Dads have a unique role because they are the only parent with, um...well, let's start over. Dads are in a transitional period. We started out in caves, working with nothing but stuff to try to kill food with. Fast forward a couple of years, and we got houses, and we were expected to set up and fix the internet when it breaks. We are entering a new era (cue strange music), when some dads are using software in new ways to help them manage and enjoy the unique responsibilities they have to themselves, their families, their jobs, and their communities. The goal is simple: help dads be more
productive and have more fun.
The site has three main sections: buy, beg, and build. Each of these sections includes posts that will help dads use software better to get stuff done and have fun.
This section can help you figure out what software to buy. I pose a question, such as "What calendar software should I use for my family?" and then, with the help of the community, I answer it. If you have a question that you would like to see asked, send an email to matt at dyor dot com.
This section is all about getting other people to solve your problems. You want software to manage your little league team? Put down your requirements and let somebody else tell you how you should do it. Odds are, somebody is using or selling just the software you want. If nobody has ever built what you are looking for, and it is not insane, there is a good chance that somebody will come along and build it (particularly if you can get a bunch of your friends to chime in with how much they would love to have that software, too).
This section is my favorite. Dads want to build. During that transition from cave dwellers to house owners, dads spent a number of generations building things from bridges to buildings to cars. Dads do not build as much anymore, but the innate desire to build something is still there. Some guys have the time, space, and money to get into wood work, but if you lack more than one of those (or if you just prefer furniture that does not suck), then software is a great outlet. You can imagine something one day and use it the next...eventually (everything takes longer than you think). Even if you are not a geek, there are ways that you can do the heavy lifting of building an application and leave the raw technical implementation details to a geek for a reasonable fee.
Each post is targeted to one of the dyor labs dad personas: cave dad (capable of using a cell phone with big buttons, possibly has an AOL account), laptop dad (can set up and manage a wireless network for the home WITH encryption), and astro dad (adept with existing software and maybe has a couple of killer ideas that he is thinking about building). You can tell which type of dad we are targeting based on the label (eventually, we will hire some fancy artist, but for now you will just have to read). |
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