Daddy Clay talks with Jennifer Jolly, tech & lifestyle editor of the largest tech website for women, tecca.com. Parents today have one of the greatest tools for assisting in raising a family, the internet. Websites like Nextdoor help tap into the original social network, your neighbors. Unlike other sites, Nextdoor is only for people who actually live in your area. Studies have shown that when neighbors are interacting with each other the areas have lower crime rates. Other benefits are lower costs from ride sharing, service referrals, as well as the piece of mind from knowing your neighbors are looking out for the general well being of the neighborhood. Another helpful site for parents is UrbanSitter, which shows ratings, schedule availability, and referrals for local babysitters. Jennifer points out that it is still important to apply common sense and your own comfort level when using these sites, but sees that there is more and more usability and security with them. If a social network or app can help you as a parent, then why not use it? For expecting or new parents, the first installment of the Sane Parents Guide can help you prepare your home for the little one. Download a copy at Amazon or Smashwords. We appreciate your support and thanks for watching! Episode #857 - Trends in Hyperlocal Applications and Technology

Daddy Clay:  Today in The Lab we are meeting our neighbors with the Internet. Today in The Lab I am joined by Jennifer Jolly who is the tech and lifestyle editor at Tecca.com which is the largest tech focused website in the world for women and she is going to be talking to us today about trends in hyper local applications in technology that we are finding on the Internet today.
Jennifer thanks so much for joining us today.
Jennifer Jolly:  Thanks for having me.
Man 1:  So, tell me exactly how are parents using Nextdoor to enhance their life and find more time and connections.
Jennifer:  The first social network in history was your neighbors, talking to your neighbors, sharing a jar of jam over the fence. We have really lost that as we have gone to Facebook and Twitter, and you meet these strangers. A Pew Internet research study shows that one in every three people have no connection with the folks right next door. So, there is a new website called Nextdoor, and it's a social network specifically for your neighbors.
Studies show that people who have relationships with those who live around them tend to have a much lower crime rate in their neighborhood. Sharing things like car seats or bicycles, or bike racks, lowers cost. Also just being able to hit someone up for: "Hey, who's the plumber that you'd recommend and trust in the neighborhood?" "Can somebody water my plants while I am away this weekend?" "Can somebody keep an eye on my pets, on my house, while I am out of town?"
That's the way that parents are really using this, and those things provide so much value to modern parents these days. But one of the ways that I use Nextdoor a lot is my daughter's class had a Yahoo group set up, and then we had a Facebook group set up. But anyway in one the whole world pretty much could join in, especially on those Facebook groups. So, what I really liked about Nextdoor, is its very private. You have to prove that you actually live in that neighborhood.
So school events are really easy to work out on Nextdoor, as well as, "Hey! My daughter needs a ride to this field trip." Things like that have become much easier on these hyperlocal social networks, and I find security a lot better as well.
Daddy Clay:  The other thing that I have seen a lot of lately is people using the web and social sites to coordinate play dates and to find kids that are of similar ages. We used to do that at the PTA, or we used to do that at the school. These days people are using the web's resource to do that. Do you think that's a good idea? Are you in favor of people using the Internet as a way to find and schedule play dates with other kids?
Jennifer:  I am in favor of any kind of help that we as busy modern parents can get. So, absolutely, if there is an app or a website where you can just see who's around you, what play dates are happening, why not use that? Anything that makes our lives a little bit easier, I am all for. There is a site called UrbanSitter that people are using a lot for finding babysitters in a pinch, and they are already vetted. I really like ideas and sites like this, where you just go to it and you can basically see one particular babysitter's habits, patterns, ratings. It's kind of like Yelp for babysitters. So you're taking your social networks word that these are good people to get in touch with and to have.
Daddy Clay:  So, overall you have to say that this sort of trend towards hyperlocal and parents engaging with each other, using the Internet, meeting other local parents is not something to be afraid of or something that you think is a bad trend. You think it might just be a good tool for parents to use?
Jennifer:  Yeah, I think you always need to go in to these situations with your eyes open and with your common sense radar up. You want to meet people in public places, especially when you are buying or selling things online. A lot of these sites have those security FAQs on them. Don't put yourself into any situation where you feel uncomfortable. You don't want the hair on the back of your neck to stand up. But it's common sense.
I think what we are finally see is real value in the real world. Ways that parents, people like you and me, are getting together and saying, "Hey! Wouldn't it be great if..." If, we could just go on a website and see what play date is happening today at noon and go if we want or not.
The fact that they are free, I love that too!
Daddy Clay:  Jennifer, thank you so much! I want to thank Jennifer Jolly who is the tech and lifestyle editor at Tecca.com which is the largest tech website for women in the world. You should definitely check it out and follow her there. Read her writings there, fantastic stuff and insights about families and technologies. Well, that's all for us today here in The Lab. We will see you next time.