Mom Bloggers in the NYT

[Ashley]

Okay, I'm going to start this with full disclosure: I am a mom blogger who profits from blogging. Not all of my material is sponsored, of course, but I do get paid and perks for some of it. I am also a part of the Community being discussed in the article, and will be attending one of these events later this year.

Anyway, there has been quite a bit of uproar over an article in the NY Times titled "Honey, Don't Bother Mommy. I'm Too Busy Building My Brand". (Sarcastic much? Ahem.) Anyway, I would love to hear some thoughts on this, as it has been very hot around the blogosphere and twitter. I realize no one else may care about this but me, but I figured I'd ask.

Do you think moms can "build a brand" and still be dedicated to their kids? Does being a mom and blogging mean you should not be recognized the way non-mom bloggers are?

(And just a note- this "reporter"- yes I use quotes- plugs her own blog. Seriously.)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/14/fashion/14moms.html

Oh, and a link to the group that sponsors this: http://www.thesitsgirls.com

[Farah]

I don't know if it's a negative article. Maybe I'm reading it wrong, but from what I see she's just talking about how the world of blogging has gone through a metamorphosis in the last 5 years into a booming industry. I don't think anywhere (again, maybe I missed it) she wrote that these mothers are sacrificing their parental roles to be more into their blogs.

I totally think moms can build a brand and be dedicated parent. I'm working on "building a brand" in my Custom Announcements by Ferrari Angel business. None of my time dedicated towards that has been at the sacrifice of Charlie (and now John). To me (and I'm assuming to most blogging mothers) your children come first, but your individuality or the ability to make you feel somewhat more than a mom is very important as well. If you can make money at it, why not????

Oh, and when you learn more about the SEO stuff, let me know :hehe:

[Bootysaurus]

I think mom's can do whatever they want. Who knows what SAHMs were doing in past history...my grandmother made dresses for women (ouy of her home) and raised 4 awesome children. So...these people can suck it. That's my professional opinion.

[MomHenry918]

I think mom's can do whatever they want. Who knows what SAHMs were doing in past history...my grandmother made dresses for women (ouy of her home) and raised 4 awesome children. So...these people can suck it. That's my professional opinion.

Amen, Tes!! ;)

[Bootysaurus]

Holy god. :look:

There were so many errors in that!! Grammatical and spelling. :runhills:

I hold my head in shame :blush: :lol: I was multitasking.

[Elaine]

I don't think the article is portraying blogging moms in a negative light at all. Quite the opposite seeing as there are links to several blogs in the article.

I do understand what the last few paragraphs are saying though and that happens all over. Selling out would be the correct term I believe. Whatever. Blogging has evolved. Not everyone needs to evolve with it if it's not what they want to do. If some bloggers want to keep it basic then they can do it. If others want to make money off of it so be it. The back to basics group doesn't have to read the blogs of the money makers. The back to basics group didn't start their blog to gain thousand of hits a month, did they?

Maybe I missed it but I don't see anywhere in the article that says blogging moms are ignoring their kids except for possibly the title. It did get your attention though, didn't it? I would say that was the point (to get your attention) and they succeeded.

[Ashley]

Honestly, at first, I was like, oh good, a mention! And granted, I make the latte money not the six figures. But what got under my skin was at first, I thought a man wrote it. It was the condescending tones. It was phrases like "to the minivan crowd" and the headline "Honey Don't Bother Mommy". It irks on a level to be told that since we're SAHM, we shouldn't be 'earning' or don't belong in this world. The snarky comments and the sarcasm is what gets to me, and other bloggers. It is not a downright attack by any means (there are plenty of those). But instead of being featured as a business convention, it gets a rap like it's a slumber party. These same women have helped countless others earn money (including me!). I have been personally blogging on my current one since January. I moved to wordpress and began getting sponsors in February. I cleared a fair amount, and view it as a personal & professional thing. Guess what? The government gets that moms should promote the Census. So they paid me for that message. I also got offered to advertise things I do not agree with. So I said no.

Sorry, tangent here. The point is, it can be for business or for fun. Elaine, I love what you wrote, and it's so true. I guess it rankles that because it was a group of moms, somehow it was frivolous. If it were a group of men, they'd be in the business section without the catty remarks. I don't get why because its mostly moms in the group, sarcasm is warranted.

Granted, she made an effort. I think she had the choice to go down several different paths, but decided to act like she was above it all in her "reporter" job. I agree, I take it a little more personally as a blogger who works hard to earn sponsor support, but also takes days to put whatever I'm feeling on my blog. I'm a mom first (or not, according to the title) so what I do is less important.

[Ashley]

I think mom's can do whatever they want. Who knows what SAHMs were doing in past history...my grandmother made dresses for women (ouy of her home) and raised 4 awesome children. So...these people can suck it. That's my professional opinion.

:lol: Love it. This is the best response I've seen by far in the entire internet replies to this. LOL

[Elaine]

If the article was about a bunch of men it wouldn't be the same because those men wouldn't be at home with their kids all day. :twothumbs:

IMO I think it's being taken a little too personally. As someone sitting on the outside (as in not involved in blogging) I don't see it as negativity at all. I'll have to read it again but I didn't see the snide remarks or maybe I kind of ignored them because I don't see them as snide, I see them as truth as in the mini-van comment. Hello! A mini-van when you have more than one kid is almost essential! :hehe: I can't think of many people (although I'm sure I know a few) that have a mini-van and no kids.

Besides, any publicity is good publicity regardless of how it's seen by those involved. ;)