Group items tagged

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.

Website Name: Military Family Research Institute URL: http://www.cfs.purdue.edu/mfri/public/Default.aspx Website Overview: Military Family Research Institute (MFRI) recognizes the challenges and sacrifices military families endure due to deployments and relocations. Their mission is to strengthen community involvement, support educational goals, and to create policies and programs the help support and improve the quality of life for military families. Intended Audience: The intended audience is both civilian and military families living in Indiana, and throughout the United States. Critique: The website is credible as it is an extension of Purdue University. There are several links that provide access to ongoing research studies, not-for-profit organizations, and several partners of MFRI, such as, Career Learning and Employment Center for Veterans with Disabilities (CLEC). They do not appear to be selling or advertising products. The website is full of useful information and seems aimed at educating its intended audience. Relationship to work, family, community class: MFRI seems to understand the struggles that military families face and are actively trying to lessen some of their burdens, especially with education. There are several links to grants and higher education programs made available to military families. Also, MFRI actually offers a $1500 grant to community organizations that work toward helping military families. Other comments: I liked that MFRI are actively working with military families to see where they can use a helping hand. For example, based on communications with military families, MFRI created a report discussing the challenges that veterans often face when being introduced to the college environment. They took initiative and are trying to make the transition from military life to civilian life easier on these individuals and their families.

How can you go wrong with a website that opens to "Operation: Hire A Hoosier Vet Career Fair"! The Veterans Administration estimates that there are more than 22.7 million US veterans today. http://www.va.gov/vetdata/docs/quickfacts/Population-slideshow.pdf I believe that with the end of hostilities in Iraq, and as the draw down in Afghanistan looms, we will see more returning vets facing an stagnant economy, and its good to know there are resources available for aiding in the process of re-integration.

One thing I noticed is that the site lists five goals, but doesn't really say how they plan to reach them. They should tell what they're doing to reach these goals. Also, like you mentioned, these deployed military members will be coming back to a stagnant economy; how do they intend to address that? If they are finishing their time in the military, they're going to need jobs. We don't exactly have many jobs right now, so I think this should be the major concentration.

Focus on the Family http://www.focusonthefamily.com/ This website focuses on family issues beyond work/family issues including; marriage, parenting, life challenges, faith and social issues. Focus on the family also has a radio broadcasts, websites, simulcasts, conferences, interactive forums, magazines, books, counseling and much more. Their mission statement is "To cooperate with the Holy Spirit in sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with as many people as possible by nurturing and defending the God-ordained institution of the family and promoting biblical truths worldwide." And their vision is to redeem families, communities, and societies worldwide through Christ. This organization has a value statement which emphasizes value on evangelism, marriage, children, human life, social responsibility, and the individuality of both male and females. This is a large not for profit organization with a 2010 asset and liability of just over $82 million. Obviously Focus on the family is a Christian based organization which targets mainly Christians. All materials are accessible to the general public and seem be easy to understand. Focus is a politically active organization and highly influential in our countries policies. This is a highly legitimate organization with many contributors from all walks of life. This organization was founded by a world renowned child psychologist, Dr. James Dobson Ph.D. I learned that this site has a treasure trove of information and help with raising children. As a working father myself, and a product of parents who lacked in both parenting skills and communication, I had a rough time trying to train my own children. Without the proper training on child raising or even how to deal with your spouse in hard situations, we find ourselves working longer hours to stay away from the problems at home. Although this site might not be interesting for everyone because of its outspoken Christian beliefs, one cannot deny that getting educated on p

Focus on the family is a great source! The cite provides a lot of useful advice and I have heard them on the radio many times. Definitely one to trust. Nice work.

What a great pick for a review... one I would not have thought of, but very appropriate. I think so many times I think of the work family conflict of only having solution at work, but the solution can come at home when one chooses the life they want to lead.

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.

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.

The Center for the Child Care Workforce URL: www.ccw.org Website Overview: This website is intended to help the education workforce develop leadership and advocacy skills intended to affect the available assets and applicable policies that effect early childhood development and education. The website advocates "having a seat at the table" where decisions and policy are made that effect the overall operations, policy standards, and programs of the education system. Intended Audience: The site clearly states in its mission statement that the intended audience is the educators, administrators, and all those directly connected to the education system as a staff member. The material is accessible to the general public and for the educational workforce. It seeks to tie the two together as more of teacher-parent education than a niched website strictly for the education workforce. This is evidenced by many parent focused sections included in the educator sections. Relationship to Work, Family, & Community: This website is relevant to the class in that it focuses on the early education of children and community projects that might be beneficial to helping them develop skills during their education and also advocate for the home and after school programs available to them. Credibility: This is a front for a union operation that seeks to advocate for the wages and benefits of the educator. While there is some subtle delivery of policies and programs that seems very beneficial to all, there are certainly strings attached for the union to be able to benefit. There are several different areas related to wages, tax revenue, and how to squeeze more money out of the government to fund programs related to education - all with a nice little bump for the teachers union. There are also areas of the website related to "supporting" the website and the union through monetary giving. Areas also exist to organize protest rallies, sit-ins, and days off to educate teac

John- I definitely agree that there are other interests at stake here than just the development of early childhood education policies. It looks like the group started out as an unaffiliated proponent of early childhood education and later merged with the AFTEF (nonprofit educational arm of the American Federation of Teachers) after its move from California to Washington, D.C. (surprise, surprise) Hopefully they continue their advocacy work as a neutral party advocating greater need for early childhood education. But, as you state, the website seems less intent on organizing such advocacy efforts and more interested in propagating the union's interests in greater compensation levels for its membership in the early childhood sector. Excellent research on your part. Yours, Mike

Hi John, While I agree that there is linkage to the teachers federation, it seems that there is a strong on enabling child care by focusing on providing support mechanisms for those who are in the profession. I think the credibility is valid in that it is trying to focus on establishment of programs that will reduce turnover, improve compensation, quality and improve public awareness. One of the challenges we face, and it was noted in our studies, are credible, reliable child care programs. There are no easy answers, and while we are challenged to pay for child care, finding quality child care is just as much of a problem. Good research Mitch

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 workplace flexibility 2010 website advocates for "the development of a comprehensive national policy on workplace flexibility." They strive to bring attention to the workplace flexibility offer links to resources that discuss specific concerns or legislation in more detail. The site has workplace flexibility issues broken down amongst several categories, including: stakeholders, families and caregivers, military families, older workers, low wage workers, people with disabilities, and employers. The site is a public policy initiated at Georgetown Law. The site is intended to be a continually updated site that aims to "lay the groundwork for implementation of meaning workplace flexibility policy solutions." It is part of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation's National Initiative on Workplace Flexibility. The material available is discernible by any audience and is meant to generate support and inform those who are concerned. There is not an expectation of higher learning to understand the sites position or material.

Although there is a great deal of valuable information, the site mainly is an archived list of websites that relate to a specific concern. The events section has not been updated since 2010 and the news article section was last updated in August of 2011. Since the website is sponsored by Georgetown Law, it does maintain some credibility, but it lacks proper updating and true independent thought. If the visitor was looking for information on the effect of workplace inflexibility in a particular sector of the economy, as previously discussed, they will find a great deal of website resources at their disposal. The main accomplishment of the organization is a paper that was published in 2010 discussing a variety of issues related to workplace inflexibility and outlined several possible remedies for the issue. The organization does not offer direct support to any particular political party or to any support to a particular advocacy group. They simply state the concern, outline the problem, and address possible solutions and links to find additional information. Therefore, it does not appear that any bias exists.

There was some additional information concerning work, family, and community that Workplace Flexibility 2010 addressed that I had not previously considered. Often many of us relate work-family issues to a traditional job or career. The site addresses this concern in relation to military personnel. Our discussions concerning workplace inflexibility mainly dealt with the inability of a parent to get time off to care for a child who is sick, or dual earning income families that are unable to attend to a child before or after school. In general, solutions to these concerns typically include reduced hours, greater flexibility of hours, ability to work at home, or parents working differing shifts. In military families, the imbalance becomes even more widespread. An active military member could be deployed for over a year and often, longer than that. This creates an additional strain on the family. The community and family are instrumental in assisting these families. I had not previously considered inflexibility with relation to active military personnel. Overall, the site is well-designed and encompasses a great deal of information and resources available for the workplace inflexibility concern. I would argue that the site needs to be continuously updated and provide statuses on the progress made with respect to the issue in the sectors they outline.

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

Workplace Options http://www.workplaceoptions.com Workplace Options sums up its company mission in one, concise statement: "Strengthening workplace effectiveness through employee engagement and support." From the website, "Workplace Options is a leader in customized work-life and employee support benefits to EAPs, individual companies, government employees, universities, hospitals and other organizations, all over the world. "Currently serving over 32.5 million employees worldwide, Workplace Options has 30 years of experience as a leading work-life services provider, and more than 15 years of experience innovating EAP services outside the U.S. "Founded in Raleigh, NC in 1982, we began our company by providing work-life consulting and training to corporations - including work-life needs assessments, policy development, implementation, and corporate on-site child care center design and development. Then in 1997, we launched a new business model that focused exclusively on providing resource and referral solutions to EAP and third-party organizations. That change allowed Workplace Options to better leverage its expertise in dependent care and convenience referrals and to partner directly with clients to develop and deliver innovative work-life products and services." The website's information regarding the management team at Workplace Options reveals a very strong management team with a wealth of talent and experience in the EAP services industry. Credibility stems from such talented managers as Mary Ellen Gornick, a nationally recognized expert in the employee assistance and work-life industry and Rita Piper, with 30 years experience as a work-life/wellness professional, trainer, project administrator, account manager and sales executive. Workplace Options website brings availability of services to the web in an on-demand capacity. Some of the services provided include dependent care assistance, support for care of an elderly relative, and a compr

Workplace Options website brings availability of services to the web in an on-demand capacity. Some of the services provided include dependent care assistance, support for care of an elderly relative, and a comprehensive work-life website with a comprehensive library of online resources for a wide variety of issues around parenting, elder care, relationships, wellness, work, and everyday life. Further, content includes over 5,000 regularly updated articles, 45 financial calculators, 70 interactive health and emotional health assessments, 77 streaming audio, and over 300 video files covering a range of health and emotional health topics, over 100 ready to use legal documents, and 92 SkillBuilder online training programs. Homepage content such as featured articles and polls are updated monthly, and website resources are reviewed and updated daily. Users can also take advantage of 9 interactive self-search locators for: child care, elder care, adoption, education, pet sitting, private and public colleges, volunteer opportunities, and attorneys. In addition, webinars are available each month on a different work-life topic. Previous webinars are archived for easy download. A Spanish version of the Advantage Work-Life Website is also available. Workplace Options is more of a globally-based provider than Deer Oaks (my first website review) is. As such, I feel that the nature of their programs is more universal and less company- generated than that of Deer Oaks' programs. However, the work-life website could be a good starting point for members to understand the options available in dealing with their own personal work-life issues.

Interesting review Michael. As I looked at the site, I found it similar to Work and Family Conflict, another site that essentially is in business to sell employers methods to make employees more efficient. While establishing the basis for driving employee engagement, it does so on the employees back. Selling employers tools they can use to garner the best employees, while at the same time also laying a foundation to minimize their overall impact. For myself, the credibility of this site is lacking as it has the employer in mind more than the employee. Work Life balance is a product that can be bought and sold. Mitch

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.

Since I initially chose a website that, I didn't notice, had already been reviewed (Family and Work Institute) I decided to report on another site that helps families who work in thoroughbred racing (After all this is Kentucky Derby Week). Website Review: The Race For Education (RFE) helps families who typically earn low wages and work long hours in the Thoroughbred industry, send their children to college. The website is user friendly and offers information on the mission and fundraising efforts of the Thoroughbred Industry. Their mission is to provide mentoring, tutoring and partnership, along with financial support, with the ultimate goal of making sure students are successful in life and become an asset to their community. Although the majority of the students involved in The Race For Education program come from high risk and extreme need backgrounds, the graduation rate is over 70%, while the national average is about 50%, and 90 % of RFE students make the dean's list. The organization is managed by a volunteer board of directors and an executive committee with both professional and academic experience. Approximately 75% of its funding comes from private individuals and foundations and is 25% federally funded. The organization also receives an annual contribution that covers all operational expenses. This allows 100% of the contributions received to go directly to student programs and services. The Race For Education's primary source of funding is the Racehorse Nomination Program, in which horse owners donate a percentage of their racehorses' earnings to the scholarship program. Annual fundraisers include The Race For Education 5K/10K Run, held in beautiful Midway, Kentucky, each October; and the Thoroughbred Charities of America Stallion Season Auction in December. In looking at the Board of Directors the organization and website is maintained by people who work and actively participate in the racing industry. Key areas of the site include fundraising and

(continued)....scholarship opportunities, Equine Programs and Vet schools,News and Current Events. There isn't a political agenda, just an industry that wants to take care of their own and ensure a good future. The site lists success stories and is credible. My own Thoroughbred racehorses have contributed to helping students with tuition at the University of Kentucky and at Auburn. It is refreshing to see a private industry successfully intercede to provide funding for their possible future participants.The general public may be interested in this website, however I think it may be limited to families in the Thoroughbred Industry.

Thank you for your review of this site. I am impressed by this organization. Many of the sites we have reviewed five information on how to help or publish documents related to a particular topic. This organization aims to assist families with scholarships and educational expenses. Many parents work multiple jobs and late hours not only to help their family make ends meet, but many do so to provide much needed funds for post secondary education. I was also impressed that due to some donors, 100% of the contribution go toward the organizations goal. Thank you for reviewing this site and introducing this organization. Joshua

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.

This website is a work in progress by the School of Management and Labor Relations Center for Women and Work. Their main focus areas include 1) Workforce Development, 2) Education and Career Development, 3) Women's Leadership and Advancement, and 4) Working Families. The main mission of this group is to address the advancement of women in the workplace, conduct cutting-edge research on successful public and workplace policies, provide technical assistance and programs to educators, industry, and governments, and engage issues that directly affect the living standards of New Jerseys' and the nations' working families. Gender equity projects and research is also at the heart of their mission. Overall this website is very informative for all viewers. It is a good source of information and research on a wide range of topics that deal with women, work and families. It is a credible website with much information and the capability to take donations. They have links to the Working Poor Families Project and other related blogs and organizations. I am impressed with the New Jersey Time To Care project. This is a project to offer paid leave to workers faced with family illness or crisis for a six-week period of partial wage replacement over a 12-month period. This initiative will cover leave to bond with a newborn or newly adopted child or to care for a seriously ill child, parent, spouse, domestic partner or civil union partner. This will cover all workers who have earned $143.00/per week for 20 weeks. Great for part timers who would usually only be granted unpaid leave. (This in itself is a separate website that is very informative, as well.) I like the design of the (CWW) site and the way they offer links to those who may want or need more information. The Sloan Center on Innovative Training and Workforce Development is also packed full of good information. Their link takes you to The Center of Women and Work's (CWW) Innovative Training and Workforce Development (ITW

The Center for Women and Work website is full of information to help women better themselves and their families. I like how they included their link to twitter, it shows that they are really trying to reach out to women of all generations. Kristin

Thank you for your review of this site. There is a great deal of information available with relation to women in the workplace. Diversity is important in any organization. The companies that have the strength and talent of minds from differing backgrounds and needs can anticipate factors more fully. It is refreshing to see an organization that provides so much information. I agree with Kristin that utilizing social media shows the passion they feel for their mission. I was also impressed that they had current and relevant articles available to be read and commented on by visitors. Thank you again for your presentation of this site. Joshua