This coming April will be Sleepytale’s 1st birthday. I started the site with high hopes and great expectations. I’ve had a lot of compliments and no one has given me a single complaint. Now I know I’m not perfect, and so there must be something that someone may not like, or thinks I could have done better. Speak up with your criticisms, or suggestions. I can take it.
Honestly I had hoped for far more members, as well as content by this time. Maybe I underestimated the difficulty that many people might have with getting their video uploaded. I know technology can be frustrating. However I find that hard to believe when there are so many videos on youtube and other sites that people upload all of the time. On top of that, most new models of video cameras, as well as phones are simple to use, and can easily upload to sleepytales. Why is it that there aren’t people uploading to Sleepytales. Don’t they know how much their kids would love it???
My take is that it is very difficult to stand out and be noticed. Sleepytales is in an ocean of internet sites. Even though I think this site is far superior, and unique, and can do so much for children and their family, getting the word out to them is a very difficult task. I’ve been very lucky to have been recognized by the local television and newspapers, as well as the Department of Defense. But that only goes so far. What I really need is a large marketing campaign to really get the word out. Right now, that’s just a wish. It costs a lot of money to do that. I simply can not afford it, and spend my money on keeping the site up and running.
I’ll bet one good viral video would bring in a lot of people. That would serve as a catalyst for others. If that happens then a proper marketing campaign can be launched. For now though, its up to you to help me to spread the word, add content, and join Sleepytales. Don’t forget, I’ve also launched a version for the grown folks to have a place to tell their tales and stories,, that the kids probably shouldn’t hear. Go visit it at www.storysaga.com and help support it as well. I also have another site in the works for all of you who need to fix something around the house, or your car. Be on the lookout for repairclips.com,,, it hasn’t launched yet, but I’ll be sure to let you know when it does.
Well that’s it for this blog entry. If this is your first time to the site I hoped you and your kids enjoyed a story or two. Please come back, please join, and please upload a video. Have a great one, Barry
Recently I had a chance to talk with the wife of an old friend of mine. I met both of them back in the early 90’s. He was an officer in the Navy, and she was a typical housewife. Back then they had a very young daughter. I was telling her about Sleepytales and how I hoped service members would be able to use it to tell their kids stories while they were gone.
She told me a story about how she kept an 8*11 picture in a frame of her husband. She would take that picture every night and show her young daughter his face. Together they would talk about him, and before going to sleep they would both kiss the picture goodnight.
She told me she didn’t want her husband to come home and be like a stranger to his daughter. She worried that her daughter might be shy or afraid, or take a long time to warm up to him once he got back. She said she thought it would be bad for both of them. You know what? She was right.
She reminded me why I made Sleepytales, and just how important a role it can play. There really wasn’t an internet back then like there is now. I’m happy to have internet as a medium to help people cope with separation, as well as just have some good clean fun with storytelling. There are so many people who are in the exact same situation she was in, but now I’m proud to have given them a chance to cope with their separation in a new and different way. Pictures are great, don’t get me wrong, but videos have action, have voice, and are a bigger influence on someone that small who misses their loved one who is gone away for a while.
Do any of you have a similar experience you’d like to share? Do you know anyone who has gone through something like she did? Can you think of other ways to cope?
There are so many bedtime stories, and everyone has a favorite. I used to think Jack was pretty cool by chopping that beanstalk down. How about the witch in Hansel and Gretel, she built an entire house made out of candy, must have cost a fortune. I wonder what it smelled like?
It’s funny, when you are a kid you want to hear a story really bad, you don’t care if it’s weird, maybe you kind of want it to be. Is it bizarre to climb a beanstalk up that high? Seems like you’d be scared.
Anyway, with so many weird, funny, and bizarre tales out there, which one was your favorite? Which one did you find really odd? Were there any that scared you? Let’s hear what you think.
Kids love children’s stories. All kids want a bedtime story. Whether it’s a fairy tale, a fable, or any kind of bedtime story. Bedtime stories, and children’s stories can help to teach a child and helps to bond a parent with their child. It is well known that children stories are told by parents all over the world. Every culture has children’s stories or a bedtime story and some are thousands of years old. The amount of bedtime stories are enormous. But now less children are receiving a story than ever. Why is this happening?
Now our modern world has grown to a fast pace society. Parents spend lots of time working and meeting responsibilities. There isn’t a lot time left after most parent’s busy workdays. It’s get them to school, go to work, pick them up, go home, eat, take a bath , go to bed, and repeat. Not only that, but higher rates of divorce have taken precious time normally shared by parents in a marriage away from their children. Then you have to also consider the parents who must spend time away from their kids due to work, travel, or military service. Sometimes grandparents are there to tell those stories, but often they live far away.
As a result of these situations many kids here and children everywhere are missing out on a good bedtime story. Less and less children get a good story regularly. Kids may lose an appreciation of reading, or storytelling, and parents have less of a bond with their child. Can technology save the day? How can the Internet solve this problem and help bring families together? Well the answer to those questions lies at Sleepytales.com and it is the 21st century parent’s way to connect to their child with bedtime and children’s stories.
Sleepytales.com is a user generated content site similar to youtube. The difference is that sleepytales.com has bedtime stories, fables, childrens stories with G-rated content only. It gives parents an answer that they did not have before. By uploading video or audio anyone can share, publicly or privately, a story with a child. Kids can choose from a wide selection of diverse stories at bedtime or anytime.
The ramifications of this new use of technology are very significant. Imagine a preschooler being able to watch a story at daycare or school online, told by a great storyteller which could be either their own parents or someone else. At night, before bed, imagine a child watching their absent parent telling a story to them. Maybe that parent is a trucker, a business person out traveling, or anyone on a night shift. Maybe that parent is right now engaged in a fight on a far away battlefield, and serving somewhere for our military. Maybe a divorced parent isn’t living close to their child or has limited visitation, here is their way to remain close. There are also grandparents who miss their grandchildren. Now they too can be there with a presence that they normally aren’t able to give on the regular basis. This is important especially when it is becoming more and more expensive to travel to go and visit loved ones.
Sleepytales.com gives both adults and children alike that which has not been available safely before on other user generated content sites which can and often do contain inappropriate content. The problem with other sites is that there is no focus on children’s content. Competitors offer stories in text only, some have audio, but none have the capabilties offered that contain the powerful format and ease of use. Uploading to the site is a breeze. All you need to know is how to browse and find your files made by your digital camcorder, or webcam video. You can also upload your favorite music, and your voice recorded on a mic as an mp3 file. Tell your own story. Lots of kids get to see your cool creativity and storytelling.
Sleepytales.com is the only user generated content site to focus only on childrens stories, bedtime stories, fairy tales, and fables. Abuse is easy to report and all uploaded content is filtered automatically. To this date no content has been flagged as inappropriate.This site is very rich in positive content and very safe for kids to spend time on.
Upon entering sleepytales.com you will find some awesome bedtime stories and childrens stories of all types as well as music and audio files on mp3. These are stories that come from many diverse backgrounds and are derived from multiple origins and ethnicities, giving a well rounded variety of content. There are many stories you would expect to find and some are very funny.
Members can join and create groups that are either public or private. This ability allows them to control the content that is seen by their child. Best of all sleepytales.com is free to join and easy to use. This means no family is left out due to lack of income. This is especially important to struggling families in today’s economy. The creator of the site is a veteran who knows that miltary families often struggle with finances, and perhaps are the ones who most need the services provided by the site. Donations thru paypal and ads help pay for the upkeep of the site. A small donation of only a dollar or more would more than pay for the amount of entertainment provided, but isn’t neccessary to access any of its content. It is a good way however to support what is a very positive website.
Even a small child can navigate through the site with the click of a mouse. Kids favorite bedtime stories and the best children’s stories or fairy tales are easily accessible from any computer with access to the internet. So now a click of the mouse is bringing families together, promoting reading, building precious bonds, and giving time back to those who would not ordinarily not have it. Being too busy to tell a story is no longer an excuse, and neither is boredom for those kids who can’t find anything to do. A story you upload is a record of a precious moment in time that you spent enriching a childs life. Now it’s always there for them to see, and you can share with anyone you like, including everyone.
Sleepytales.com is great for families and great for kids. I recommend you register and become a member today, and bring some joy into a child’s life. Once you’ve been there please come back to my blog and give me your opinion or tell me about your experience there. I think it’s great, do you agree?
