Blog | Digital Dads

This is Why We Are Here

Thursday, May 14th, 2009

Boston.com Moms site

My fellow men, you really do exist, although you wouldn’t know it based on the ratio of Mommy sites to Daddy ones.

Now don’t get me wrong: I believe everyone needs a spot to congregate, collaborate, and cooperate, and nobody – NOBODY – should support moms more than the dads who “work” right alongside them, raising well-adjusted kids who know their alphabets, eat their vegetables, and will grow up to be President.

But where’s the love for dear ol’ dad online?

Has the parental pendulum swung so far askew that everyone assumes moms are the only ones with parenting issues on their minds? That dads aren’t interested, or don’t care?

Are there unique challenges to being a Mom? Certainly, but the same holds true for dads. And while it is wonderful that the moms have so many places to podcast, blog, share stories, and purchase merchandise, there’s a shortage of sites focused on the topics and discussions that dads, granddads, uncles, and other father figures want to cover.

And that’s why we are here.

Now, Digital Dads is not some call for equality, some maneuver to tip the scales in men’s favor. This website is a statement to let everyone know: Dads care too. We have stories to share and it’s important to share them. And we salute our fellow fellows out there who are blogging and podcasting about the fatherly experience, because whether it’s on our site or another one, we hope dads find a place where they can engage others and leverage this medium to improve their lives and the lives of their entire family.

Perhaps someday, mainstream media will recognize that moms aren’t the only one looking for affirmation or guidance on the web. Perhaps someday, marketers will remember that there are oftentimes two people in the household who can spend money on things for the kids.

Until then and beyond, Digital Dads will be right here.

Tags: Blog, dads, media, moms, podcasts
Posted in Online | Comments

Who Needs a Dad Site?

Tuesday, April 28th, 2009

I noticed over the past year or so that anytime I would blog about my family or kids on my personal blog that the posts would get more comments and more reactions then any other topic I might write about. Combine that with my passion for being a good father and the fact that I think Dads get a bum rap across all forms of media and that made me want to start this site.

Dylan and Emily Wedding

Of course the big reason is these two little people right here. This is my son Dylan and my daughter Emily. They are the reason I do a lot of things in life, but I wanted to do this to share my experiences with them and to share what I learn with you the reader. I certainly don’t have all the answers on how to be a good Dad or how best to raise kids, but I like to think that I am open to share what little I do know and I hope some of you get some good advice out of it.

The idea really started to come to a simmer last summer when I got thinking about how so many of my friends were what I called “Digital Dads.” We shared pictures of our kids online, uploaded home movies and spent a large chunk of time interacting in ways that our fathers never did. I wondered how this would change the next generation of kids. I wondered about this a lot.

I also work in the marketing world. I run a company called The Advance Guard and we work with brands big and small to build buzz, community and awareness around their products and services. We focus on building campaigns with disruptive technologies and social media. I also host a marketing podcast called Managing the Gray. Because of both of these I read about, plan and execute a variety of campaigns and I kept seeing Mommies getting all the attention while Dads sort of being forgotten about.

Now I know a lot of this is due to the fact that there are plenty of Dads involved in online media, but very few write about being a parent on a regular basis. At least I think this why most are ignored for the most part.

What I want out of this site is a way for three Dads (and maybe more some day) to share honest advice on being a Father in today’s world. The hope is to cover a variety of topics that any guy can use. We’ll be posting recipes, talking about sex, reviewing things and of course talking about raising our kids. No topic is off topic so expect some good variety in the coming weeks.

I’m a Digital Dad and damn proud of it. I hope you enjoy what you find here.