Technology Makes New Moms and Dads Savvy Parents

(ARA) - Long gone are the days when friends and family wait for a birth announcement or phone call to alert them to the arrival of a new baby. Thanks to new technology, tech-savvy moms and dads are finding new ways to stay connected.

"When I learned I was pregnant, the first thing I did was call my mother," says Kelli Matthews, a Eugene, Ore. native. "The second thing I did was establish an instant messenger account with Windows Live Messenger so I could stay connected with my family and friends. It was important for me to share all of the moments I was beginning to experience as an expecting mom."

Instant messaging has become a popular tool for families. Many parents are purchasing inexpensive webcams to use with IM - so if Grandma can't pinch those chubby cheeks in person, at least she can see them. "I have friends and family spread out across the country and Windows Live Messenger allows me to keep them up-to-date on what's happening in my life," says Matthews. "Everyone loves the webcam I have on my computer; it links into my Messenger account and lets me send real-time videos of my little one as he starts to walk, talk and grow."

By no means is Matthews alone in relying on technology to spread the news of her pregnancy, birth and growth of her son. Once used by tech-geeks only, Web 2.0 tools are now making it easy for parents to share news of their kids, prepare for their roles as parents and stay connected with family and friends. A recent survey taken by MarketingtoMoms revealed that 88 percent of moms rely on the Web for parental guidance, advice, and ideas for raising their children. According to the same survey, 95 percent of moms said they are online at least once a day.

Tech- savvy moms are saying goodbye to the tedious task of creating scrapbooks and photo albums because they can now achieve the same effect with blogs. "The blog is replacing the old-fashioned 'brag book,'" says Amy Barzdukas, senior director of Windows Live OneCare at Microsoft. "Blogging is headache-free and instantaneous. Services, such as Windows Live Writer, make blogging as easy as emailing."

"I have been blogging since day one," notes Matthews. "It's a diary of my son's entire life since the moment I found out I was pregnant."

As more parents turn to blogs and social networking sites to share the joys and challenges of parenting, popular Mommy blogs, such as Café Mom, Dooce.com and This Mommy Gig are garnering hundreds of thousands of readers a day. Matthews, an avid contributor of This Mommy Gig, enjoys the Mommy blogs because of the variety of content they provide. From tips for stay-at-home dads, to potty training, to the experiences of being a new mom, each site offers a little something to make adventures in parenting a little bit easier.

Photo sharing tools have also become popular among proud new parents. Free tools such as Windows Live Photo Gallery make sharing new baby photos a breeze, providing parents with fast and easy capabilities to get pictures off a digital camera and uploaded to their computer, the ability to organize and edit images, and share them online with friends and family through popular sites like Flickr and Windows Live Spaces. Some sites have even begun allowing users to sell or rent their images for profit, such as BigStockPhoto.com.

"My friends and family don't want to miss out on seeing my son grow up," says Matthews. "I blog, I share photos and I keep my Twitter and Facebook status messages up-to-date. I frequently check friends and families' accounts for their updates too."

To learn more about how you can use technology to keep in touch, visit www.windowslive.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent