How do I know the reviews are genuine?
With any review site you will always have the genuine reviews mixed in with solicited reviews, and maybe some “fake” reviews. We are not in the business of screening fake reviews since we cannot be 100% sure they are fake. We do however ensure that all email addresses are valid and we have an automatic spam blocker. Having said that, we know that our readers are savvy and have confidence that you will be able to determine from what’s written if a review seems to be solicited or even completely fake.
We have also done two things to help you decide whose reviews are more relevant to you. One, every reviewer must enter their child’s age. If a reviewer has a child who’s 10 years old and another reviewer has a child who is 3 years old, the same age as yours, the latter may contain more advice that is applicable to you. Two, we have added in the number of reviews every person has done right beside the display name so you can see who may be a more reputable source of information. May because a person who has done 1 review may be just as knowledgeable as a person who has done 30 reviews.
The tools we have given you are just that; Tools for you to use when reading the reviews. And we know you will put them to good use!
Do you moderate reviews?
Yes. We moderate all reviews and comments to ensure there is no bad language and no personal attacks on anyone. We encourage you to make helpful and constructive points in your review.
If there is a review you are concerned about that we haven’t already flagged, and you would like to draw our attention to it, please contact us at mel@melanieotg.ca.
You’ve got a lot of information on your website. Can you break it down to help me navigate it?
There are three major parts to our website: the Kids On-The-Go directory, lists of family-friendly events, and our blog. We also have cool features on our right menu so you can see what’s within up to 15 kms of you, and you can generate ideas using our Need More Ideas? gadget.
1. Kids On-The-Go Directory
Available from our top and right menu on every page. You can find activities, classes, programs, products, family-friendly restaurants, camps, child care, and other services for your child. You will be able to quickly and easily search for what you’re looking for using our advanced search tool (newly added). And you can see what other parents think by checking out their reviews!
Why review yourself? For the very same reason you are looking at others’ reviews. Your opinion is valuable and it will help others immensely. Choose a fun nickname and help spread the word!
2. Family-Friendly Events
We continuously find events that you might be interested in taking your kids to and add it to our Family-Friendly Event list available on our home page. We look for events in Toronto, Durham, Halton, Peel and York regions, and occasionally outside of the GTA in case you are up for a day or overnight trip!
3. Blog
Sales & Shows: We continuously update our Sales feed on the home page with great deals and shows we think you’d be interested in, for e.g. back-to-school labels, deals on kids’ classes, photo books, mom 2 mom sales and more. Check in regularly to see if there’s something you could use! You can add a great deal or show you run into and would like to share by commenting here.
Advice from Experts: This is a new area of our blog. In our last survey our readers expressed great interest in reading articles from specialists. If you’d like to submit a guest post, please email mel@melanieotg.ca.
Adventures In & Around Toronto: We aim to give you lots of ideas for finding things to do with your kids by blogging about places we’ve been to in and around Toronto. This includes provincial parks, amusement parks, indoor playgrounds, and more! If you would like to share your adventure, please submit it in a Word document with photos. We only ask that you aim to be fair and constructive, and do not send us a blog post about a company you work for or own, are affiliated with, or that has asked you to do it for them as this will skew your writing. We aim for authenticity so our readers will know how it really is. And a bit of humor in your story is always appreciated!
There are other sections of our blog we’ll leave you to explore. They’re available on the top menu.
Can I request features I’d like to see or provide other feedback- good and “not so much”?
Absolutely- we value your opinion! Please comment below or email us at mel@melanieotg.ca.
We are constantly working on upgrading our website and adding new features we think will be handy for you. Our newest are the Need More Ideas gadget on the right menu, and an Advanced Search in the directory. Next up is a What’s New section for paid listings so businesses can keep you in the loop on what’s new and exciting.
We recently completed a survey where we asked for your feedback and have some great ideas for upcoming features as a result. You can influence this list by providing your feedback below.
