If you are a parent, take out your smartphone and check the photo album. You would probably see many random photos of your baby. As a dad, I can’t help but taking photos of every moment I spend with my kids. As a result, my photo album on my phone is not organized, and many of the photos are not very important.
Yes, my photo album on my phone is full of random photos that I don’t think I would ever find them again. But, I feel guilty of deleting those photos as a parent, because those moments with my kids will never come back. It will be cool if there is a better way to keep good photos in an organized way and in a way that you don’t have to feel the guilt. This post will review an app called, Qeepsake. By the end of this blog, we will be able to tell if Qeepsake is a good app for a baby photo album.
What is Qeepsake
Qeepsake is a startup firm based in San Diego, the U.S. As its website claims that it is “the world’s first text message baby journal.” This means that the firm will send you questions in a text message to your phone. If I give you some example questions, “How was Olivia’s first day of school?”, “What is one tiny detail about Annabel that you love?”, “Can Annabel do anything new on her own?”.
You can answer those questions simply using a text message. You can also include photos of your baby when you send an answer. Then Qeepsake will add your message and photos to your baby journal. I personally like their approach to making good use of text messages. I believe that almost all of the smartphone users would be familiar with sending and receiving text messages. With this simple way of user interaction, a mom or a dad will not have to go through complex menus or fill out lengthy forms. Parents can just answer what Qeepsake sends you.
The website says that more than 200,000 users have already started using Qeepsake and thousands of new users are joining every week.
How to Start Using It
You can go to their website and fill out the simple form on the front page. Once done, you will be prompted to another form page where you need to put in your last name, mobile phone number, and password. Unfortunately, the service is only available in the U.S. and Canada.
When the signup is finished, you will be able to receive SMS messages from Qeepsake.
How Much Is It?
The Qeepsake website does not explain the costs. According to this review website, it is $29.99 for up to 85 entries, which is 20 pages. For the next range of album with 21 to 50 pages, it is $44.99. These printout options could be pricey compared to other baby albums. Also, depending on the cover type, soft or hard, the price can go up further. Also, do mind that you cannot use the same album for two or more kids. Considering the chance that you may not want to pay after you have sent many journals and photos, it would be wise to check the prices before even using this app.
The album fee will not only be the cost you have to pay. Qeepsake also charges you a monthly fee if you subscribe to their service. You will be able to see the price ranges in detail when you sign up to their service.
Google Trend
As the final segment of analysis, let me share the trend of Qeepsake. I used Google Trend to check how frequently “Qeepsake” is searched on Google over the past 12 months. Google Trend is a useful tool to measure the interest of people. The more frequently people search on Google, the more popular or trendy it is. The Google Trend result below (not visible on mobile phones) below shows that people have shown an interest in this album service over the period. The trend indicates that people have been showing a constant interest over the period.
This trend covers the United States. If we break down the interest by states, it looks as below.
If you find the list icon at the right bottom and click it, it will turn to a state rank list. It shows that New Hampshire showed the highest level of interest, followed by Arkansas, Rhode Island, Utah, and Idaho.
Negative Reviews
There was smaller number of negative reviews. When I read through all reviews, one frequent negative point stood out. It was about their pricey fees for albums as I mentioned earlier. Some of them filled the entries for an album and realized that it is expensive to order one. As they have already sent all journals and photos, they had to order one. Also, some told that the questions sent from Qeepsake are not easy to answer, and sometimes, they sent duplicate questions.
Conclusion
Overall, people liked the app itself and its service and usability. However, I recommend you to check their prices before you start sending journals and photos. If you are happy with their price, then, the app seems to be great for parents like you. Printed albums will be more memorable and unforgettable compared to digital photos or albums. Keep your beautiful memory with your loved one!
