they were looking for sex via the “intimate encounter” option. That figure is now around 18%.
With some ten million members, the male-female ratio of those looking for long-term relationships or traditional dates has remained consistent at 55:45, but three years ago, men looking primarily for sex outnumbered women by ten to one. That’s now down to 5:1, with a prediction that in ten years’ time, there’ll be equality in promiscuity.
Suggesting that the female lifestyles portrayed in “Sex In the City” and the like may have something to do with a shifting societal attitude, Markus Frind, CEO of Plentyoffish.com, says, “Our average user, among males and females, is between 38 and 42 years old. Yet, the data shows that the behaviour exhibited is more of what you would expect from those in their early 20s. Plentyoffish.com statistics may be indicative of a fundamental shift in society and behavioural norms.”
Longer term, of course, this continued shift will have a marked effect on what society considers “family” to be.
Do you know what Twitter is?
It’s an online service which allows anyone to share 140-character snippets of information about themselves, what they’re doing, and what’s important to them. It’s a bit like text messaging on the Internet.
March of Dimes has announced that it’s providing daily pregnancy tips – or “tweets” – for mums via the service.
It’s available in both English and Spanish.
“We’re using all the new technology that’s available to us to help women make sense of the latest medical and scientific research,” said Beverly Robertson, national director of the Pregnancy & Newborn Health Education Center at the March of Dimes. “This service is in whatever format you want it. You can get it on your cell phone via text message, through instant messaging and online. The March of Dimes already has almost 1,000 Twitter followers around the country.”
Talking of Twitter, you can get updates from the Family Relationships Magazine here
I’ve just found out about a rather exciting new resource, due to launch next Thursday, 23rd October.
TV4Parents is an online forum, based in the UK, developed by Tomorrow’s Child, and aimed at parents, carers, and children aged 0-11.
This online TV styled web site will look at ways of parenting, offering hints, tips, advice, and a place for parents to share their experiences with others.
An ongoing nationwide survey – “Pressure Cooker Kids” – confirms that parents and children are under pressure to spend time together, deal with separation anxiety, and eat healthily and together.
A book and DVD will also be launched next week. “Creative Wellbeing” is written by education specialist Jacqueline Harding and medical advisor Dr Sanjay Chaudhuri, both who are heavily involved with Tomorrow’s Child and the new site.
Visit the site now to get a taste for what’s to come, and bookmark it, because it looks like it’s going to be a fantastic resource for anyone looking after children.
Nearly three-quarters of new mums would like to be able to share their experiences with other mums, but don’t know where to go to meet them, according to a new study by the UK-based What’s on for Little Ones website.
In addition, two out of five mums didn’t know that there are a huge range of groups and classes available.
“Many new mums feel isolated and need to meet other mums who are going through similar experiences, but it can be difficult to know where to meet them,” said Sam Willoughby, founder of What’s on for Little Ones. “Taking part in local activities gives mums the chance to meet other parents, share tips and advice, and make lasting friendships. Plus, babies and children have the chance to have fun, meet other children and learn new skills too.†The site offers a completely free to search and doesn’t even ask parents to register. All the information is quickly available, dates, times and everything else parents need to know including links to websites and contact information plus a map of how to get there! The information is up to date as the people running the classes and activities for children can update their details whenever they need to.”
The UK’s National Health Service has just launched a new web site where expectant mothers can go to get authoritative advice and information on all aspects of pregnancy and childbirth.
“Whether you’re planning to have a baby, are already pregnant, or your new baby has just arrived, our new interactive pregnancy planner is for you,” the site opens.
It’s the perfect way to find out all you need to have a healthy and happy pregnancy and to make sure you get the care that’s right for you. It contains over 250 pages of NHS accredited information, including pictures, videos and planning tools. You’ll also find all the facts you need to choose the best maternity services in your area.
The NHS is no stranger to offering medical advice online, and already runs the NHS Direct health information web site.
The site offers help on pre-pregnancy, pregnancy and labour, parent and baby advice, and general pregnancy information.
Pregnancy can be a huge mystery, and with the Internet’s myriad of information – some accurate and some wholly misleading – on the subject, it’s good to know that a trusted medical organisation is providing comprehensive coverage.
NHS Pregnancy web site (via Web User)
Anyone who has frequented the Internet for a while will know that web sites offering to send electronic greetings cards are fairly common, but they’re not all necessarily suitable for a family audience.
123Greetings.com seems to be “safe” to use, though, and boasts a huge range of virtual cards including birthday, wedding, thanks, anniversaries, congratulations, invitations, and even ones for pets (how you get Fido to use your computer is up to you, of course). In fact, there’s a special family section specifically for sending cards to relations.
There’s a list of “Daily Celebrations”, each linked to themed cards, though whether you’ll find them all quite so useful depends on your imagination. I can’t imagine sending someone a card today wishing them a “Happy Mustard Day”, for example, though on Monday it’s “Family Day”, Tuesday is “Friendship Day”, and Thursday is “International Forgiveness Day”. In any case, they could provide some inspiration, and after all, the cards are free to send.
Cards are displayed in the Flash format, which means that most modern computers should be able to play them straight from their web browser. The software is free to download from Adobe if it’s not already installed.
Some cards come with music, which can be turned on or off, and the message can be personalised.
All in all it’s a nice site, and if you like sending e-cards to people, I’d recommend you try it out. Some web sites are bigger and flashier, but this one does the job nicely.
