Babble Retreats; Pays Lip Service to Dads Again
Posted on 20. Apr, 2010 by Brian Reid in gender equity, media
Sharp-eyed commenter Chris (of The Daddy Doctrines) noticed that parenting website Babble.com — which quietly changed its tagline from “for a new generation of parents” to “for a new generation of moms” last week — has done an about face, and the language about “parents” has returned.
I would love to shout huzzah!, pump my fist and claim that dads in general and rebeldad.com in particular have won a great victory in the fight to make fathers equal to moms in the eyes of the parenting media. And while I don’t want to discount the fact that Babble has rolled back to “parents,” I’m not exactly content.
I’m not content for the reason that Parents and Parenting drive me nuts. Because a quick glance around the site makes it clear that very little — if any — of the content is aimed at fathers. Fathers voices are a small and shrinking part of the Babble pie. Just look at the headlines (go ahead, I’ll wait) and tell me whether the target audience is “parents” or just “moms.” The answer isn’t very uplifting.
So kudos to Babble for making the easy, cosmetic change. But you’re going to have to do a lot better than that if you want to get me back as a reader.
Dad is in the House
20. Apr, 2010
It’s true, that stuff isn’t aimed at fathers. Maybe that’s why we’re all online “eating our own dog food” as it were.
Chris Routly (Daddy Doctrines)
20. Apr, 2010
I’d be really curious to find out what precipitated the change back. Did someone see your post about it? Did they get complaints?
You’re right though, it’s the most minor of minor cosmetic changes that means little in the way of real change in who the site is targeting. I guess we can all gain a little hope that maybe someone there thinks we’re a demographic who they at LEAST don’t want to actively piss off though!
Philip
20. Apr, 2010
I realize that I am new here, but I am betting there is a good reason for the Mom Bias. After all, their job is to make money and moms are the ones on the Internet clicking ads. I realize there are dads to (as I am one) but the audience as a whole is moms. I have found this to be true in my circle of friends as well. The moms do the research and talk it over with their husbands.
I am not saying this is right, just what I have noticed. There are still some resources out there (such as my recent attempt) that cater to the joint role of parenting. I have a felling they don’t do as well though.
Just my thoughts.
Jack
21. Apr, 2010
Screw ‘em. Do we really care.
Clark Kent's Lunchbox
21. Apr, 2010
Knowing several former dads who wrote for babble I can tell you from what they shared with me, the change was less than subtle for them. Many were just dropped with little in the way of an explanation. Professionalism went out the door, and now there is a great deal of blatant pandering to the moms with gimmicks such as the vote for your top 50 mom bloggers. And I won’t even go into the issues with Parent and Parenting Magazine.
Brian Reid
21. Apr, 2010
Philip -
I don’t know that the marketing gurus over at Babble are doing what they need to do maximize revenue and readership in the short term. (Nor do I think that the parenting mags are misguided on a purely business level.)
But — long term — this is a move that alienates the fastest-growing segment of the parenting market. And while I don’t think dads will ever get to 50 percent (we can dream, though), I’m puzzled why publications don’t throw us a bone every once in a while. Is writing by dads (or for dads) so offensive to the mom readership that it can’t be included?
Ron — That’s the real scandal and the real disappointment.