Input, please :)

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-15-2007
Input, please :)
6
Wed, 07-23-2008 - 8:02am

Hi everyone,
I would love to get your feedback on an idea I am working on. Over the years of having to do my own detective work, mainly via word-of-mouth from other parents, to find the right summer camps for my kids, the different sports leagues that are available, the right music teachers, the best opportunities, I've often wished there was a central place I could go to find these things. I am seriously considering starting a website in my community where all of these things are compiled, including basic info about each, like age ranges, sign-up dates, time commitment, price, location, contact info (including links), and parent reviews of each program. There are a couple of sites with that idea here, but they are really, really incomplete; I know I could do so much more. The idea here is to offer a community service, not to make $$, but I would love to at least eventually cover costs by selling some ad space on my site.

So, my question is--do you have anything like this in your community, and if so, would you mind sending me a link? Also, what do you think of the idea in general?

Thanks--
Karen

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-10-2007
Wed, 07-23-2008 - 10:54am

Our community is too small for such a thing, everyone knows all of it anyway.


My only thought about it is that people will get on there and start bashing teachers/programs that they didn't like for whatever reason and it will turn into a mess. Maybe if they could give it a rating and all written opinions had to be looked over before

fence.jpg picture by oct2028

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-15-2007
Wed, 07-23-2008 - 10:59am
Good point... I think it would have to be moderated, for sure. Basically, I would just want to know if the program was worth the $$, and if they would do it again. Why they liked this swim team vs. that swim team. Etc.
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-06-2006
Wed, 07-23-2008 - 12:28pm

This is a GREAT idea!!! I really don't think we have anything around here short of the Park District web site but that only contains info on the current session not past or future. Otherwise we have to go to each organizations individual website and get the info. That can be EXTREMELY frustrating and time consuming. It would be nice to have a little info on the team/group's philosophy too. Could it be set up to have you type in an activity and then receive a comparison of the available choices for that in your area? Like a list of soccer teams, contact info, philosophy, cost, and time commitment? Forgive my digression into details, in my previous life, I used to design and develop computer systems.

Good luck!!! If you want to bounce design or ideas off anyone, I'm game!

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-01-1999
Wed, 07-23-2008 - 12:34pm

I'm not saying it wouldn't be useful but you'd almost need a staff to keep up with it. In our county, we have a Family magazine that is free and lists all the family activities in our area. They advertise instructors and enrichment activities as well as have articles on relevant issues in out county. In the Spring they do a wonderful summer daycamp

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-15-2007
Wed, 07-23-2008 - 2:15pm
Thanks for the input--yes, what I am envisioning is some sort of drop-down menu where you can go in and choose from a list of activities; in fact, different drop-down menus, one where you choose by activity, one where you choose by season, one where you choose by age range, etc. I have a friend who is a web design guru who will help me do this. :)
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-15-2007
Wed, 07-23-2008 - 2:34pm

Thanks--yes, I am definitely concerned about that -- ie., am I getting in over my head?? One thing is, my community is MUCH smaller than the San Diego community, so I have that going for me... :) There is a little monthly family guide locally along the same lines of what you linked me to, however, it relies solely on submissions -- so a lot of stuff is not submitted and it is very incomplete.

I guess what I am hoping is, once I do the initial research and get on everyone's mailing list, etc., it will get a lot easier to find updated info. But it will definitely involve a lot of time and legwork initially.

Thanks, I really need this kind of input to make sure I consider all the factors! There is a lot to consider.