OpMom brings moms together for social networking and more

Filed under: Internet, Kids, Productivity, Web services, Social Software

OpMom brings moms together for social networking and more

by Lisa Hoover Mar 7th 2007

Moms looking for a neat way to meet other mothers to compare notes and swap stories really ought to check out OpMom.com. A cross between iVillage and MySpace, OpMom -- shorthand for Operation Mom -- bills itself as a social networking and web service site for busy mothers. Though clearly in its infancy, OpMom already has sections filled with reader-submitted recipes, theme party ideas, and "circles", groups where mothers with common interests can gather and get to know one another in smaller settings.

Registration is easy and doesn't require users to cough up a lot of personal information. After registration, users have the option of creating a profile with as much (or as little) information as they are comfortable sharing. You can opt to simply provide a screen name for other users to see, or you can detail the ages of your children, your hometown, and even your religious affiliation. Privacy levels are easy to set as well, ranging from full access by all the site's users to only those whom you specifically allow to view your information.

An interesting addition to OpMom that sets it apart from other sites I've seen is the ability to store your family's health records online. At first I didn't really see the advantage of this (and, actually, wondered if storing that kind of info online made sense at all). Then I realized that its potential usefulness lies in being able to access information remotely at, say, a hospital, when you are most likely to need it. Moms can also create "wellness reminders" that will prompt us to get yearly exams, vaccinations, and more.

The website is still under development and still in beta so some nifty features like forums, calendars, and blogs aren't available yet but appear to be right around the corner. Unfortunately, the site isn't quite ready for prime time because, at least when I registered, the Terms of Service link was broken and redirected to the site's homepage. Additionally, users must attest to being "a woman over 18 years of age." I'm not clear why younger mothers would not be welcome on the site, nor do I understand why fathers wouldn't find much of the parenting information as useful as moms surely will. Nevertheless, OpMom bears watching because once it gets out of knee-pants, it's probably going to be a great site.

Tags: family, kids, organization, parenting, social networking, SocialNetworking

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Paul Thrasher said 8:56PM on 3-07-2007

What, no link?

Paul Thrasher said 8:58PM on 3-07-2007

No mistaking that for a site for dads! :)

There has been a lot of these cropping up this year and last. It's quickly becoming a crowded space even though the new sites haven't been able to catch up with their early web 0.1 counterparts (but that will likely change soon).

Yeemay said 9:05PM on 5-24-2007

Seems nice, but I prefer ConnectingMoms.com. They have tons of great features (videos, product reviews, etc), and a friendly community :)

staci said 4:19AM on 7-16-2007

You should also do a review on www.connectingmoms.com I have found it to be the best mom social networking site thus far. It has great members - very informative and the story behind it I love -

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