Friday, December 10, 1999
Grandparents on the Web
Local site helps them keep in touch with grandkids
BY CINDY KRANZ
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Like many grandparents, Don Harmon has to spoil his five grandchildren long distance. His grandkids, ages 2 to 15, live in Chicago and Cleveland, so the Internet is one way he stays in touch. But the 61-year-old White Oak has taken this connection one step further.
He and his daughter, Kristine George of Chicago, have launched a Web site by grandparents for grandparents called GrandparentWorld.com. The site at www.grandparentworld.com offers informative articles related to grandparenting and free e-mail accounts.
“It's a great way to stay connected if you can't physically get together,” says Mr. Harmon, CEO of GrandparentWorld.com and a manufacturers' representative in the aerospace industry.
Ms. George family has always lived far from both sets of grandparents. “We always looked for ways to stay connected when we weren't visiting and we met many others, including our own siblings, who felt the same way,” she says.
“Since the Internet was getting popular as a way to communicate and all the grandkids and grandparents were now using e-mail of some sort, we decided that starting a Web site that provided all kinds of information for grandparent to stay connected to their grandchildren would be a fun and important way to do this.”
Interacting through the Internet is not just about e-mail. Staying connected also means being able to communicate with your grandchildren — like knowing the difference between a Pikachu and Charizard Pokemon.
“GrandparentWorld.com provides tons of information about grandparenting, grandparent issues, the most popular toys and gifts, health and grandparent book reviews and this is an important way for both sides to understand what is happening in each other's lives,” Ms. George says.
Content changes every two to three days and includes topics such as financing your grandchildren's education or childproofing your home. The site has six categories: shopping; travel; finance; health; soup, a potpourri of tidbits and advice; and what's new, where grandparents can learn about trends like the Harry Potter books and Pokemon.
GrandparentWorld.com links to other sites where grandparents can shop for gifts for grandchildren or travel information about best fares for visiting or traveling with grandchildren.
“That's why we think it's so much easier to navigate in our site,” Mr. Harmon says. “They don't have to go from site to site to do their shopping, their travel, their finance or health information ... We wanted a site that was easy to navigate and get around in because some grandparents are new to the Internet.”
Ms. George, 33, works with their editor, Patty Meder of Pleasant Ridge, a grandmother of 16, approving all content and securing advertisers. The site has logged more than 70,000 hits since it was launched Oct. 25. Forty people have registered for e-mail.
It's important, Mr. Harmon says, that grandparents stay in touch with their grandchildren, regardless of the miles that separate them.
“It's a unique opportunity for them to shape the grandchild's growth, be a mentor, friend, historian of family and confidante,” Mr. Harmon says.
His wife, Mary Ann, also uses the Internet to e-mail and chat with the grandchildren. She recently contributed articles on traveling and recipes to the site.
The George children, ages 4 and 2, interact regularly with their grandparents in Cincinnati and their grandfather in New Jersey through electronic greeting cards and e-mail. They e-mail back and forth with their grandparents about three times a week.
“There are a lot of love notes and digital photos going back and forth,” Ms. George says. “They often talk about what they did at school or what friends they may have played with today. Right now, there are a lot of notes about their Christmas Wish List.”
Sally Berg, 68, of Mount Airy, visits the Web site three times a week.
“This is a Web site that really kind of appeals to me because we enjoy our grandkids so much,” says Mrs. Berg, a grandmother of six, ages 3 to 13. She likes the information she can get at the Web site, such as holiday stress busters and links where she can print pictures for her grandchildren to color.
Mrs. Berg admits she's not proficient on the computer yet, so she appreciates how easily she can maneuver in GrandparentWorld.com. “It seems kind of simple to use. Maybe that's because it's geared to grandparents. It makes sense. It seems bright. It's well laid out.”
She also trusts the Harmons' judgment on content and links. Her husband, Edward, is friends with Mr. Harmon. “They are poster people for grandparents,” she says. “They do so many things for their grandkids. I would think he would be a natural for this.”
Kristine George is always looking for ideas that will help grandparents stay connected to their grandchildren. She welcomes your ideas at kristineg@grandparentworld.com.
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