UrbanSitter: A social media answer for parents seeking reliable, trusted babysitters-- fast.
What it is
UrbanSitter uses Facebook Connect to access, with permission, the networks of parents and sitters and bring the two together. it trawls contacts, groups and "Likes" for sitters known through friends. When a parent needs help on date night, the service spits out a list of possibilities. Parents can review rates, schedule interviews, conducts background checks and book the sitter-all online. like the restaurant reservation service Open Table, the parent is notified immediately after the sitter accepts the gig.
How it started
in November 2010, Lynn Perkins, who has twin boys, had enough. Why was it, she wondered, that she could book an online restaurant reservation in a minutes, yet had to spend hours calling and e-mailing around to find a babysitter? Armed with an idea and her background running online clothing retailer Xuny.com, Perkins turned to Facebook to solve the problem.
What it is
UrbanSitter uses Facebook Connect to access, with permission, the networks of parents and sitters and bring the two together. it trawls contacts, groups and "Likes" for sitters known through friends. When a parent needs help on date night, the service spits out a list of possibilities. Parents can review rates, schedule interviews, conducts background checks and book the sitter-all online. like the restaurant reservation service Open Table, the parent is notified immediately after the sitter accepts the gig.
How it started
in November 2010, Lynn Perkins, who has twin boys, had enough. Why was it, she wondered, that she could book an online restaurant reservation in a minutes, yet had to spend hours calling and e-mailing around to find a babysitter? Armed with an idea and her background running online clothing retailer Xuny.com, Perkins turned to Facebook to solve the problem.
