Q: What is Dancing Meatballs?

A: It’s a free, weekly e-newsletter that lets you know about affordable family and kids’ activities.

Q: How did you come up with the name “Dancing Meatballs”?

A: Well, that’s a secret; however, you can get a glimpse of the original idea at http://www.stockholmthemusical.com/

 

Business Related

Q: How do you plan on making money?

A: We are often asked how we intend to make money, since we're not a nonprofit. We intend to be sponsor-supported like most of the other web 2.0 companies out there.

Q: Will you ever charge us for your newsletter?

A: Unless you would like to donate to the DM Zero Return Fund, the newsletter will remain free for our readers. Forever.

Q: Will you sell my e-mail address or personal information?

A: No. We hate junk mail.

Q: How do I advertise on your newsletter and Web site?

A: We are still working on our revenue model, which basically means that we haven't started selling ads . . . or at least not for money. But we are always on the lookout for special deals or freebies for our readers. So, if you have something sweet to offer them, please fill out the form in the Advertising section.

Q: How are you different from your competitors?

A: Many people like to compare us to DailyCandy, Urbanbaby, GoCityKids and a number of other Web sites, blogs and e-zines out there. To be honest, we are really flattered by that type of comparison, since many of these companies are wildly successful (a position we’d like to be in when we grow up). We believe our main distinction is in our focus on simplicity and enhancing your family’s life and leisure experiences through doing things together. We want to make sure that you do something fun every day, whether it’s going out to a special event or having a blast with your children at home.

This Week and Next Week's Picks

Q: How do you pick your activities?

A: We pick our events based on three criteria: 1) affordability – we try to keep it cheap so you can have fun more often; 2) fun – we don’t think there’s much point in doing anything if you’re not going to enjoy it; and 3) diversity – we prefer to mix things up to keep our newsletter interesting.

Q: How do I submit an event idea?

A: Fill- out the form in the Musings section, or e-mail us at info (at) dancingmeatballs (dot) com.

Q: When should I notify you about an event?

A: At least five weeks prior to the event.

Cool Finds

Q: How do you decide what goes into Cool Finds?

A: There's no real science behind Cool Finds (or our events for that matter). Explained simply, almost everything in Cool Finds is something that we think is interesting. Our picks range from our favorite family-friendly restaurants and affordable weekend getaway ideas to innovative, family-oriented products and services.

Others

Q: Who did you website and graphic designs?

A: As ex-employees of financial services companies, we are really humbled by our experience to date. This Web site could not have happened without our awesome graphic designers (yes, we hired two) and our Web site guru. So, we want to give them our special thanks: Thomas and Nicolas from Studio Kobalt for our cute little meatball characters; Andy at Stackhousetours for all of our other graphic designs; and Sam for putting everything together for us.