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LIVE BLOGGING: Is Mommy Blogging Still a Radical Act?
By metropolitanmama | July 18, 2008
***Featuring Lindsay Ferrier (Suburban Turmoil), Polly Pagenhart (LesbianDad), Maria (Immortal Matriarch), and Charlene Li (Midnight Musings and SiliconValleyMoms.com)
Lindsay, the moderator of the panel (pictured left), welcomed everyone and introduced the panelists.
Charlene has been watching mommy blogging for four years and she stated that, “MommyBlogging is still a radical act because any type of blogging is a radical act. You’re putting a large part of yourself out of there.”
Lindsay wondered aloud if it is possible to maintain a radical voice and still have ads and/or do the commercial side of things.
Maria responded by saying, “there are too many people coming into blogging to make money. As long as you are blogging for yourself, you can maintain your voice. When I go to someone’s blog, I want to hear about them.”
Polly pointed out that “the first definition of radical is ‘fundamental or root.’ The second definition of radical is ’social impact.’ Radical is making fundamental change.”
Kyla from The Journey said, “I think radical means honest.”
Catherine from Her Bad Mother (pictured right) pointed out that although “There’s a lot of acceptance for what we do, there’s also still a lot of backlash. We need to continue to be courageous about it [talking about motherhood].”
Maria maintained that authenticity is the most important thing, “I think as long as you are - I want to hear YOU - If you like this product or you like this TV show, I want to hear YOU.”
WhyMommy from Toddler Planet chimed in, “One of the things that I love about mommy blogging is seeing how people live. We’re not all one-dimensional. We mommyblog and then we’re professionals or volunteers.”
There was also a short conversation about whether or not to put your blog on your resume when looking for a job.
Jessica from It’s My Life and the Lemonade Stand pointed out that, “I have gotten three jobs as a result of my writing on my blogs. It proves that there’s more to being a mom than diapers and wipes.”
Polly switched gears and shared a comment from one of her readers about why so many moms/parents choose to blog, “The conversations online are deeper than mom conversations in real life. At playgroups, there is a lot of small talk and shallow level discussions. Blogging allows you to read and think and respond tomorrow when your child is asleep. We are encouraging each other to think deeply.”
Another attendee said that “MommyBlogging is a movement. It’s a silent movement.”
Several women commented about the importance of staying true to self.
Kyran from Notes to Self said, “This is my space to be me and there are no rules for me.”
Maria followed that up with, “You have to write for yourself. You have to do your blog for you.”
Liz of Mom 101 and Cool Mom Picks reminded the room that, “There’s room for everyone. There’s room for different voices. It’s all good.”
Another attendee started a conversation about how tough motherhood is and how blogging gives a voice to that difficulty, “I didn’t realize how hard it was to be a mother. It’s a really hard job that you don’t get paid for. Past generations didn’t get any recognition.”
Catherine of Her Bad Mother followed up, “This is work and this is hard. We are the backbone of this economy. We do deserve to get recognized and compensated.”
Maria (pictured left) summed up the session by saying, “You are radical just being YOU. When I come to your blog, I want to see the person behind the keyboard.”
Topics: Uncategorized |
July 18th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
Thanks for sharing the notes. I’m not so sure that I think that all moms who blog are radical. In my mind, that depends on the type of blogging that the mom does. I agree with Liz’s comment though — the thing that I like the most about blogging is that it can take a gazillion forms/ it’s not a “one type fits all” type of thing.
July 18th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Interesting to hear what several opinions are about this subject. Either way, expressing yourself on your blog is what your blog is about! Thanks for sharing this!
July 18th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Thanks so much for sharing your notes!!
July 18th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
Thank you for taking such detailed notes! I really felt like I was there. One of the things I love about blogging is that there are no rules. You can make it whatever you want and allow people to see the real you.
July 18th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
I love seeing Maria here! I’ve found a new voice since blogging. I can say things here that I can’t ‘out there.’ There is a sense of freedom and acceptance in the blogging community that you can’t always find anywhere else.
July 18th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
Very interesting. Thanks for sharing!
July 18th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
Stephanie, thanks for sharing. The thing I like about blogs are we get to know each other. And everyone doesn’t have to agree on every topic. That’s what makes the world go around. We are all different. Enjoy your trip!
July 18th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
Here’s to radicalism!
Thanks sooo much for the recap, Stephanie!
July 18th, 2008 at 11:54 pm
Thank you for keeping us posted. It still makes me kinda sad that I’m not there, but we have our reporter! *smiles*
Great things those ladies said.
July 19th, 2008 at 11:46 am
I’m a relative newbie to the bloggy world; still only taking tentative steps . . . so I’m eating up the BlogHer recaps and info on your blog and others - thank you Stephanie!
July 19th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
I loved your post. Each blog should be an extension of the personality of the blog owner. I’m always amazed when I see argumentative comments on blogs. LOL, this is THEIR blog. If you don’t like what they say, if you don’t agree, click the little X, that’s what it’s there for. Great post.
July 19th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
Thanks for the wrapup! I agree that there is room for everyone. That’s the beauty of blogging!
July 19th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
I didn’t realize it was ever radical to be a Mommy blogger….interesting!
July 19th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
I love being able to connect with other moms through my blog. We are radical!!! Thanks for posting the highlights. I hope you are having a blast at the conference.
July 20th, 2008 at 10:27 am
Writing about potty training and temper tantrums on the Internet is NOT RADICAL. Mmmkay?
July 22nd, 2008 at 11:04 am
I’m a new blogger, and I didn’t realize what I was getting myself into, but I love it! It may not be radical to talk about potty training & such, but what makes blogging radical is that this is your platform to reach the world. Even if you think your world is small, if what you say, and HOW you say it even affects ONE person (hopefully in a positive way) then it is RADICAL!
July 24th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
I think ‘Just Saying’ needs to get the stick out of his/her ass.
I’m just sayin’…
And the link to my blog goes to the wrong place.
I love Tara, but she’s not me. *lol*