This Mother's Day, we're going to call it: Ours is a great age in which to be a mom. Yes, being a parent in the digital era means laying down rules about Snapchat and making sure your kids' online privacy is protected. But with all new technology comes a parenting tool that can improve the lives of moms and their families.

We invited three digital experts who are modern-day moms for a conversation about what technologies, apps and devices are must-haves for parents.

Join us for a Google+ Hangout on Friday at 3:15 p.m. ET. We'll talk about work/life balance and other ways that technology factors into modern parenting. Leave your questions in the comments section below and don't forget to tune in to the Mother's Day Hangout on Mashable or our Google+ page! Read more…

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I’m not sure when I first heard the term "lifecasting." It may have been in the late 90s when the TV reality show Big Brother first reached our living rooms, or it could have been much later when Sarah Austin promoted her own brand of video journalism and became famous for being famous.

Back in those days, lifecasting — the continuous live video streaming of a person’s everyday life — was an exciting novelty, an opportunity to abandon our own mundane lives and experience the thrill of being someone else.

I thought of lifecasting the other day when I saw my 13-year-old daughter trading Vines with some of her friends. When Twitter first released Vine in January of this year, I didn’t think it would take too long for a generation hooked on YouTube and SnapChat to discover this almost too perfect self-broadcasting platform.

Now teen airwaves are awash with 6-second video loops, which is just enough time to be quirky, funny, cute and everything else that a self-respecting teenage girl needs to be. Read more…

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