The State of the Mommyblog
If blog years are dog years, I've been blogging now for nearly 21 of them. I figure that gives me just enough experience to write about this topic.
When I started blogging, I'd never heard of mommyblogs. I wrote for a full month or two before I found my first one, and I was instantly hooked. Mommybloggers formed my first small community of readers. They sympathized with my problems and laughed at my jokes. They nominated me for writing competitions. Their support really got me where I am today and for that and many other things, I love them dearly.
Back in 2005, advertisements were few and far between on mommy blogs. Bloggers ran Google ads for pennies a day and BlogAds made us a little more money. But that was lagniappe- an unexpected gift. We weren't blogging for the money (*snort*. What money?), we were blogging because we loved to write. We were blogging for the sense of community it gave us.
And then things changed.
PR companies started e-mailing me and sending me books and baby products and later, iPods and stereos and DVDs to review. BlogHer started an ad network, inviting mommybloggers to be its founding members. Large corporations began offering us free getaways and perks in hopes that we'd promote their new cars or their TV shows or their shampoo. At BlogHer last year, we were courted by publishers and magazines and automakers and parenting websites. Mommybloggers began turning up in major magazines, newspapers, and on television. Over the last year, I think we've really gotten a sense of our own power. We are the target demo. Hear us roar!
I love getting packages in the mail to review. I love bringing in a little extra cash from my ad revenue. I love being interviewed and feeling like my opinions matter. I love having the opportunity to go on free vacations.
But I'm realizing that all of these cool things are changing the whole nature of mommyblogging, and I worry that the sense of solidarity and revolution I felt two years ago is disappearing in a cloud of free baby powder.
Several months ago, for example, I wrote a post urging PR executives to stop deluging mommybloggers with press releases and then demanding a response, as if we'd be so happy to hear from them that we'd post their info on canned tomatoes that very day, without getting anything from the company in return. Because who wouldn't want to post a blog entry about canned tomatoes?! That post prompted at least a dozen women to e-mail me, asking me to forward those e-mails on to them, because they'd love to get press releases from big deal PR companies! And they would totally post the information on their blogs!
What. The. Hell.
I'm starting to see mommyblogs crop up whose main purpose seems to be getting in on the ad revenue/product review/stat traffic action. That's their prerogative, of course, but it makes me uneasy. It dilutes the stream of mommy bloggers who are writing to foster positive social change, or to hone their writing skills or connect with other women, or to simply talk about the fact that unlike the little cherubs we see in magazines and on television, our babies have acne and reflux and scream until we're ready to scream ourselves from the stress of it all.
Equally disturbing, the newest controversies in the mommyblogosphere aren't over cocktail playdates or whether or not to circumcise; they're over who got an invitation to a corporate mommyblogging event and who didn't, and how that corporation chose whom to invite, and whether that corporation should allow children at its event. I'm not knocking anyone in particular who wrote about this issue- Some of these women are among my favorite bloggers out there (and writing about this event doesn't change my high opinion of them)- but this became a Big Topic in the mommyblogosphere. A free trip to New Jersey. Really, people. Don't we have more important things to write about? Like Rock of Love 2, for example?
It also frustrates me that what some mommybloggers are chasing after isn't what they think it's going to be. My ad revenue is nice, but it's basically paying for our groceries for one or two weeks a month, and I have about as much traffic (and therefore as much ad revenue) as a mommyblogger could reasonably hope for. The products I get to review are fun, but they haven't changed my life. What has changed my life, what has made blogging worthwhile, is you guys. You've played a supportive and at times critical audience to my writing. You've provided cheap therapy. You've made me feel like I'm not alone. When I've visited your blogs, you've made me laugh out loud and you've made me sob. You've changed my perspective. You've made me think.
I'm proud that parent bloggers are getting noticed now by major publications and major advertisers. I think we deserve it. But I don't want it to destroy what we've built here. Is it possible to run ads without letting the advertisers run us, or the potential "fame" go to our heads? Are too many of us forgetting why we're here in the first place? Are you noticing a major shift in the dynamics of mommyblogging? I'd love to know what you think.
When I started blogging, I'd never heard of mommyblogs. I wrote for a full month or two before I found my first one, and I was instantly hooked. Mommybloggers formed my first small community of readers. They sympathized with my problems and laughed at my jokes. They nominated me for writing competitions. Their support really got me where I am today and for that and many other things, I love them dearly.
Back in 2005, advertisements were few and far between on mommy blogs. Bloggers ran Google ads for pennies a day and BlogAds made us a little more money. But that was lagniappe- an unexpected gift. We weren't blogging for the money (*snort*. What money?), we were blogging because we loved to write. We were blogging for the sense of community it gave us.
And then things changed.
PR companies started e-mailing me and sending me books and baby products and later, iPods and stereos and DVDs to review. BlogHer started an ad network, inviting mommybloggers to be its founding members. Large corporations began offering us free getaways and perks in hopes that we'd promote their new cars or their TV shows or their shampoo. At BlogHer last year, we were courted by publishers and magazines and automakers and parenting websites. Mommybloggers began turning up in major magazines, newspapers, and on television. Over the last year, I think we've really gotten a sense of our own power. We are the target demo. Hear us roar!
I love getting packages in the mail to review. I love bringing in a little extra cash from my ad revenue. I love being interviewed and feeling like my opinions matter. I love having the opportunity to go on free vacations.
But I'm realizing that all of these cool things are changing the whole nature of mommyblogging, and I worry that the sense of solidarity and revolution I felt two years ago is disappearing in a cloud of free baby powder.
Several months ago, for example, I wrote a post urging PR executives to stop deluging mommybloggers with press releases and then demanding a response, as if we'd be so happy to hear from them that we'd post their info on canned tomatoes that very day, without getting anything from the company in return. Because who wouldn't want to post a blog entry about canned tomatoes?! That post prompted at least a dozen women to e-mail me, asking me to forward those e-mails on to them, because they'd love to get press releases from big deal PR companies! And they would totally post the information on their blogs!
What. The. Hell.
I'm starting to see mommyblogs crop up whose main purpose seems to be getting in on the ad revenue/product review/stat traffic action. That's their prerogative, of course, but it makes me uneasy. It dilutes the stream of mommy bloggers who are writing to foster positive social change, or to hone their writing skills or connect with other women, or to simply talk about the fact that unlike the little cherubs we see in magazines and on television, our babies have acne and reflux and scream until we're ready to scream ourselves from the stress of it all.
Equally disturbing, the newest controversies in the mommyblogosphere aren't over cocktail playdates or whether or not to circumcise; they're over who got an invitation to a corporate mommyblogging event and who didn't, and how that corporation chose whom to invite, and whether that corporation should allow children at its event. I'm not knocking anyone in particular who wrote about this issue- Some of these women are among my favorite bloggers out there (and writing about this event doesn't change my high opinion of them)- but this became a Big Topic in the mommyblogosphere. A free trip to New Jersey. Really, people. Don't we have more important things to write about? Like Rock of Love 2, for example?
It also frustrates me that what some mommybloggers are chasing after isn't what they think it's going to be. My ad revenue is nice, but it's basically paying for our groceries for one or two weeks a month, and I have about as much traffic (and therefore as much ad revenue) as a mommyblogger could reasonably hope for. The products I get to review are fun, but they haven't changed my life. What has changed my life, what has made blogging worthwhile, is you guys. You've played a supportive and at times critical audience to my writing. You've provided cheap therapy. You've made me feel like I'm not alone. When I've visited your blogs, you've made me laugh out loud and you've made me sob. You've changed my perspective. You've made me think.
I'm proud that parent bloggers are getting noticed now by major publications and major advertisers. I think we deserve it. But I don't want it to destroy what we've built here. Is it possible to run ads without letting the advertisers run us, or the potential "fame" go to our heads? Are too many of us forgetting why we're here in the first place? Are you noticing a major shift in the dynamics of mommyblogging? I'd love to know what you think.
99 Comments:
Yay, you! Thanks for saying this. Besides, I'm not blogging for the money --- I'm blogging because I know that as a community, we'll actually be running the world by 2012! ;)
Have definitely been thinking about some of the issues you bring up. I do have to say, though, as someone who blogged about the J&J thing that my POV supports your assertion that junkets like this are affecting mommyblogging and perhaps not in a positive way. In blogging their program to reach out to mom bloggers, I was pointing out the flaws in their PR plan, NOT whining about why I was/wasn't invited. The fact that it quickly took that turn was very disturbing to me and, as you say, points to the reasons why people blog.
I'm not doing it to receive freebies and invites. If I get some perks great, but I am not going to be a puddle on the floor if I don't get to go to Disney World or didn't get the latest Mommy Lit book.
It's not about that. (For me.)
You know, I do appreciate that we bloggers (despite having a kid or two, I'm not really a mommyblogger) can make money doing what we enjoy doing.
I don't have ads on my site, I probably never will (altho I don't look down on those who do), but I do get sick of each and every blog that seems to be more about making money than about doing something fun as a hobby. I blog because I want to and I like it, not because I think I'm going to get money.
I don't know how else to describe these blogs that you're talking about, because it's weird, but you hit the nail on the head.
Thank you for saying this.
Yep, I call it "stunt blogging".
Good post.
Like you, I feel fortunate to have and I enjoy the odds and ends I get as a result of my blog.
I'm not sure it's the advertisers that are the cause of any shift out there. They are just doing a variation of what they've always done, and there are many I enjoy working with.
The shift is how people (bloggers)respond to and them and behave.
I feel a little guilty commenting so soon, since I'm not a parent. But I think what you say has ramifications beyond mommybloggers, because we're all bloggers, whether we write about our children or not. I'm not exactly sure why parents "deserve" it any more than anyone else. Parents just happen to fit into a demographic that advertisers are looking for. That's it. It has very little to do with the inherent quality of your blogs. As for the PR and corporate role in blogging, blogging has changed, but people are people. And once some bloggers get more attention than others, always getting products and freebies and junkets, there's naturally going to be some sour grapes and gossip. A "class" system is being created which is not good for the community. Blogging now seems more like a job when "real" payback is involved. I think the best approach for mommybloggers, and the blogging world in general, is thinking of the community as a whole. That means if you've gone on two or three of these vacations or conferences, give another mommyblogger a chance, and try to make it as equal a playing field as possible. That would make mommybloggers more of a community than a buzz word.
I have a somewhat related concern in that I think that blogger outreach, at least from the big consumer brands, is being equated with "can you top this" blockbuster events. While it may be fun to be invited, I am not sure this is the best way to build long term relationships. Yeah, I know it's not as sexy, but I'd rather see the companies reach out to more people with smaller programs.
my site is not "popular"...i don't get invited to things like camp baby...i make very some money from blogher ads...but i'm not quitting my day job.
i blog for other reasons. the friendships i've made. the people out there who have helped me through sleep/eating/toileting issues. because i love to write.
great post!
I'm rather new to the mommyblogging world. I haven't received any notable revenue yet (less than a dollar!), but some is better than none IMO. My main interest is writing things for The Boy and also a place to vent (i.e., therapy). I love reading other mommy’s blogs, I don’t think I’d go on trips unless they were fully paid for(!), but I would review products for revenue, but that would just be a bonus. I’m not looking to replace income, but one cart of groceries each month would be a substantial contribution at our house, and for doing something that I already love to do.
I am not really sure why I started blogging. I read a few blogs that I really enjoyed and wanted to try it. I don't think I am a writer by any stretch, but I do like having a place where I can say pretty much what I want. My husband kinda ruined that when he sent out a mass email with my blog.
I did have ads on my blog when it was with Blogger, but took them down because what was the point. I didn't make any money and I hated what was chosen to be on my blog. You need readers to make money and you need to have good content to get readers. What really makes me angry is when I go to Babycenter and there are threads asking how to make money with a blog. I tell them that it takes a lot of time, effort and writing. Even then you aren't making much. It makes it seem like a get rich quick scheme.
I think the people that are making a living off of blogs have found their niche and are good at it. And they are doing way more than just blogging.
Neil, I think I'm talking about mommybloggers in particular because it's what I know firsthand and it's truly become a mainstream media phenomenon. But I'm sure it goes beyond mommy blogs and into the blogging community at large.
Ali, you bring up another interesting point, that ADVERTISERS are making us feel "in" or "out" as bloggers, depending on which products we get asked to review (if any) and which trips we get invited to. That ain't right.
Alysia, the cart of groceries money makes a big difference to my family. That's why I run ads at all. If I didn't need the money, I wouldn't run the ads. But I wouldn't recommend starting a blog just to make that kind of advertising money, because I think when it's all said and done, I'd be making like $.25 an hour given the amount of time I've spent working on this blog since 2005. I make far more with freelance writing jobs I've gotten through this blog than I do with advertising.
Great post! I couldn't agree more. The PR releases can be relentless. I did one review post, long ago. I didn't like how it made my blog about the product. Haven't looked back. I blog for the outlet, the community, the voice I feel it gives me. Not for the money (which is probably precisely why I'm not making any!). The blogosphere has changed a lot in the past two years. Some ways, good. Others, bad.
I didn't like reviewing products on this blog, either. I started my reviews blog because I had to in order to run BlogHer ads, but I like having a separate blog for reviews much better. It keeps this one from becoming confusing.
I think it affects it in so much that folks don't understand the difference between blogs.
Most of us, except Dooce, are not making a living off of our personal blogs. We never planned to (at least I never did) and we most likely never will.
We do it for the community -- meeting other like-minded moms, for sharing my story (leaving my legacy for my kids) and for what opportunities it has brought -- new businesses that I DO make money from and writing opportunities that I DO make money from.
I think when people get into blogging just to make cash, unless you're a niche blogger (i.e. a shopping blog, a green blog, a beauty blog), you're not going to see huge revenue.
I haven't seen my favorite bloggers change their content based on the ads on their site. But I know that now that I have other businesses, I see my personal blog as just that. Yes, I do have ads, but I'm not part of a network, so I feel as though I have some control back in terms of what I can and can't write about. And the ads I run are from small businesses who might really benefit from the traffic that I have coming in.
Personally, I think when PR professionals and businesses can tweak their outreach programs and decide who they want to invite and why (I think honestly that's when things get odd -- I'd NEVER expect to get invited to a Beauty Blog Conference or a Political Blog Conference or honestly, even a Mom Blog Conference), then it will make a bit more sense when people don't get invites.
It's all about good blogger outreach.
AMEN. I am so glad you wrote this because it's been on my mind a lot. Possibly because I'm trying to make myself feel better for not getting invited to the cool parties (grin) but also because for me? It just is all small in comparison to the support group I've found in my blogging community. I've found friends. Friends who I call/email/notify with news before my FAMILY gets to know. That's a huge prize. Thanks for reminding us of that.
everything you said. I've been loathe to complain, because I am all in favor of extra grocery or a free game for the kids, but I've hated seeing good blogs turn into the most banal catalog copy.
As a very new mommyblogger (I have to just come right out and admit that I'm a mommyblogger, no matter the facial hair and dangly bits I have, because my readers are 95% moms) I've put off running ads on the site.
I see the BlogHer ads and Google adsense banners and perhaps because I read people who tend to have the same sense of humour as me I end up seeing the same ads over and over again. It makes a lot of the blogs look the same.
Also, I've tried signing up with BlogHer and they just won't take me. Dangly bits, possibly. Although then I wonder how some other danglybitsbloggers have BlogHer ads.
I should restate: I do have one ad on my site. But it's a link to a book, and I'm pretty sure I don't make any money off it no matter how many times it gets clicked. And it's an ad that I was able to pick myself, so it's more me showing support than being part of the machine.
I did get asked to do a website review. I told the person I would be happy to look at the site, but that my blog wasn't really about reviewing things. I just like to tell stories.
And I was contacted by a representative from NHK Japanese Television who was looking to interview Stay At Home Dads. But not me. Someone in New York. He hoped I knew someone.
Maybe I'll run adds someday. But not until I would make more than I would burn in gas to cash the check.
Hooray for mommybloggers, with or without dangly bits. Talking is the point.
AMEN SISTER!!! I am so tired of hearing about people who are mad/pissed/offended because they didn't get invited to XYZ.
I don't blog for the money, I don't blog for fame, I blog for the outlet - and the support of the "friends" that I have made. That alone is worth more than anything to me. That sense of "other people understand, think what I am going through is mildy entertaining, and go through the same things."
Being connected to the rest of the mommies in the world is enough for me. And I do have google ads on my blog, but have yet to see a penny from them...so they aren't such a hot money maker are they?
I am new to the blogging world and I do it for relaxation. I don't plan on having ads on my blog but I can understand why some people have them.
I don't have ads, because I don't like clutter, and I'm afraid it would make my site look clutter-y. Also, I don't like those Google Ads that pick ads for you based on content - I'm afraid what my site would be, boiled down to a few phrases. Is it about cancer? Diapers? Who knows.
I heart your blog - and with your large readership, you totally should get some $$ out of it. It seems fair - we expect high-quality, frequent content, you should get something back for your time.
I would LOVE to get free stuff - I especially love free stuff for my kids, or stuff that gets me away from my kids. I'm not willing to go searching far for it, though. So, I don't get it. And life goes on. I did win a pair of tennis shoes, once, on a blog contest!
Besides - with my blog? I figure I'm saving a FORTUNE in therapy costs!
What an excellent post on something that I think has been on a lot of minds lately. Very well stated!
Thanks for writing this! I started blogging to reconnect with family who seemed to have gotten lost along the way. But my blog too has turned into a connection with a wider community. I find that there are a lot of blogs out there out to make money, and good for them for trying, but it's nice to be able to connect to others in my boat, or to read about others who lead different kinds of lives who are writing for the sake of writing!
For me, blogging has always been about writing--and reading other people's blogs. The community came as a happy surprise.
BlogHer07 was pretty frenetic with all the talk of "monetizing" (God, how I hate that word) one's blog. The best part was meeting other bloggers. I even met you!
I think with the invention of any new medium--the internet itself, for example--there's always an early period where anything seems possible. Then commercial interests enter into the picture and things start to change, to settle down as people come up with notions of what the new medium is for.
It's sort of like the Wild West getting civilized.
(I mean, remember when no one was sure what websites were for? And remember the outcry when commercial interests started producing websites, and the web was no longer the private playground of a bunch of basement boys?)
The beauty of blogging is that it's self-publishing. It's so easy to get caught up in the whole Camp Mommyblogger thing and forget that we're publishing our writing, for free, from the comfort of our homes.
Sure, corporations will court us. And we can run ads or not run ads--as long as Blogger is free, these companies can't stop us from going where our fancies lead us.
Thank you! Great post. I'm a lurker...now a commenter. Relatively new to blogging (a few months), I've already experienced so many emotions I never saw coming when I first decided to start a blog. I initially thought "what a great way to force myself to write (a stop and start lifelong dream) and make $$." I quickly realized making money was not a short term goal and that the writing was the satisfying part. But I couldn't help feel like the unpopular girl at school when I saw other bloggers giving each other writing awards, listing others on their blogrolls, talking about gatherings and conferences they attended or planned to attend. Not to mention site widgets illustrating large reader numbers! I'm working on pushing through the writer's block and insecurity, training myself to focus on what my blog is about and why I'm writing it. I thank you for your post today because it helped me realize that I'm on the right track and to pay less attention to those other noisy distractions.
@backpacking dad -
Also, I've tried signing up with BlogHer and they just won't take me. Dangly bits, possibly. Although then I wonder how some other danglybitsbloggers have BlogHer ads.
We have no record of receiving an application from you - if you are interested in BlogHerAds, feel free to contact me directly. jenny at blogher dot com
I agree! In a way it is great because people are putting out great blogs (and by that I mean: interesting to me with laughs as well as useful and insightful information) and why shouldn't they benefit a little monetarily? Some groceries is no small deal. But of course it is not your only reason for blogging. I would hate to see obsure ads taking over half the screen!
I love reading mommyblogs because it is like a glimpse into another mom's world for a minute. Someone you do not know but could be friends with under other circumstances. Or friends you could make because they are all just a click away.
This was awesome.
I am too dumbfounded and my brain is whirring to hard to even come up with a decent response.
Well done.
I think that when you blog you find your own level and community.
I'm not aware of huge revenue possibilities out there for bloggers - but then maybe I'm not reading the right blogs. And that would probably be because - with a few notable exceptions, Lindsay - those that are heavy on the promotions and the advertising are not the ones that speak to me.
I've gone from knowing nothing about blogging last summer, to getting interested via one amazing blog (check out Pig in the Kitchen), and finally to setting up my own and tapping into a network of like-minded bloggers.
Blogging gives me the chance to write, to connect with other mums struggling to keep a sense of proportion, and to record some of the memories from what will be too short a time at home with my boys.
Making money from it too seems rather like over-egging the pudding...
@Jenny: I don't know how you managed it, but I was finally able to log-in to BlogHer while I was in the middle of drafting an e-mail to you. Hooray!
And to clarify, I was always kidding about the dangly bits getting in the way of my BlogHer status. I love BlogHer and I know they love everyone, no matter what bits they have.
BD- Do not invoke the wrath of BlogHer. She's called Lisa "Stone" for a reason.
I personally shut my blog down to become a private diary b/c of this. I was getting hung up on "What if I don't get invited..." I had enough of that in Jr. High. I write for me and for my kids to have a record of my thoughts. That's it. The rest was gravy, but not worth the price of my self-worth.
So glad you wrote this.
You know how I feel from your phone conversation - My issue is the damn whining. Whine about your dog, your kids, your job, motherhood, fatherhood, the mailman...but can we not whine about who's not invited where and who's not on what list???...whaaaaaaa! And leave it off twitter too.
I can't help it but as soon as I read something like that, I get a bad sense of the person. It's not sexy and it smells like feet.
I haven't really noticed a change, but then, I often don't notice fairly obvious things so that doesn't really mean anything. I'm sad to think that this is a problem for mommyblogs out there.
I'm starting to get into the whole product review thing myself but for me it's definitely for fun. I don't harbor any notions of fame and fortune. I'm pretty happy with my blog the way it is. I love my readers and I love having the outlet to vent whatever is on my mind.
Perks are just that. Icing. A nice little bonus. Take away those and all you have left is the blog and the community. And me? I'm more than okay with that.
You guys are all bringing up really good points. And this post kind of developed when I talked to Kimberly last week. Tell it like it is, girl!
I think it's normal to feel down when your blog friends get invited to something or get to review something and you don't. It's happened to me. But we can't let some big corporation determine our happiness in blogging. We just can't. That's not why we're doing it, and if it is, it shouldn't be. And if we want to vent publicly, I tend to think we should stop ourselves, because it's giving these PR firms and corporations more power over mommybloggers than they deserve.
I feel somewhat 'lucky' to escape all this, because where I live - in a different country - many people don't even know what blog is yet. So blogs attract barely any attention from advertisers at all (though that is changing - if you go by the contacts I'm getting from PR companies etc.)
So, in my case, that leaves me free to just do what I've always done. Phew!
I think that it's totally possible to not let ads run us - my personal blog is sacrosanct: no reviews unless they're *personal* (as in, something I found and love, a friend's book, that kind of thing) and I pretty much avoid online discussions about ads/marketing, etc, because I just don't get all that worked up about it (unless it's funny. Then, it's good fodder.)
I think the ads/marketing debates are just another variation on the blog politics (popularity, inclusion/exclusion) that ALWAYS come up. And if someone turns their blog completely over to the Man, well, that's their business, literally and figuratively, and I'll probably not read it, but... whatever.
Good questions, lady. You smart.
I have to say that I totally understand why other "mommybloggers" are upset. They feel like their blog has better content or they are funnier than the next person and to not be chosen to go on a trip is like a slap in the face to them.
I have been blogging for 2 years now but just recently put blogher ads on my blog. And I did it to make money, yes. But more importantly I want the traffic. I love to write and would love to have people read it. Sadly, I'm not getting much more traffic than before.
There are a lot of us out there that want to have "popular" blogs. To be the next 'Dooce', so to speak, but not necessarily for the money. I think it's more about name recognition than anything else.
I wouldn't say major, for the most part. It crops up now and then, but it is a minor skirmish, at best. What I HAVE noticed is that bloggers who get paid gigs start neglecting their own blogs or using them to promote the paid work, and their own blogs suffer for it. I always regret that, even though I am happy for the blogger, and in a few cases, I've stopped reading when it's gone too far down the tubes.
hbm, good point. Before the "ad wars," there was much more bitchery over blog competitions. It's funny, because Kim and I started the Perfect Post Awards as a response to that, so that bloggers could award other bloggers and spread the love around a little more than the big competitions allowed. And still, from time to time, we read someone whining about never winning a Perfect Post Award- and it just kills us.
kittenpie, you make a really good point, too, and that was one of my biggest fears doing the Parents.com gig- that this blog would suffer. But as it turns out, the biggest factor in making this blog suffer is BRUISER. :D
I blog (not often enough) because I like to write and I like to read other blogs (mommy and others). I don't receive much traffic nor do I hear from advertisers or anything like that. Doesn't bother me, that would just mean that I would have to make it more like a job than a fun thing to do.
I consider myself a blogger virgin...as I have only been doing it a year. However...it has evolved as the audience has grown. I recently accepted a Blogher agreement and I am VERY excited about it. I think I started out just using my blog as a place to record my son--in place of a baby book...now it is my safe haven and keeps me sane. It also is a place for me to BE REAL. I am grateful that people actually like it.
After reading this post I wonder how my blogging life will evolve...how things will change...and if I will ever be invited to a blog convention :-)
Cheers!
Aimee
Wunst agin, th' single dude what ain't got a dawg in this hyar fit, has sumpin' ta say: I've only visited your blog now for a couple-three months. I don't care what your original motivations were or remain: you write a great, funny, insightful blog.
For those who take the wrong approach or the wrong motivations to their 'mommyblogs' -- search of the gold ring thang -- more power to 'em. Few will actually achieve, let alone sustain it. But to those who do, if that's where they wanna be, enjoy.
You just keep doin' what you do, Lindsay. If it works for you and yours, nothing else matters.
*soapbox collapsed under weight of email scam offers*
It certainly has changed since I started in late 2004. I took a long break right when the PR phenomenon was starting to blow up and I have never attended blogher or any other conference so I've missed out on the big invites and the big ticket items for review and to give away. Sometimes I feel out of the loop with all of this.
And I'm excited to be a part of the BlogHer ad network now, but I don't get much from it. I usualy only get a check every other month and it's a small amount of madmoney just for me to splurge with. Buy a new pair of jeans. Or something.
I don't blog for any of that. Would I like to be included? Sure. But I'm not actively pursuing it and I'm not willing to compromise my beliefs or what my blog is about to get in on the big action. I'll stick to the occasional book or toy review if it's something I like. I've received some books in the mail that I never featured because, frankly, they sucked.
Meanwhile, my blog is about me--not making money.
I'm very new to blogging (4 months), but in my wanderings through the blogosphere I've picked up on what you're talking about.
We actually discussed this last week at the San Diego/Bossy get-together.
I started blogging for the writing and capturing a snapshot of my life for posterity, but the community is what makes this the experience it is. I hope it doesn't change.
I agree with Busy Mom. (As always.)
I hate to see some authenticity go away in favor of freebies and marketing. I guess that's why I stay out of blog contests and keywords and tags and happy wednesdays and f*ck me fridays or whatever, and all those other traffic building things. I want to make sure I'm focused on my writing and not link building. But you know, not everyone is. That's ok.
Just need to point out though:
The more things change the more they stay the same. When I first started blogging, there were these women Heather, Alice, Melissa and Eden...or something like that...who went to Amsterdam on someone else's dime to blog.
Thanks for giving me more to think about... I have pondered ads but never opened myself up because my blog is my therapy.
Blogging makes me grateful and happy -- I'd heard ads didn't pay much so I never bothered. Granted, I don't get the major traffic. My blog is a happy little place where I can vent and celebrate. This is enough for me. Thanks for making me appreciate my little spot on the D-list!
I started blogging because I was bored and needed an outlet for my brain to decompress every day. Sad but true. And now, well it's the same. I'd like to say it's because I have a purist attitude about blogging that I don't have advertising now, but really it's only because I haven't been asked by anybody that I'd be interested in working with to advertise on my blog. Not to say that I wouldn't advertise if the right advertiser contacted me to say...drive across the US to visit other bloggers, I wouldn't do it. I would totally pimp myself out. (Go Bossy!) Because you know what I think? A good writer, is a good writer, is a good writer. And a good writer could write about almost anything. And if a Mommyblogger is a good writer and wants to advertise, and talks about her clients in her blog, and then write about the free trips she gets from these clients, then that's cool with me. I don't care. Just write well. Keep me entertained. And everyone else? Who cares.
Yay! Thank you for saying what you did! I was beginning to think my blogging was a waste of time because I don't get hundreds of hits a day (or even a few for that matter), and I just felt like it was turning into a popularity contest (what does your cluster map look like - how many comments do you have), but then realized that I'm blogging for me, and okay, my parents! =)
It seems that there is a desire among many mommybloggers to be the next Kelly Ripa -- the mom who, by merely mentioning some product in an off-hand way, spurs a huge rush on the market. (As I recall this happened a couple years ago with some self-tanning lotion she mentioned on Regis & Kelly.)
There also seems to be a growing focus on STUFF. Everyone wants to get more stuff, write about more stuff, point out the neatest stuff, demonstrate their awesome taste in stuff, etc.
Although I started out as a review blogger (without really even knowing there was such a thing as a review blog), I was focused mainly on kids' music and media. I wrote about the things we encountered on our own. But soon, the agents found me and I started getting piles of STUFF -- CDs, DVDs, books. That made blogging so much harder, and it eventually drove me away from writing about music and media the way I used to.
During that same time, I was interviewed by several major newspapers and hired to write some paid pieces. Suddenly, I was An Expert. I was credible and important and people outside of Blog-land cared about what I wrote. That was very exciting, and something I wish I had capitalized on more at the time.
Since then I've moved away from reviews, although I still do them occasionally when I come across a GREAT album. And my blog has ads. So I can't throw too many stones. But I do think there are some negative trends developing here. Thanks for starting this discussion.
I've been blogging for 5 years and I have noticed the same issues as many of your commentors. I totally agree with BusyMom and Kittenpie, and with Neil as well. Oh and Kimberly and the whining. Oh the whining.
But something that wasn't brought up with the sense of ENTITLEMENT that some of the "big" bloggers feel they deserve. I was astounded by some of the posts about the J&J baby camp, not by the people that didn't get invited, but by those that did and thought that the world revolves around their schedules and their children and their wants and desires. It was ridiculous and it was embarrassing. Blogging does not equal being treated like you're special, especially when you're dealing with a large corporation. And the fact that people were incensed that the huge corporation wouldn't accommodate their needs... oh please. Get off your high cloud and act like a human being. You're NOT special. You're a freaking blogger. No more, no less. And I don't care if you have a marketing background or were the CEO of a major corporation in your past. You're a blogger now.
The other thing that I think tears down community is the constant planning posts. If people just kept their freaking mouths shut about where they are going and what they are packing and when they got their manicures and haircuts... much of the angst about these junkets would disappear.
My family was just invited to something next month. I don't plan on blogging about any of the preparations for the trip, nor about what I plan to wear, or how I plan to shop for new clothing, etc. I'll post about the experience after we return home. Period. That's all anyone should do. I don't want to make people upset or angry or jealous or whatever. My responsibility is to the corporation that is paying for our trip, and my obligation is to be a good blogging citizen and not get people pissed off or angry. Any discussion of the event with other invitees has been totally behind the scenes, as it should be.
The idea that there are tiers of bloggers, with a certain few blogs on the top of the heap is changing. Some of those blogs suck so badly now that it's a wonder they have any readers at all. I think people go out of habit and new bloggers find them as older ones get fed up with the constant "I'm over here today" self-advertising.
OTOH, some of the newest and most popular bloggers like Pioneer Woman and Rocks in My Dryer and Bossy keep pumping out fresh, interesting, exciting content day after day. They can do the contests and the stunt blogging, and it's still excellent blogging, good writing, fresh content. But that's untrue of many of the older, more established blogs. I think there is a definite shift to better content, and hopefully those "top tier" bloggers that really aren't offering anything in the way of content will slowly disappear from the top tier. Which is what I like best about blogging. There is always room for someone new to come along and entrance her readers. Thank God for that!
I am not a blogger. I do, however, read a number of "mommyblogs." I really couldn't believe how juvenile some of the J&J-related posts got. ("I didn't get invited!" "I can't bring my baby!" "They sent me several confused emails!" "How dare they!") It really seemed to demonstrate a sense of entitlement that seems way out of proportion -- it's *blogging*, people. I enjoy the writing (when it is good) (oddly enough, the complaining-est bloggers about the J&J issue were not among those I think write the best) and reading about what other moms are experiencing. But this isn't a sorority or rocket science. Get over yourselves.
the traffic and getting noticed is all very nice but that isn't why i started blogging nearly 4 years ago.
i confess i find the ads somewhat distracting, rarely click on them and like another poster, find they make some blogs look the same but that isn't why i don't carry ads. ultimately, my blog is my thoughts and my view even if they are blander, less humorous and significantly less profane than the top mommy blogs. the traffic i do receive suggests that someone out there finds it a wee bit interesting or at least something they can point and laugh at and give thanks that it isn't them.
great point of view! thanks for putting it out there.
As someone who's read you from the beginning, I know it's always been about the writing and about the community for you. I love that about you and your blog.
I've had my blog for 4 years, and took a long break when my son was diagnosed with autism. Looking back, I almost wish I had not taken the break. I had such profoundly difficult times back then, with my kids and with my own depression. It would have been such a help to have this free therapy, this community to support me.
Since I've been back into blogging for the last 8 months or so--yes there's a definite change from how it was a couple years ago. Definitely a lot more money and commercial interests involved, but that's not necessarily always bad as long as the blogger handles it in the right way. Ads, reviews, "come find me over here" and such, are not inherently bad. Why should you not let us know if you're writing somewhere else? More of you for us to read, and that's a good thing.
My blog has organically grown to become my portfolio, as well as my community. I found my "tribe" of ladies who live locally, through blogging. I've gotten a couple paid writing gigs through my blog as well. I just recently put up BlogHer ads a couple weeks ago, mainly for the exposure and the networking. I've been amazed at the hugeness this mom-blogging has grown into, and I think if we can focus on the good we will see there is a lot of it. The good, that is.
Also, I must not read the same bloggers, because I didn't see a lot of whining about not being invited to trips. Hopefully you know that there are a ton of bloggers out there doing it right, not complaining or whining, and keeping the community a balanced place.
On the one hand I think it's great that so many mothers are earning income from their blogs. It is an economic confirmation of their talent and their worth, the value of their of voice and their importance in the grand scheme of things. These things are often overlooked when women are stay-at-home-moms.
That said, I enjoy my small time blogs more. I am a small time blog and I started blogging to keep my family oversees updated on my life and my son's growth. I then learned about the blogging community, but I have no intention to grow my blog. I already have a job I love. If my blog becomes my job it will change irrevocably and I do not want that to happen.
When the ad revenue starts coming in, I think the tone of the blog changes. Some of the content shifts to corporate sites. There are links to "an article I wrote on this other big fancy site". It's not as real anymore.
I was very friendly with one woman in particular who "made it" and now she is only friends with other famous blogging women. I am genuinely happy for her and I still love her blog. It is one of the best mommyblogs out there in my opinion, and as much as I know that things change, nothing ever stays the same, I miss the way it used to be.
Ok, I have "looked" at quite a few mommy blogs and there are quite a few that I like. Yours is really the one that I keep up with, and I have no issue with you making any money from it. Mostly, because you "keep it real"!!! I love that you are not afraid to write about poop and the gym mom. Crazy things that we all go through....Your craziness makes me feel a bit less crazy sometimes. Keep up the GREAT WORK
Great post, Lindsay. This is what I love about subscribing to feeds. I add/remove at will and feel no obligation to keep up with those who get into all that... I feel like I stay on the periphery mostly, on purpose. I don't want to be part of the PR hype! It's a little off-putting when that becomes a driving force for some... There are blogs I've taken off my reader for just that reason.
I definitely don't blog for money (like so many people have said, very few bloggers actually make a true livable salary from blogging). I have ads on my blog sidebar from the Real Girls Media network and I will post occasional book or product reviews on my site, but I try to be pretty picky about the products I choose to blog about. That said, first and foremost I started blogging as a creative writing outlet and to connect with other moms from across the country. If I make a little "lunch money" on the side, that's a nice little perq, but I don't let the ads on my sidebar dictate what I write. I have actually considered starting a separate site for reviews, although because I'm not in the BlogHer ad network it's not a requirement. I think too many ads/reviews/blatant product placement turn people off. I know they turn me off. If I want products waved in my face, I'll just turn on TV. ;)
Here's an interesting take. What if PR/advertisers completely ignored the blogosphere? Well, that would be criticized, too. I think it's actually a positive thing that they are tuning into bloggers, because it validates the fact that blogging is an important social medium, especially for moms. Now it's up to individual bloggers to decide if they are selling out to "the man" by blogging about and for rolls of paper towels. I think it's all about balance and staying true to what motivates you to join in on the blogging community in the first place. I actually think it's very savvy of companies such as J&J (which markets so many mom/baby products) to tune into what moms are saying on the Web.
It's all about balance and being true to yourself as a writer.
Great post!
Shoot. Invite to whatever, whereever. I most likely be able to go because my real job takes up all of my time along with sucking the marrow from my bones, but please do invite me.
I am all about the stuff.
Namaste.
Blogging was never about money. Nor was it about displaying my writing talents and hoping they'd lead to something else because the fact is I'm by no means a writer. Just a woman and a mom that enjoys the outlet. I've met some incredible people that ,while I've never met them in real life can honestly call friends. That to me, is what blogging is all about. Sure schwag and products are nice but even then I'm selective about what I'll review and generally if I've agreed to review it I'm holding a giveaway for said product too. That way some readers really benefit. That's about as commercial as I'll ever get.
Insightful post.
Great post - I've just started blogging and can't imagine doing it for money at this point. I'm just enjoying the community.
I'll be honest - would I like to make money from blogging? Sure I would because then I could stay home with my kids. But it isn't my reason for blogging.
I started blogging 5 or so years ago when I was feeling very lonely and isolated and it gave me the means to connect with people. It has also helped my writing (I think) and that is an infinitely valuable skill.
If anything - I think the new wave of mommybloggers that are doing it solely for the income - will hurt the entire community. But I also think they're pretty transparent in their writings.
Great post. I'm a mommyblogger and a PR professional, so I see both sides of this coin. I blog because I think I'm funny and I think I have something to say. If someone reads it great. If they don't like it, fine. Argue back.
As a PR Pro, I counsel my clients to build relationships with their audiences by having a great pitch backed up by an outstanding product. I also counsel them to put their messages where their audiences are. Could that include reaching out to prominent voices on the blogosphere? Yes. Randomly sending out product samples and nagging bloggers to give them a positive review? No. I don't advocate for it for "traditional media" and I don't advocate for it for bloggers.
Please accept my personal apologies for my well-intended, but somewhat misguided colleagues who lost sight on the fact that PR and the blogosphere have an important connection - a focus on relationships.
A friend of mine just pointed out your post, and I'm glad I hopped over. The comments are as interesting as the post!
I run ads, have a review blog, blah, blah, blah. I started blogging to write, and it's sad to me that more people to list this as one of their top interests in blogging. I've found a community of parents (and nonparents), but also a community of prolific and talented writers, and that's what keeps me doing it.
One nice thing about ad networks like BlogHer and review networks like Parent Bloggers Network is that the widgets or ads feature rotating headlines, which helps me both get more readers for myself and find other interesting posts when I'm buried and only have time to read a few things a day. Ad networks build exposure as they do pay you a few pennies, and I think we should recognize them for that value when we talk about them.
If you're a writer, you want people to read your words. Let's be honest. Otherwise we wouldn't self-publish. Anything ethical that attracts readers is attractive to me, which is why I do the reviews, I tag the posts, I use the keywords. I try not to whore out my blog, and I keep Surrender, Dorothy clean of anything I don't believe in personally (you can find my reviews at my review blog), but absolutely I love boosts to my readership. It means my words have been heard -- and that's all I wanted out of this blogging thing. I wanted to be heard.
This problem will cure itself. If I read a blog and can discern that it's sole purpose is ad revenue or promotion of products, I'm outta there. Permanently.
I think most mommybloggers write and read for a sense of community and entertainment. If there is revenue in that, great. But ultimately having a blog that reads well and appeals is critical to hits (clicks?) and will be self regulating.
I've been ad free for the past seven years -- egads! -- of blogging.
That's because I've always wanted to promote "Brand Helen Jane" through my blog and not dilute it with branding from other companies -- but maybe I'm too anal.
Lindsay, do you think ads will take away from "Brand Suburban Turmoil" down the road? Or do they add to it?
Or is it just sweet-to-have income in the meantime?
(Grin, cause I could certainly stand for that.)