Show HN: Goodnight Zoom - Connecting with isolated seniors via remote storytime | Hacker News Reader

Show HN: Goodnight Zoom - Connecting with isolated seniors via remote storytime

goodnightzoom.com

6 pointscholtz8 comments

This idea seams like a crowd-sourced evolution of https://readastorytome.com/

recently launched on HN. We've had a great experience with it so far.

As a parent ( and I think on this note I can speak for all of them ) the #1 concern with an idea like this is SAFETY.

What can you ensure to us all that this won't be the #1 platform for pedophiles?

Funny you should mention that, I've been in contact with the creator of that project and totally agreed, it's a great project!

I think that's a good point –– figuring out safety and screening in a manageable way is our main focus right now. We're solving it by having screening calls with the seniors, or accepting via referral. In addition, we're working on a reporting system which should further help with removing bad actors. Thanks for your feedback!

I've added this page to our site due to your recommendation -- thanks again, and let me know if you have more questions.

https://goodnightzoom.com/safety

ok that's better. Have you also considered tapping into a national sex offender DB as part of your pre-screening?

Also I noticed the limited library of kids books. It says i can find more online via NYLibrary.. but when i went there it was UX hell. i simply want you to seed the library and allow me to filter them by tags and show which ones i've already read.

thanks!

No but that's a good idea — I will look into that, seems like an easy first step as far as screening goes. Thanks!

True, the NYPL UX is pretty terrible now that I think about it. That will especially be a problem for seniors who aren't confident with tech. I will add a bunch more stories ASAP and introduce a filter, thanks for your thoughts! LMK if there's anything else you think.

While we've all been isolated, my grandparents have started to read stories to my younger cousins via videochat, which has been a great way for my grandparents to feel connected and loved. It's also nice for my cousins (4-7 years old) to interact with their grandparents, even if from afar.

Many of our seniors are especially isolated right now, so I wanted to setup a way for all of us to connect with them via remote storytime. Whether you are a parent with young kids, a senior, or anyone in between, this is a chance for us all to connect. Once you sign up, we'll reach out about finding schedules that work for both sides. We also link to open source books if you don't have any. Would love to hear your feedback!

Haven't created an account or logged in. There is no pricing page on the site: which is their business model?

Right now our plan is to make it free for users and connect as many people as possible. Down the road, we can make money by charging book publishers to feature stories, or possible getting insurance companies to pay us because of the improvement in well being for seniors. Thanks for the feedback though, we should make that more clear on our site!

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