Since launching DaisychainBaby last year, I’ve always been on the lookout for cost effective yet non-intrusive ways to promote the business. That might sound almost like an oxymoron, because the very nature of self-promotion normally means an awful lot of trumpet blowing but I always like to ensure I can offer something back whether that be by way of advice, support, or a link exchange. I’ve found social networking sites Twitter and Facebook to be invaluable and have made some really wonderful contacts.

One such contact appears on Twitter under the name @MumsLikeYou, and on seeing a message posted on Twitter a couple of weeks ago asking if anyone would like to promote their business on http://www.mumslikeyou.com, it seemed like a great opportunity. I’ve had somewhat mixed experience so far of networking sites for parents, finding some quite cliquey and some comments on really rather unpleasant, so it’s been a breath of fresh air to find a site that although still in it’s infancy, has some very helpful and friendly people signed up.

Founder Iveta Tancheva is a mum-of-one who on being made redundant at the start of this year, took the opportunity to do something she’d been thinking about for quite some time and launch an interactive social network for mums. The site has only been live for 2 months but in that time has grown to a small community of mums, mumpreneurs and companies (like DaisychainBaby!) that interact in ways unavailable on other sites.

I asked Iveta how she felt Mums Like You is different from other sites: “As you have probably seen Mums Like You is based on interactivity. This is at the core if the website - its purpose is to enable mums to share their knowledge and advice and help make each other’s lives easier. We are not relying on expert advice as some other sites do. We believe mums know best when it comes to practical parenting tips. The site has a forum but there are many other ways mums can exchange useful info - posting local events in the Activities area, rating products in the Reviews or placing a small ad on the Marketplace. And the best part of it - it is all free”.

Another benefit from a member point of view, is the decision Iveta has taken to provide two classes of registration, one for businesses (which we have registered under) and one for mums. Mums can still see all the details of those companies which add their information to the site, but it prevents the forums being blitzed by people who are simply interested in advertising and nothing else. We recommend Mums Like You as a great social network for mums and businesses alike and look forward to seeing it flourish over the coming months.