Tech Biz  :  People   RSS  Clive Thompson on Social Networks and
the Wrath of Moms  By Clive Thompson Email 10.20.08
Illustration: Topos Graphics  The big draw at UrbanBaby.com used
to be the discussion boards. The forums were completely
anonymous, without even nicknames or handles to identify the
participants. As you can imagine, the anonymity sparked some
scandalous, rollicking threads—descriptions of boozed-up
parenting, icy marriages, and moms who flatly regretted having
procreated.  But the nine-year-old Web site aimed at mothers in
big cities like New York and San Francisco wasn't all
titillation. The boards were also extremely useful. When my wife
asked questions—What do you do for colic? What's the best school
in Brooklyn?—she received four or five thoughtful replies in
less than a minute. I'd never seen such a dynamic, active online
community.     They perfectly re-created the look and feel of
the old boards. Better yet, they made improvements, including a
souped-up search engine and privacy controls