It's been an exciting first couple of weeks here on RaisingBakersfield, and I thank you all for diving in and making this a real, live community.  I've been loving the journal posts and comments I've been reading, and as more local parents like us find and use this "place of our own" here on the web, I can't wait to read what comes next.

I wanted to alert you early adopters to some newly rolled out features.

- First, while we're still working on our event calendar display that will appear in the right sidebar of the homepage, our event listings are live, and so is our "Play" section.  We've been adding in all the family events we can find, but if you know of any, please submit them by clicking on "event" when you go to "post something."  Also, be on the lookout for the RaisingBakersfield crew at upcoming events like storytimes, passing out goodies and the first issue of our print newsletter.

- Next, our Parent Perks discount program.  If you're a parent looking for deals or a small business owner looking to reach out to local parents, this is the place for you.  Local vendors can offer monthly discounts to RaisingBakersfield community members, and parents can find updated deals every month.  We have our first real Parent Perks offers on the site now, including one from our own Rhiannon Solorzano!

- We also have our online classified ads, letting parents sell to parents.  Our basic online classified ads are free, but you can buy enhancements like the ability to upload a map, an mp3, or a Youtube video to your listing.  So, if you have stuff to unload that you just know other parents will want, click on "classified ad" when you go to "post something."

- Finally, please check out and use our other content sections.  Besides posting to your journal,  you can upload photo galleries to our Scrapbook (click on "photos" when you go to "post something") and you can find and share informational articles, sorted by topic category, in our Learn section (click on "article" to post to this section).

Don't forget - to contribute in any of the ways mentioned above, all you have to do is register for a free RaisingBakersfield account and set up your profile.

We have much more coming in the weeks and months ahead, including our weekly email newsletter, our monthly print newsletter (which will feature photos and text from website contributions), and online discussion forums.  If you have any questions about the site at all, don't hesitate to contact me.

When my daughter was born three-and-a-half years ago, I did what anyone about to become a first-time, stay-at-home-dad, with no family and only a few friends with kids in town, would do: I turned to the internet. I looked for things to do with my babygirl in Bakersfield, for answers to all the questions my wife and I had, for cool baby gear to buy (or lust after, at least), and for other new parents to talk to and connect with.

Now, I’m proud to introduce you to RaisingBakersfield.com, an online community from The Bakersfield Californian for local parents. Here, you’ll find an event calendar filled with things to do with your family in your area. You’ll find discussion forums where you can ask questions of and share your wisdom with other local parents. You can start your own online journal, and read and comment on others’. You can share family snapshots in an online scrapbook. You’ll also be able to find bargains and deals from local businesses in our Parent Perks discount program, place and peruse online classified ads aimed at other parents, and enter contests to win exciting prizes.

Our print newsletter will be a monthly sampling of what’s waiting for you online, with photos, articles, and journal posts contributed by your fellow parents. You’ll also get event listings and local shopping deals, more of which you’ll find on the website. You can also sign up for a weekly email newsletter that will catch you up on the latest contests, the newest events, and the most interesting discussions and journal posts from your fellow parents.

RaisingBakersfield.com is a place, on the web, where we can connect and reflect together. Parenting is both the most challenging and the most important job we will ever have, but we can’t do it alone. We shouldn’t have to. This is our community, one we are building for the sake of our children, and together, we are all Raising Bakersfield.

[Edit.: Check out my update on site features (as of April 24).]