BabyCenter Launches Social Network for Largest Parenting Community Online
New Tools and Features Build Upon the Trusted Experience 100 Million Families Have Come to Know, Love and Depend Upon
SAN FRANCISCO, July 14 — BabyCenter, LLC, the Internet’s
largest resource for new and expectant parents around the world, announced
today the launch of a new social network. BabyCenter’s social network
enables members to share and connect with each other and builds upon the
experience and expert voice parents have depended on from BabyCenter for
more than a decade. The new BabyCenter Community is now available in public
beta at http://community.babycenter.com.
“Moms come to BabyCenter seeking trusted, personalized information, but
they stay for the connections they make with other parents,” said Tina
Sharkey, Chairman and Global President of BabyCenter. “Social networking
has changed the face of communication and BabyCenter wants to bring
together these parents in a place where they can easily share experiences,
milestones, information and the joys and journey of parenthood.”
BabyCenter’s new community enables parents to connect and share with
each other using many new features and tools including:
— Create public and private groups around any topic
— Share photos and video among friends by uploading to Profiles and
Journals
— Distribute a personal blog feed from other blogging platforms into a
BabyCenter(R) Journal
— Pass Notes to other members, post Shout-Outs, comment on Journals
— Match with people who share common interests, locations,
childrens’ ages and more
— Publish “kid-isms,” the hilarious things kids say
— Tag photos and profile
The BabyCenter social network is tightly linked with BabyCenter’s
award- winning content including personalized age- and stage- based
newsletters, which direct parents to related groups, topics, tags and other
member- generated content. The experience provides parents with even
greater access to the trusted information and support they have come to
expect from BabyCenter.
In addition to connecting parents to each other, the new BabyCenter
social network will provide brands with a place to communicate with their
audience in a familiar and trusted environment where the community is
driving the conversation. Within the new social network, brands will have
the opportunity to sponsor groups or topics to start a dialogue with moms
and gain valuable insights to inform their business, marketing and product
strategies.
The underlying technology for BabyCenter’s new social network is built
on the platform created by Maya’s Mom, a company acquired by BabyCenter LLC
in August 2007. MayasMom.com continues to function as a stand-alone site
and part of the BabyCenter(R) Network. BabyCenter’s new social network
enhances its popular social media portfolio, which includes MayasMom.com
and leading parenting blogs MOMformation.com and FameBaby.com.
“BabyCenter’s fully integrated social experience provides parents with
tools and features that enable and facilitate their digital lives,” said
Ann Crady, Maya’s Mom Founder and BabyCenter Senior Vice President of
Consumer Experience. “The engagement of parents on our network is
incredible, with more than 300,000 people responding to BabyCenter(R) polls
per month and 72 percent of users visiting BabyCenter returning within a
week.”
About BabyCenter, LLC
BabyCenter is the Web’s #1 global interactive parenting network,
garnering 78 percent reach in the United States with outposts in 13 markets
worldwide. Recognized by Advertising Age’s 2008 Digital A-List, BabyCenter
is an established leader in providing insights and innovative interactive
marketing solutions to the world’s leading brands. The BabyCenter(R)
international sites attract over 6 million visitors a month and provide a
trusted online destination for parents in Arabia, Australia, Austria,
Canada, China, Germany, India, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United
Kingdom. BabyCenter is available in seven languages, including a Spanish
language site for the U.S. Hispanic audience also available via mobile
phone. BabyCenter has also been a featured expert on NBC’s “Today” show and
ABC’s Good Morning America. The editors at BabyCenter have authored two
books, The BabyCenter(R) Essential Guide to Pregnancy and Birth and The
BabyCenter(R) Essential Guide to Your Baby’s First Year. BabyCenter, LLC is
based in San Francisco, California, and is a member of the Johnson &
Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) family of companies.
Screenshots available upon request.
For More Information:
The Rose Group
Whitney Ashley and Clarke De Pastino
310.280.3710
Whitney@therosegrp.com / Clarke@therosegrp.com