Babble.com

{{Short description|Online magazine and blog network for parents}}

{{distinguish|Babbel}}

{{About|the defunct online magazine|3=Babble (disambiguation)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}

{{Italic title}}

{{Infobox website

| name = Babble.com

| logo = Babble.com_logo.svg

| logo_size = 150

| logocaption = Logo

| screenshot =

| caption =

| company_type = Subsidiary

| type = Blog

| founder = {{plainlist|

  • Rufus Griscom
  • Alisa Volkman

}}

| foundation = {{start date and age|2006|12}}

| dissolved = {{End date and age|2018|12|14}}

| location_city = Burbank, California

| location_country = United States

| area_served = Worldwide

| key_people = {{plainlist|

}}

| products = Microblogging

| revenue =

| num_employees =

| parent = Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media
(The Walt Disney Company)

| advertising = Native

| registration = Optional

| alexa =

| url = {{URL|https://www.babble.com/}}

| launch_date = {{Start date and age|2006|12}}

| current_status = Defunct (2018)

}}Babble was an online magazine and blog network targeting young, educated, urban parents.{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/10/fashion/10Babble.html?pagewanted=1&_r=|work=The New York Times|author=Pamela Paul|title=Healthy Babies Need Irony|date=December 10, 2006}} Their site operated a large network of parent blogs, employing many bloggers on the subjects of parenting and child-raising.

In early 2019, it was announced that Babble had been shut down.{{cite news|last1=Lunden|first1=Ingrid |title=Disney quietly shut down Babble, the parenting blog it once acquired for $40M |url=https://techcrunch.com/2019/01/07/disney-babble-goes-quiet/|accessdate=11 January 2019|work=TechCrunch |date=January 7, 2019}}{{cite news |last1=Babble Editors |title=An Update on Babble |url=https://www.babble.com/parenting/update-babble/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190108155938/https://www.babble.com/parenting/update-babble/ |archive-date=8 January 2019 |accessdate=11 January 2019 |work=Babble}}

History

Babble was launched in December 2006 by co-founders Rufus Griscom and Alisa Volkman.{{Cite web |title=About Us |url=https://www.babble.com/about-us/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190829035819/https://www.babble.com/about-us/ |archive-date=August 29, 2019 |accessdate=May 28, 2012 |work=Babble.com}} After one year, the site grew to half a million readers per month. Babble Media became an independent company in 2009,{{cite news |title=Sexy Nerve.Com Kicks Parenting Site Out of the Nest |author=Jenna Wortham |url=http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/sexy-nervecom-kicks-parenting-site-out-of-the-nest/|newspaper=The New York Times|date=January 30, 2009|accessdate=November 13, 2011}} and was acquired by Disney Interactive Media Group in 2011.{{cite news|title= Disney Acquires Parent Blogging Network|author=Evelyn M. Rusli |url= https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/11/14/disney-acquires-parent-blogging-network/|newspaper=The New York Times |date=November 14, 2011|accessdate=November 14, 2011}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.brandchannel.com/2011/11/15/babble-on-disney-acquires-babble-com-its-blogging-parents-and-critics/|title=Babble On: Disney Acquires Babble.com, its Blogging Parents and Critics|first=Sheila|last=Shayon|date=November 15, 2011}}

Reception

The American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) shortlisted Babble for its 2008 "General Excellence Online" award, writing that the "magazine skillfully combines in-depth reporting, thoughtful journalism, a dazzling variety of blog voices and visually arresting, interactive digital features. The result is a smart, hip and endlessly entertaining website that has revolutionized the parenting field."{{Cite web|url=http://www.magazine.org/ASME/ABOUT_ASME/ASME_PRESS_RELEASES/26571.aspx |title=The American Society of Magazine Editors Announces 43rd Annual National Magazine Award Finalists|accessdate=May 28, 2012|publisher=American Society of Magazine Editors |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080714051909/http://www.magazine.org/ASME/ABOUT_ASME/ASME_PRESS_RELEASES/26571.aspx |archive-date=July 14, 2008}}

Time magazine listed Babble.com as one of the 50 Best Websites of 2010,{{cite magazine| url=http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2012721_2013035_2013029,00.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100828102214/http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2012721_2013035_2013029,00.html| url-status=dead| archive-date=August 28, 2010|magazine=Time |title=50 Best Web Sites 2010|date=August 25, 2010}} while Forbes named Babble as one of the Top 100 Websites for Women.{{cite news |url=https://www.forbes.com/2011/06/23/100-best-web-sites-for-women-blogs-2011.html |work=Forbes |title=Best Web Sites for Women - Blogs |date=June 23, 2011}}

Babble{{'s}} advertising and sponsorship policies came under fire in 2010 and 2011 after several parenting authors and bloggers noted their breastfeeding guide was sponsored by Similac maker Mead Johnson.{{cite web|title= Similac and Babble team up to dupe breastfeeding moms|date= September 2010|url= http://www.phdinparenting.com/blog/2010/9/3/similac-and-babble-team-up-to-dupe-breastfeeding-moms.html|website=phdinparenting.com}}

References

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