For those of us who love our kids and want to show it, Facebook offers impressive social networking features with customized applications for our amusement. Two of the more popular apps for proud parents are the I Have Kids application, and I’ve Got Kids. In this post, Benjamin gives us a no holds barred review and makes a great observation: simple and to-the-point beats out a rich interface for his tastes.

Round 1: I Have Kids comes out Swinging

The I Have Kids application has forums to allow you to network and converse with other parents on topics you may have in common. A growth chart tool is incorporated into the interface that allows you to see height/weight advancements of your children over time. I really liked this chart, which had its own “section” in the interface making it highly visible. Over and above the “status” tool offered by a common Facebook profile, I Have Kids has a similar tool that allows you to choose an emoticon that mirrors your child’s mood for the day. One thing I really liked about the application was the blog function that allows you to have a Wordpress style online diary. The blog is highly visible from the profile main page, and allows you to attach a picture for each entry. An “Events” monitor is fused into the I Have Kids child profile that keeps everyone up to date on everything from a regular night at “Mee-maws” all the way up to a major event like Baptism. Lastly, the I Have Kids user has the ability to enter a child’s latest “milestone”, such as baby’s first word.

What kinds of things can you do with the I Have Kids Facebook app

  • Create kid mini-profiles - complete with photo and status
  • Track your kids’ milestones (first steps, first word, etc)
  • Maintain a growth chart and mini-blog
  • List all the events from your kids’ busy schedules
  • See friends’ kids’ upcoming birthdays
  • Interact with ihavekids.net community
  • Submit your own Parenting Tips and rate others’ tips
  • Keep up with what is going on with your friends’ kids too

Round 2: I Have Kids down for the count

Given a variety of inventive features that this Facebook app has, it also has quite a few things to be improved upon. Before you create your child’s profile, the application will show you a feed of your friend’s children and their latest news. I immediately noticed that out of my 200 some friends, no one else had the application installed. The app does allow you to suggest to your friends that I Have Kids application be installed on their profile, but Facebook users get bombarded by these requests daily due to the wide variety of programs with this same function. I also noticed that the child profile has no field to enter in your child’s middle name, and if a parent is going to take the time to enter in milestones, they will certainly want to post up that detail. When you sign up for the application, it allows you to choose a charity that Coreblox will donate to on your behalf for joining. Unfortunately, no link is provided to these charities, which disallows the inquiring mind from researching the option. The application forums are loosely trafficked, receiving only a couple posts per week. Lastly, child profiles are not individually searchable through the friend finder tool, which make them impossible to see or be commented without the application already installed.

Screenshot from I Have Kids on Facebook

Screenshot from I Have Kids on Facebook

Round 3: I’ve Got Kids lands a major body blow on I Have Kids

I took the liberty of installing the I’ve Got Kids application to contrast what I experienced with I Have Kids. Immediately off the bat, I noticed significantly more user-added reviews of this application over the first. I also noticed that I could actually enter my child’s middle name! Another unique feature of I’ve Got Kids is the family tree option that grabs data from your Facebook profile and inserts it into a family tree style chart. One of my favorite things about this particular app is its simple nature. A box is placed on your profile with minimal information, but it is visible and to-the-point. I’ve Got Kids also lets you add new children to your profile right from your profile screen. This will come in handy TLC’s Jon and Kate +8.

Round 4: I’ve Got Kids is Knocked Down

On the flip side, the I’ve Got Kids discussion forums are loosely posted on just like I Have Kids. I did not think this would be the case due to the amount of reviews, but it was. The family tree option takes you to an external link in a pop-up window, which has an annoying feel to it in the context of today’s web programming. Seamless, same-window sites are the preference of net surfers today, and I believe this would have made the family tree feature much better. Another confusing aspect of the I’ve Got Kids functionality was the fact that when you click on the picture associated with your child from the profile screen, it takes you to that photo album as opposed to a “child profile.”

And the Winner Is ?

In summary, the I Have Kids application has a wider variety of functionality and informational value (despite the lack of middle name display) over the I’ve Got Kids app. I Have Kids allows you to create a “child profile” which is not available to I’ve Got Kids users. Incidentally, despite its expansive offering, I personally prefer the I’ve Got Kids app. I think that its simple nature and compatibility with the main Facebook profile is to-the-point and negates the dead-end factor of delving into under-developed profiles. Ultimately, its not really necessary for the user to decide which they like best. Due to I’ve Got Kids low maintenance factor, it is easy to utilize that application in addition to I Have Kids without being entirely redundant.

Screenshot from I've Got Kids on Facebook

Screenshot from I've Got Kids on Facebook


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