Connecting with other dads online

Unlike mums, who seem to have an endless choice of online communities with lively discussions going on through the day, dads have a it a little harder. There's never really been a single online community that has exploded and become the 'go-to' place for dads. We explore the choices available to dads who are looking for a bit of fellow father company.

Odadeo: online community for dads

The most significant community site for dads is Odadeo.  Odadeo is a custom built website designed to help us become better
dads by making pledges. Once you join, you can make a pledge such as "work less and earn more" and give it a "pip" every time you make progress... i.e. when you actually make some progress towards working less and earning more. You can create your own unique pledges or join other dads in pledges that they have made.

Odadeo also allows you to find other similar dads through adding a 'badge'... you might say you're a 'married - geek - new' dad... and you'll find others who are married, geeks and new dads. It's a clever system that if used can certainly help you to keep on top of how you
want to become a great dad. Odadeo has nearly three thousand members and is tightly integrated into other social media services such as Twitter, so you can use it as a base to meet other dads who also have a presence elsewhere on the web.

Social Media

Talking of social networks and media, you'll find loads of dads on Twitter, Facebook and in the blogosphere. As expected, there are a lot of American dads online, and in the US, they're often a lot more up front about fatherhood  than us Brits. The American blog "Almighty Dad" has posted an exhaustive list of US dad blog sites in 2010 which includes Dad Info's friends at DadLabs - they produce regular video broadcasts which you can see on our homepage.

You'll find a ton of "dad lists" on Twitter - here's one of the best: @dudetodad's, On Facebook, you'll get hundreds of results for a search on dads  but you'll soon notice if you browse through the groups and pages that none of them are particularly big or dominant. Check out who @dad_info is following and you'll find loads of people who get our regular updates of stuff from the web and here.

We'd love you to become a fan of Dad Info on Facebook  - we regularly post relevant new content for dads from around the
web onto the wall and you can post there too - or use our discussion boards.

Specialist networks

If you're a single dad, or you're going through separation or divorce, you might find DadsUK  a useful site - they've got an active forum that is full of dads who have been through it before, and have time to respond to issues you may be facing.

Are you a dad who stays at home while your partner works? Then you might find a community of like minded souls over at Homedad  - they too have an active community and regularly organise events for their members, with their children.

Know other good dad communities online?

This is a very brief overview of ways in which you can connect to other dads on the web, and in no way are we suggesting it is comprehensive. You might want to post some links to other sites you've found useful in the comments - go for it!

Author

Tom Beardshaw is a co-founder and the Publisher at Dad Info, creating the website and the things we print. He lives and works in Cardiff raising his son and supporting his other lad in South Africa. Previously with the Fatherhood Institute, he’s been writing, speaking, building websites, running conferences, advising organisations and helping to change the law and thinking here in the UK and around the world.