Tubefilter News

Who knew that the debate of circumcision was so hot right now? Seriously, this is apparently a hot button issue amongst new parents and parents-to-be. So what better topic to tackle in the launch of DECA’s newest original web series, Parents Ask (above).

DECA is fast becoming to parenting what Revision3 is to gamers and techies, building up a stable of original web series around an super-focused audience. Their Target-sponsored hit Momversation recently rolled out its 100th episode and Daphne Brogdon’s Cool Mom is still going strong. Sure, they also rock World of Warcraft slugfest Project Lore and Boing Boing, but in terms of new properties it’s all about the parents.

“We know that parents are looking online for answers to the tough questions about raising their kids, so we set out to bring together a panel of the top experts in the country,” said DECA’s CEO Michael Wayne. “We created Parents Ask to directly connect parents with the most knowledgeable authorities on every parenting topic.”

The panel of experts assembled for the weekly web series and site are the leading pop experts in the parenting space—pediatricians, authors, and psychologists. Also notable is that most of this group rock some clever titles to their books like “Eat, Sleep, Poop” author Scott Cohen, MD, FAAP, “Anxiety Free Kids”

We’re not quite a the point where this calls for full-page congratulatory buyouts in Variety, but 100 episodes is still a milestone. Sure, it’s not the TV syndication gravy train that lets Friends and Seinfeld stars collect ski chalets, but in the web world, it means you’re doing something right.

Momversation hit the vaunted 100th episode maker this week, and the A-list mommyblogger show continues to draw audiences not just as viewers but as active participants. Santa Monica-based DECA, the digital studio that created the web series, says this frequent community chatter was by design.

Armstong is joined by other well-read bloggers like Rebecca Woolf, Asha Dornfest of ParentHacks.com, Giyen Kim of BaconIsMyEnemy.com and Alice Bradley of Finslippy. They also seem to score a not-too-shabby group of guest panelists—like Access Hollywood’s Nancy O’Dell and NY State Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (in an upcoming episode).

Momversation would not be the same without the presence of über mommyblogger Heather Armstrong, founder of dooce. Heather began blogging in 2001 to chronicle her life. Her readers have followed her work in LA, subsequent firing (for blogging about people from work), getting married, moving to Salt Lake City, having a baby, postpartum depression, and current life as a wife and mom. These days a healthy Heather is pregnant with her second child, excited about her new book, and loves sharing her parenting thoughts with the Momversation viewers.

Tubefilter caught up with Heather to ask her about being in a web series and what she thinks the moms of Momversation will come up with next.

Tubefilter: With your blog, new book, and busy family life, how do you make time to be in a web series?

Heather Armstrong: I was really interested the format of it. One because there wasn’t going to be a lot of interference. They were basically asking us to talk about a topic. I wanted to make time for it. It’s a lot of work, but the final products are so good that it is well worth the time I put into it.

When you got home from school growing up, was your mom sitting at her computer blogging? Some of today’s kids are being raised by a whole new generation of web savvy parents. Momversation offers their viewers the chance to join the web’s most outspoken mom-bloggers in a smart and entertaining video conversation. From the controversial Heather Armstrong of Dooce to the extremely frank Giyen Kim of Bacon is My Enemy, the show offers a discussion of today’s parenting topics. Tubefilter talked to Asha Dornfest of the popular website Parent Hacks to find out more about mommy blogging, Momversation, and what her kids think about the web celeb in their house.