Group items tagged

PART 1 OF 4 Title: Family Support America - http://www.familysupportamerica.org Purpose and content: The purpose of the website seems to be to provide educational and/or public service information for parents, teachers, and caregivers. The content is basically brief definitions and information regarding child abuse prevention, tips to avoid lashing out at your children, tips on adoption, education, daycare, divorce with children, work and family balance, caregiving, and links to other web resources. Accuracy of information: None of the information is comprehensive in nature. However, the brief text that is present does seem believable. It seems the purpose is to direct visitors to outside sources -- or to the "sponsors" shown at the bottom of most pages, which are for-profit businesses. All the information on the pages within this website seemed to be generic tips and definitions that could have been copied and pasted from almost any other website with similar information. Qualifications of the author or group that created the site: There is nothing on this website to determine the author's identity or establish any qualifications, expertise, or credibility of anyone associated with this website or organization.

PART 3 OF 4 Title: Family Support America - http://www.familysupportamerica.org The domain Whois report shows Avid Amiri to own about 17 other domains and is associated with over 1,000 more. This is not concrete evidence that information is biased and the site is actually for advertising, but it is conspicous. Either Avid Amiri is the person hired by the organizations to register and host the domains -- which does not seem plausible since the address is the same for all contacts and the organization -- or Avid Amiri is in fact also the author. If the latter, I would venture to presume Avid Amiri is using domains as an underhanded method of search engine optimization (SEO) for the for-profit businesses shown as sponsors on many pages of the website. Further investigation of Avid Amiri revealed there is one with the name Avid Amiri located in the Salt Lake City area that is a member of LinkedIn and Twitter. When looking at the Twitter page connected to that Avid Amiri, that person is in fact a consultant specializing in search engine optimization. Contact information / means of communication with author or webmaster: On the Contact page there is an email address that looks like it is attached to administration -- whether it intends to be web administration or organizational administrative staff member or author is not clear. The address is admin@familysupportamerica.org. There is a mailing address on the Contact page as well. It lacks the two-letter state abbreviation. There is no phone number. There are no specific contacts displayed. Broken links: The link to the "learning center" hangs on a blank page and is therefore broken (http://www.familysupportamerica.org/familysupportamericalearningcenter.html). The Links and Resources page does not provide any links or resources at all.

PART 4 OF 4 Title: Family Support America - http://www.familysupportamerica.org/ Design, organization and ease of use: The overall appearance of the website is generic. It is what I call a "cookie-cutter" template. It is easy to read and navigate, but that is because there isn't much on it. The home page template is fractured, i.e., the left panel link image is too large for what is allowed in the template causing a fracture in the design elements. A site map is available, but the learning center link does not work. There are no help screens. There is no search available within the site. Final evaluation remarks: At first glance, this site is revealed as a non-profit site (.org domain extension) sharing family support information. At second glance, it appears to be a bare bones approach to direct visitors to other sites for more comprehensive assistance and/or information. The home page reads they can help with child abuse, alcoholism, and more, but continues that if they cannot help, they can direct the visitor to someone who can. There are no individuals featured. There is nothing to indicate anyone has any credentials of any type in the field of Family Support. Again, it appears to be directing visitors to other sites and it does not appear to do that well. The closer look reveals misrepresentation and sneaky SEO tactics to pump up search results for the businesses shown as "sponsors" on many of the pages. I will say the information that is on the pages is not useless and it does pertain to families and work as I feel the real-world pressures of work and bills to pay has a lot to do with family abuse and the ability or non-ability to deal with those issues.

CELF A UCLA Sloan Center 341 Haines Hall Box 951553 Los Angeles, CA 90095-1553 Mailcode: 155303 Phone: (310) 267-4262 . Website Name: UCLA Center on Everyday Lives of Families URL: http://www.celf.ucla.edu/ Website Overview: This website is directed to help behavioral science professionals "study how working parents and their children approach balancing challenges." (UCLA, Center on Everyday Lives of Families) The research posted on this site is very detailed of basic everyday living. The four focused areas are detailed, ethnographic research of the middle working class, digital archive of everyday family life, research training opportunities, and public dialogue on working family life. Intended Audience: Professional in the behavioral science field. Critique: I find this site to be credible. First off its URL ends in .edu which means that it is a part of an educational site. After doing some research, this site is part of Sloan Centers on Working Families. There are five other centers located throughout the United States at various reputable universities. The faculty and the staff that tend to this website belong to various educational departments in UCLA. I do not feel that this site was built in bias because it is a site that contents research data. This site does have a particular social agenda in which it feels that it can create a more balance world for all. I can say that I am comfortable in the level of supporting documents that the website displays. It has a particular tab on research and working papers. Relationships to Work, Family, Community Class: The main focus of this course is to recognize the imbalances that working families endure and think up with a solution to help ease their negative issues. I feel this site would prove beneficial in helping working parents and their children with their challenges. These resolutions are found by observing basic everyday lives.

Good review, I found this website to be informational and purpose driven. This site does a great job of demonstrating it's objectives through research and actionable goals.

Raising a family in this modern world of instant everything can be a gargantuan task that is quite daunting to new parents no matter what their age is. Website Name: Family Support America URL: http://www.familysupportamerica.org Website Overview: This website is to help parents gain helpful and useful tips, information, support, and connections in order for families to survive. One of the main focuses is eating healthy and staying activity. Healthy children equal happy children. Other major topics include child abuse prevention, stress, adoption tips, education, childcare, and family-work situations. Intended Audience: The intended audience is parents. Critique: I feel that this site is somewhat credible. First off the website is an .org, thus referring to the website being associated with an organization. After doing some research on my local library database, I found a couple of publications mentioning the organization, Family Support America. One example of a publications mentioned that Family Support America hosted the 10th Biennial National Conference in Chicago. (2004) There is no specific author mentioned within the website. All information of given freely though each section does mention a sponsoring source at the end. The one thing that does bother me about the website is that it does not provide supporting documentation on its points. I do not find any signs of bias on the site since the site is directed to both parents. Relationships to Work, Family, Community Class: I feel this is site is very useful in helping families adjust and deal with work-family situation. Throughout this course we have read about many hardships and stress that many different types of families endure. This site gives families different solution to their dilemma. For example, we read about the lack of quality daycare many working parents deal with. Under the education & day care it gives a parent reading how to help you choose the right place for your child.

This site was interesting. It was very simplistic compared to other sites that have been reviewed in this forum. There is some great information available, but there is a lack of enthusiasm or care. The site seems mildly depressing with the white and blue color scheme. Overall, it has great intentions, but it lacks some of the more social aspects that other similar organizations has. I feel one of the best resources are other parents or individuals that have similar experiences. We can learn from each other and support one another. Using social networking or blogs helps to foster that communication. I feel this site just misses the mark with its simplicity. Thank you for your review on this site. Joshua

Wow, I would most certainly agree with you Toni. The webpage is certainly lacking a lot of polish as well as information. The information provided has no credible sources and is very scares. I would agree with Jade that the organization seems to be a real organization, however they certainly seem to be lacking a real mission. They claim to cover everything form child abuse to divorces. Most organizations seem to focus on one aspect instead of just doing it all. The sponsored links on each page also raise some red flags. Overall, I would say this is the worst website I have seen while doing this project.

Target audience, purpose and content: The purpose of the website is to share research results and action programs with women's perspectives. The target audience is women and men who wish to make a difference in women's lives. Accuracy of information: This site seems credible. It has clear contacts that include divisions, phone numbers, and email addresses. It also includes a list of resources for those who are in need of services, although they do not provide direct care. Links to their Board and directions to the actual brick & mortar location on the Wellesley College campus in Wellesley, Massachusetts. The Wellesley Centers for Women is a community of scholars engaged in research and training. The list of scholars and trainers is on the appropriate page with photos and links to bios with credentials. These are all determining factors that enable me to trust the accuracy of the information on this site. Qualifications of the author or group that created the site: Again, the scholars and trainers are listed with their bios, photos, and history of accomplishments. There are also events, publications, projects, and news. There are plenty of ways to communicate with someone associated with this site to confirm the reliability of the information shown. Contact information / means of communication with author or webmaster: There is plenty of contact information on the Contacts page listed under divisions with phone numbers and email addresses. A fax number is also included as well as directions to the organization's physical location. Design, organization, navigation, links, and ease of use: I did not discover any broken links or hanging pages. Each page was clearly titled and subtitled, showing it as part of the Wellesley Centers for Women site. Navigation was clear and pages loaded quickly. The site is easy to read and is not overloaded with gaudy text design or unnecessary graphics. The colors are soothing and easy on the eye. Th

Wellesley Centers for Women - continued .... part 2 of 2 due to the character limit cutting off the text............. The colors are soothing and easy on the eye. There is also a working search utility within the site. Final evaluation remarks: This is a credible, informative website with many sources, resources, and publications. Its purpose is to generate gender-focused changes in attitudes, practices, and public policy through research and action. It's an interesting site that is easy to read and navigate. Since this site focuses on gender research, I feel it does have much to do with family/work balance. As we have learned in this class, the roles of men and women and how they are defined in relation to work and family are a major aspect of balance.

Website Overview: Labor Project for Working Families is based around a vision of a multicultural work place that values the rights of families in the work force. They were established in 1992 is a non-profit that build relationships with family oriented organizations with the focus on fighting for family rights. They focus on unions as a source to build long term relationships and leverage employers to gain more family rights and values in the work place. Intended Audience: Working families. Critique: After reviewing the site for only a short period of time I could tell this organization was very pro-union and utilized them as the backbone of their support center. This website was less non-partisan then Families and Work Institute which I reviewed earlier. I liked the approach of using such powerful tools such as unions however I think the website could have been more balanced in their views of unions. The site was well put together and mapped clearly with little repeat information. Their annual reports were completely up to date available to be viewed. The information within the reports clearly backed up their mission statement and objectives. Very few other sites make financial information as readily available as did Labor Project. Overall they communicated their message well and demonstrated their value as a non-profit. Relationship to work, family, community, class: The Labor Projects for Working Families was clearly focused on creating awareness for the working families and the importance of family rights. They created a link between the power of unions and the benefit of working with employers to rally around family values and benefits. The use of strategic partnerships seems to be effective by their annual reports and use of diversity tracking with employers. I could quickly tell the focus on family rights after reviewing the website. Respecting the diversity and place of family is a core value for Labor Projects and one I clearly support. Overall

Based on the information you have given, and by reviewing the website myself, I do believe this a credible source. I understood the organization's purpose of building alliances between unions and the community groups for workers to be able to have family leave, paid sick days, and flexibility. Like you said, they are very pro unions which means they could possibly only see this side of an argument. I was impressed how the website was clearly mapped out, how much information was provided, and the purpose of the organization as a whole. They truly believed in building a family friendly workplace, and like you said, I would also support that. Your review was very good, after reviewing the website I realized you did I nice job of explaining the purpose and hitting the main points. It does look like the word count deleted some of your work, and I am interested in what else you have to say about this organization. Nice work overall!!

Continuation of earlier comments...it cut off the last couple sentences. Overall I thought the website was put together and support the content clearly however the agenda and political views of the website nearly over shadowed the purpose behind the organization. Dan Robertson

URL: http://www.timeday.org Website Overview: Take Back Your Time is a major US/Canadian initiative to challenge the epidemic of over-work, over-scheduling and time famine that now threatens our health, our families and relationships, our communities and environment. The purpose of the website is to bring individuals and organizations together in support of a public policy agenda to guarantee paid leave for all parents for the birth or adoption of a child, guarantee at least one week of paid sick leave for all workers, guarantee at least three weeks of paid annual vacation leave for all workers, placing a limit on the amount of compulsory overtime work that an employer can impose, making Election Day a holiday, and making it easier for Americans to choose part-time work. Intended Audience: The content on the website is geared toward individuals and organizations affected by work-family issues. It intends to speak to the needs for time poverty relief that millions of Americans share. Critique: The Take Back Your Time website is an advocacy site. Although it provides a great deal of useful information about the issue, its main purpose is to raise awareness by supporting a movement that seeks a "more balanced American life" by encouraging all types of programs to win back time, whether on a personal level or by enacting legislation locally and nationally. I found the information provided on the site to be credible. Everything is directly related to education on and support of their "Time to Care" agenda. The organizations that they partner with (the Moms Rising Web Site and www.MassCouncilOfChurches.org) show further evidence of their credibility.

John de Graaf is the national coordinator of TAKE BACK YOUR TIME, and a frequent speaker on issues of overwork and over-consumption in America. He is often a guest lecturer on college campuses. John is the co-author of the best-selling AFFLUENZA: THE ALL-CONSUMING EPIDEMIC (Berrett-Koehler, 2001/2005-now published in eight other languages as well.). He is also the editor of TAKE BACK YOUR TIME (Berrett-Koehler, 2003) and of the children's book, DAVID BROWER: FRIEND OF THE EARTH (Henry Holt, 1992). He also wrote the first chapter ("Childhood Affluenza") of the American Academy of Pediatrics' seminal book on childhood, ABOUT CHILDREN (2004). His articles have been published in dozens of magazines. John has worked with KCTS-TV, the Seattle PBS affiliate, for 24 years, as an independent producer of television documentaries. More than 15 of his programs have been broadcast in Prime Time nationally on PBS. He is also the recipient of more than 100 regional, national and international awards for film-making, including three Emmy awards. Relationship to work, family, community class: Take Back Your Time agenda relates to work, family, community class because their mission is to reduce the Time Bind and relieve the strain that families have when trying to balance work, family, and community responsibilities. The agenda is focused on uniting groups who seldom talk to each other -- family values conservatives and the women's movement, labor unions and environmentalists, clergy and doctors, advocates for social justice, enlightened business leaders and the "slow food" and "simple living" movements creating awareness of emerging family-work issues. The Agenda also recognizes that Working Americans and their families are imploding from a 24/7 workplace with no boundaries and we need time to care for our children, our families, our communities, our religious and spiritual lives, and ourselves. These are all topics that we have discussed in the course.

General Observations: A few things (statistics) that I learned about Work, Family & Community by exploring the site: -163 of 168 countries guarantee paid leave for mothers in connection with childbirth. 45 countries offer such leave to fathers. The U.S. does neither. - 139 countries guarantee paid sick leave. The U.S. does not. - 96 countries guarantee paid annual (vacation) leave. The U.S. does not - 84 countries have laws that fix a maximum limit on the workweek. The U.S. does not. - 37 countries guarantee parents paid time off when children are sick. The U.S. does not. Other comments: I thought that the website was both informative and educating. It enforces a great initiative that is based on collaboration, between individuals and organizations, to satisfy a clearly stated agenda.

The family Caregiver Alliance is an organization dedicated to giving a public voice for the caregivers; those who use their time outside of work to care for "loved ones with Chronic, disabling health conditions." The site provides more than advocacy and support. It presents educational materials, valuable information and research as well. "The Family Caregiver Alliance was the first community based nonprofit in the country to address the needs of families and friends providing long-term care at home." The site aims to address the concerns and support those who care for their loved ones in a diminished capacity. They offer information for public seminars, online webinars, and workshops that address specific needs. The Family Caregiver Alliance website is intended directly for those families and individuals that provide at home care for an individual in a severe diminished capacity. Although many of the seminars and newsletters address specific concerns in San Francisco and California, many of the topics and articles are relevant in every state. It provides information on how to communicate to doctors, how to take care of you as a caregiver, and provides information on more specialized care such as nursing homes, behavior specialist, and assisted living centers. It also creates a forum within seminars and webinars for individuals to communicate with others that are experiencing similar challenges and concerns. It offers online, unmoderated forums for open discussion from caregivers. They also offer support groups as well.

The Family Caregiver Alliance website is very professional, functional, and straight forward. The site is quite legitimate, publishing newsletters, articles, and sponsoring events to address the concerns caregivers face. Their list of sponsors and endorsements include AARP, the Administration on aging, the Archstone Foundation, and several California counties and California based organizations. Although they do not have a stated bias or affiliation to any political party, they do address that family care giving creates a lessening dependency on Medicaid and encourages the administration to support an agenda that addresses family caregiver concerns. . The site also details the eligibility criteria for each state's programs to assist caregivers in an easy to read chart. It is designed to be very user friendly and informational.

Elder care has become a more severe concern as the baby boomer population ages. Many of this generation are expected to be within the retirement phase anywhere from 20 to 40 years. With the increase in medical expenses and the increase in life expectancy, many families rely on their children to provide care and support for that aging generation. This time commitment can create a strain on the already complicated work-family balance. An interesting section concerned states legislation with respect to care giving. In the state of Illinois, "HB 493 (enacted 2003) Appropriated funds for senior caregivers of adult disabled children. It is informative to have knowledge of public assistance programs that may be available to help a family. Government and private industry often have policies and programs that are aimed to assist families in need with support, but the lack of knowledge regarding the programs often allows an individual in need to overlook the opportunity. Overall, the site is informative, clean, updated, and user friendly. There is plenty of information, but it is organized in an easily discernible fashion. There is a host of resources for further information and a variety of programs designed to inform and involve the caregiver with others that are in similar circumstances.

http://www.workingfamiliesparty.org/ This website is out of New York and is basically a site for influencing elections and is pro-democrat. A slogan that is mentioned states "Working Families is a different kind of political party. We're fighting for ordinary people, not for special interests." So right there, this is a politically biased website for the supposed "99%." The three main areas are meet the candidates, issues, and take action. They list their endorsements and of course there is an area to contribute to the cause and the candidates. Oh, yes, and President Obama is listed on this site as someone they endorse because he has worked so well for working families. Really? The intended audience is definitely voters. I do not give any credibility to this site due to it's political bias. Some of the ideas they promote are bank bailouts, healthcare for all, and green jobs/green homes. They are "fighting to bring back the Amerian Dream, and they want you to joint them. All I can say from the right is "don't drink the kool aid" to the voters.

Interesting website. The name of the site suggests that perhaps it is a politically neutral organization, focused on the policies and actions that benefit working families, be it from the right or the left. In looking thru the website, I don't see anything that resembles a care or concern for work/life/community balance. Here's an example of strategic website naming to acquire caring, help-seeking viewers who wouldn't normally visit political campaign sites.

http://www.worklifebalancecentre.org/ This website review is of the WorkLifeBalanceCentre. The main areas of the website are the About Us, Corporate Wellbeing, Individual Support, Interact, Hot Topics, Clients, More Resources, and Contact Us sections. The website audience is for both individuals and organizations. For organizations, it focuses on highlighting the problems organizations face when there is not an appropriate amount of WorkLifeBalance. For individuals, it focuses on hypnotherapy and CBT, fears, phobia, trauma, depression, childbirth, etc. This website is basically a site for people and or organizations to find out about the various courses they teach and the fees involved. There was a portion for testimonials from individuals who the courses or one-on-one courses helped with self esteem, wedding stress, and medical issues. The company is based in Leicestershire which is located in the midlands of Central England. I think this site could be easily used by the general population and is accessible to them. Unfortunately, they are located in England. So while the services can easily be used by folks over there, the services really provide nothing to us here in the United States. As far as credibility, I researched the director, Julie Hurst and also the center itself and found the following. She is a psychotherapist/hypnotherapist and the center has been in existence for over 21 years. Her LinkedIn profile does not say where she went to school but it does say that she has been a featured speaker. I searched google and youtube looking for placed where she has been a speaker but I did not find much of anything. I also searched for complaints against her or the business and was not able to find much either. She has not written any books and the website does not appear to have any specific political or social agenda either. As far as credibility, it is hard to say. If we believe her LinkedIn page, the company has been existence for over 21

The Work Life Balance Center website offers a host of tools and resources for individuals as well as employers and other work groups. The organization is directed by Julie Hurst, a researcher and expert on health and well-being at work and overall balance in life. She is a consultant for news and other organizations where research facts, professional opinions, and commentary are requested on the topic. The site has absolutely zero advertisements for products and services, making it clear that the primary purpose of the site (and the organization) is to educate provide free tools to anyone looking. The tools available on the site are helpful, some interactive, to determine a person's current work-life balance and provides resources to consult in an effort to achieve his/her ideal work-life balance. There are many free whitepapers on various related topics and research, such as an overview on work-life balance, research on depression as one of the biggest work life balance issues, etc. The site does not address the community aspect of balance, but it covers the work-life dimensions very well. Many other resources are available thru the site: links to books and articles by published authors, links to other organizations who share the same cause and focus. The website is somewhat generic and is not as well populated with content as many other sites; however, the content is unbiased and the site is easy to navigate.

Website Overview: This website is intended to make resources available to employers and employees on how to make the workplace both supportive and effective. WFC Resources believe that the secret behind thriving businesses is a work setting with a twofold program. This program includes achieving business goals and creating a program that allows employees to meet their personal responsibilities. WFC Resources also offers consulting and training to help businesses and employees accomplish that objective. Their consulting and training is offered on-site and on-line which make the resources readily available. The on-line site is laid out in a simple format that is easy to navigate. They offer many resources available through articles that are free to download; products that one can purchase that contain e-courses on creating a work/family balance; reports and external resources.
This site seems to have much credibility. To support their credibility WFC Resources created the Work-Life Clearinghouse that over the last 20 years has tracked and wrote about the history and current practices in the workplace. In addition, the WFC Resources are active in the improvement of the industry through networks and society initiatives. For two years, the company has led the "When Work Works" program in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul which is part of the Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Workplace Excellence. Furthermore, the resources offered through this site are used by many fortune 500 companies listed on their website. Their track record, their presence within many corporations and their community involvement testify of their credibility.

Lisa, The WFC Resources Organizational Wellness website seems to be organized really well. I liked how they are not shy about who they are helping, by showing the list of their clientele. It shows that they were proud of their work. Also, I like how they have a "Latest News" section because it shows that they want to keep their audience informed. Kristin

Thank you for your review of this site. Often, many sites and available information is aimed at the individual to create a work-family balance. This site aims to help create balance by working with the employer as well. In this fashion, the company becomes more family friendly and helps to be a resolution to family imbalance, rather than a problem. In addition, I like the way they had videos that demonstrated their programs. They also had a great deal of information available discussing the difficulty of work-family imbalance. Their contact information was easily visible for any employer that wished to take advantage of their services. It seems they have created a balanced approach and have had success implementing their ideas to employers. Thanks again for your review. Joshua

http://www.eap.partners.org/default.asp This website is a resource for employees who are employed by the affiliated healthcare facilities that provides support for a wide range of issues from balancing work and family, marital concerns, child and elder care resources, substance abuse, financial and legal concerns among other things. The intended audience is any employees that work for the network of healthcare facilities that the website is facilitated by. By looking around on the website, I could tell that it was specifically for these employees; however, there are resources on the website that are available to everyone in the form of questions and answers. The website seems to be a good source of information as a resource for employees that are dealing with difficult situations in their life. This website also provided links to many governmental websites as further resources. The website is a .org so it is more reputable. This website seems unbiased because there are no advertisements. This website did not seem to have a political or social agenda. This website seemed right on point in regards to many of the difficult situations that we learned about in this class in regards to Work, Family & Community. There were resources for child care, elder care, and mental health, as well as some other valid issues in family life such as military life and veterans.

National Fatherhood Initiative http://www.fatherhood.org/ Overview: The National Fatherhood Initiative is a webpage for the organization with the same name who attempts to minimize the amount of children that grow up without their fathers in their lives. The organization is devoted to making sure fathers are there for their children as much as possible. Through its 3-E strategy, Educate, Equip, and Engage, the National Fatherhood Initiative has successfully helped more than two million children live with their fathers, along with reaching 1 million fathers with skill building resources. The webpage as a whole seems to promote the efforts of the organization a great deal as well as reaching out to potential donors. Intended Audience: The intended audience of the webpage is aimed at fathers who feel like they need to be more involved with their children. The website offers a number of help brochures and books in order to better fathers who are not as involved in their children's life as they could be; for a small fee of course. Critique: The first and most annoying aspect of reviewing this webpage was the lack of information available to the reader. The organization is a non-profit organization however it would seem otherwise from browsing through their website. There is a donate link on nearly every page of the site, making it frustrating to navigate as every link eventually takes you to either a donate page or a page that wants you to buy something. The four key tabs are For Fathers, For Organizations, For Media, and Donate. Choosing one of the four tabs basically takes you to a link where the viewer can give them money. If you are a father you can search their Father SOURCE collection in order to buy materials to learn how to be a better father. If the viewer is involved with an organization he/she can learn how to donate money and if you are a media member, then the viewer can learn how to hire one of the organizations speakers to do a presentation. Almo

Here is the remainder of the review as it seems to have been cut short Almost everywhere you go the webpage is attempting to get money from the viewer. The whole page is virtually an advertisement for the organization. On a positive note, the organization does seem to be very good at collecting money and aiding fathers in need. The organization has been associated with companies such as Disney, Nissan, FedEx, the NBA, and the NFL. Having an affiliation with all of these companies does go to show that the organization is achieving their mission. The website also has an interesting section labeled statistics; the section details some interesting statistics relating to the effects of fathers missing from their children's lives. All of the statistics are very well documented and precise with accurate source material. They webpage also has a number of ways to contact the organization all labeled on the bottom of the webpage. As a whole I would say that the webpage is very credible in its information, it's just a shame there is not much information to look at without having to dish out some money to see it. Relationship to Work, Family, Community class: The obvious connection to the concepts that we have learned this semester can be found in amount of work/family conflicts that result from overworked parents neglecting their families in favor of financial growth. As we have learned, fathers tend to be the parents who are more often than not placed in the role of bread winner. As a result of the amount of pressure that is placed on fathers, they are typically responsible for failing to be there for their children as they are growing up. I believe that the National Fatherhood Initiative is definitely attempting to shed some light on a less talked about subject matter; however I feel that the way that they are attempting to achieve their goal is somewhat disappointing. If as a non-profit organization you have some piece of knowledge that is going to help fathers ach

It seems that everyone is willing to provide help to anyone for a price. I wonder how much of the money they raise actually goes to help fathers have better and stronger relationships with their children. I took a look at this website and it appears to just give enough information to try and draw someone in so that they will pay to learn more. It may be very credible but I think fathers would be better off finding an organization in their community that offers meetings where fathers can get together and talk about issues and a facilitator donates their time to help.

New Ways to Work http://www.newwaystowork.org/ Website Overview: The purpose of the webpage titled New Ways to Work is to inform the audience of the organizations continuing efforts to create partnerships with other organizations such as schools, communities, private and government partners in order to provide young adults access to quality education and career opportunities. The New Ways to Work is devoted to providing less fortunate youths with choices to better themselves by using the public resources available to them. The organization also provides training programs, community activities and support groups that help educate youths about the necessary skills or goals required to succeed in an evolving school/work environment. Intended Audience: The intended audience for this website seems to be the general working families. I feel as the whole purpose of the webpage is to let less fortunate families know that there are organizations out there attempting to provide their children with a better way of life. Critique: After reviewing the webpage I began to realize that the webpage itself is extremely focused on informing individuals about the organizations efforts and continuing involvement with organizations to improve future generation's way of life. What I found interesting is the number of corporations that are associated with the organization, names such as Bill Gates, Apple, IBM, Wells Fargo, and the US Department of Education have all helped fund the organization in one way or the other. This alone can lead one to believe that the organization is accomplishing its objective of working with corporations and educational institutes to help build awareness regarding the possibilities youths can have. However, the webpage itself lacks information regarding how these corporations and individuals have made their contributions. The whole site seems to fail to make any real stance against anything other than helping youths. I found it interesting to see th

that they do not have a way for their visitors to donate money. The webpage seems to be more focused on making sure people are aware of what their organization does more than how they go about it. As for the website itself, I feel that a lot more time could have been placed on creating a more organized webpage. I looked at several webpages and the new ways to work webpage might be one of the worst put together website I have seen. The whole thing just looks like it was put together as a high school project. The webpage lacks some real direction as it seems the developers of the site were satisfied with just throwing a large amount of information out on their site and letting the viewer attempt to decipher the meaning of the information. One of the worst cases of this would be the web links section. I could not determine why the tab was there. From what I could tell the section is just a list of websites organized in alphabetical order, there is no introduction to the page or any references attempting to explain why the websites are there. Are these webpages sites that the organization supports or are they actual organizations that the group works with? Overall I feel that the organization as a whole has been successful in accomplishing their mission, however, I feel that their webpage needs better direction and more credible sources. I found it very difficult to find any sort of sources throughout the entire webpage and feel that the reason for this is largely due to the lack of organization on the website itself. The Author of the webpage is never revealed, however there is a section regarding the staff of the company under the "About us" section. Overall, I would say that the large number of individuals and corporations that have worked with the organization can only lead one to believe that the information provided is credible and that the lack of clarity on their website is due to poor organization. Relationship to Work, Family, Community class: I feel t

One of the topics that we covered in the class was Community which is described as being based on the idea that what we share exceeds what divides us, and that we gain more by working together than alone. New Ways to Work seems to be all about promoting the element of Community. It is good to have a source to go to for guidance on how we can collaborate and strengthen our ability to accomplish things that we would otherwise not be able to accomplish on our own. This seems to be a good site and I will probably refer to it again in the future.

Part 1: The URL: http://www.momsrising.org/ A brief overview of the website: This website is a network of people, united by the goal of building a more family-friendly America. This sites major campaign is M.O.T.H.E.R.S. This stands for M= Maternity & Paternity Leave O= Open Flexible Work T= Toxics H= Health Care for All E= Early Care and Education R= Realistic & Fair wages S= Sick Days, Paid. One of the tabs is take action. This tab breaks down the M.O.T.H.E.R.S. campaign and how people can help in the efforts. This ranges from designing your own ONEsie to sending a letter to congress. The next major tab is M.O.T.H.E.R.S This tab provides stories about each letter. As well as the facts, articles, what someone can do to help, and moms who are blogging about that subject matter. This site also includes In The News tab and Media tab. These tabs have press releases and videos relating to the M.O.T.H.E.R.S campaign. There are vast list of articles coming from sources like CNN, Parents Magazine, and Bloomberg. The intended audience: This site is geared mostly towards working mothers, but it also addresses families in general. Their big campaign is from the word mother, but their goal is for everyone. They want to change the world into a family friendly one. This is open to the public and very accessible and relatable for anyone with a family.

Part 2: Credibility: This site seems to be very creditable. They do their research on legislation, and get articles from creditable sources. For example in the toxic information they have a campaign for the safe chemicals act of 2011. Their creditable sources include sites such as CNN, Bloomberg, ABC news, and more. It does not seem biased. It offers any information that relates to their common goal. They do not seem to care where the source is from as long as it has useful and important information about their goal. They research legislation, and keep up to date on anything that affects families. General observations and relation to Work, Family & Community: In looking at this site it is very apparent that they are serious about their goal. They want to create a family friendly world, and have different outlets for people who want to do the same. They have many articles, and blogs as well as actually ways to get people involved in the campaign. This relates to Work, Family & Community because it addresses the major objectives in favor of families. Most of the objectives have to deal with the work-family balance. It also involves the community by offering ways to reach out and help. It is a national campaign linked to articles, blogs, videos, and information to help people towards the family friendly work environment and policies.

I really like this site. This site keeps me and others updated on issues that affect many people. It is also nice to know that the issues mentioned are being addressed and that many people share common ideals and goals. Mom's Rising is bringing awareness as well as bringing solutions to the table. These women seem to have life figured out... family comes first. I think we all can learn a lot from these women and the issues that affect our daily family and work lives.

Part one the URL: http://www.workingmother.com/ A brief overview of the website: This site covers everything a working mother would want to know, or read about. Of course like the two main categories for working mothers, they have the two main tabs on the site being at home and at work. They also have three sub tabs including: best companies, research institute, and conference and events. The at home tab has tips, ideas, and inspiration to help working moms balance household, family and me time. When you explore this section it offers many articles that address different topics concerning the home. For example, there is an article about pinkeye prevention. There is also an article about six family friendly earth day activities. Under the articles there is also a bunch of working mom blogs that you can read that pertain to subjects about the home. At work tab, is the other major tab on this site. This tab offers career tips and advice for every working mom at every stage of life. This tab offers a new range of articles that have to do with work. Some of the topics range from training you brain for pregnancy to stay sharp on the job, and how to ace an interview. Like the home tab this tab also has work mom blogs, but these blogs deal with the work side of life instead. The best companies tab has the latest news, tips, and trends on work-life and the advancement of women from Working Mother's signature initiatives. This include articles about the best working mother companies to work for, as well as updates on family policies and benefits.

Thank you for the review of this site. I was at first intimidated by the vast amount of information and links on the site, but after a bit of browsing, it did seem to flow more smoothly. I like the way that they have subdivided the topics by "@Home" and "@Work". This makes it easier to move throughout the site and locate more relevant information. The part that I thought was most valuable was links to blogs of other mothers. It is good for individuals to be able to network and create a community with other individuals that are experiencing similar problems or concerns. Community can be a great asset to obtaining information, and the blogs allows for a virtual community. I also like the fact they had information about family friendly employers to work for. This could be valuable to anyone who is looking for a new career and has to balance a family as well. Overall, I feel there is a great deal of information and the site serves a great purpose. Thank you again for your review. Joshua

Great review, Ashley. I enjoyed browsing the website as it seems to be full of great information for working moms (whether they work inside or outside of the home). I have to say, though, that this site seemed to be mostly for entertainment factor until I found the research library. The library is full of great information and research relevant to work/life/family/community challenges. I also found several resources specific to women (gaps and stats of careers/salaries/education of men and women). Overall I thought this was a great site that somewhat solidified what we've read/learned over the course of this semester.

http://www.stayhitched.com/balance.htm This website is called marriage success training, with the tagline of building the foundation for your lifetime together. They sell seminars for engaged couples who want premarital counseling. They cover many issues that engaged couples encounter from cohabitation, relationships with each other's families, and even how long couples should wait following the wedding to have children. The intended audience of this website seems to be couples, who are considering marriage. Either engaged or considering getting engaged. The knowledge assumed is that you are either an engaged heterosexual couple or a newly married couple. The information on this site seems reliable as a counseling resource for couples. This website does have bias towards religion and spirituality, even though it says there is no specific religion as its basis. On the homepage there are reviews from prior users of these services. They are quoted in the New York Times, as well as seen on WNBC TV news. They are holding seminars in Chicago next spring. They have Facebook pages as well as Twitter. I looked at their Facebook page, it looks like they don't really keep up on it, and they only have 75 fans. I think that any avenue that keeps a couple communicating is a positive thing for a relationship. This website did discuss many valid points for couples that may be entering that next phase of life that would encounter. In relationship to Work, Family, and Community this website brought up many good discussion topics for couples, such as how would household work be divided, would one parent stay home with children, and many other topics that may be otherwise taken for granted in a young relationship situation.

Help! Without an associated name, I'm having trouble figuring out who amers921 is. Please identify yourself so I can give you credit for posting your website review.

An interesting website, and there are some gems of information spread throughout. I especially liked the following pages of the website... http://www.stayhitched.com/mother.htm http://www.stayhitched.com/finance.htm Two of the most stressful parts of a new marriage, the moms of the parents, and struggling with the finances!

Deer Oaks- A Behavioral Health Organization http://www.deeroaks.com/ From the company's posted mission statement, Deer Oaks is a large behavioral healthcare organization offering Employee Assistance, Elder Assistance, and psychological assessment and treatment services throughout the United States. Of particular interest to our class, Deer Oaks offers Employee Assistance Program services to 'public and private companies. From the website, "founded in 1992, Deer Oaks EAP Services is a premier provider of Employee Assistance, Work/Life, and Health & Wellness Programs serving over 1 million members throughout North America. Deer Oaks offers public and private employer groups short-term counseling and work/life services that positively impact employee morale, medical claims, turnover, and supervisor effectiveness." As far as intended audience, this is a commercial website intended for the members of employer groups that subscribe to the services that Deer Oaks provides. Employees have 24-hour access to the Deer Oaks website to receive resources to balance work and family life. Through the website, employees can receive information regarding Deer Oaks services, answer self-assessment questionnaires and schedule appointments. The website features online support chats, message boards, questionnaires, monthly educational newsletters, an online library and an online magazine. The website also offers web-based seminars and information on a wide variety of topics, including wellness, family and workplace issues, financial and legal concerns. I find the website quite credible as a review of the credentials of the senior members of the organization shows them to be highly trained and qualified to perform their jobs. A number of them have received Doctorates in clinical psychology and seem well qualified to direct programs designed to assist employees attempting to balance work and life commitments. The range of assistance provided under the EAP plan is quite extensive a

The range of assistance provided under the EAP plan is quite extensive and would be an attractive benefit to anyone working for a company that sponsored such a plan. From the website, some of the services provided include: Comprehensive Diagnostic Assessments, Telephone Triage, Individual, Marital, Family, and Group Psychotherapies, Clinical Coordination and Consultation Services, Crisis Intervention Services, Supervisor/Manager Training, Psycho-Educational In-Services, Appropriate Referrals for Financial, Legal, or Health Plan Needs. Types of issues addressed through these services can include: Depression, Anxiety, Interpersonal, Familial, or Marital Conflicts, Grief: Death and Dying, ADHD and Conduct Problems, Substance Abuse, Stress Management, Childcare/Eldercare, Occupational issues, Crisis Management, Workplace Violence, Trauma: Abuse / Neglect, Domestic Violence, Financial, Health, or Legal Difficulties. Programs of particular interest include the following: Legal Assist Through Legal Assist, participants have free access to vital legal information on the Deer Oaks website, including a library of legal documents (with legal information on eldercare, domestic violence and family health) and a small claims and consumer "self-help" series, as well as access to online document preparation. Participants also have access to telephone information and services from a full service legal and financial Consumer Resource Center. Program participants are entitled to free preparation of a simple will by an attorney, and professional review of many types of legal documents. Find Now Childcare and Eldercare Program The Find Now program is designed to assist participants with caring for children and / or aging parents. The resources of this program make the search for licensed, regulated, and inspected childcare and eldercare services in each community an accessible and streamlined process. Online databases are available for searches. In addition, child and geriatric psych