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Blissdom 2010 – The Lettered Cottage

Blissdom Connections

Gaylord, Harry Connick Jr. and a mashed potato confession

Home from Blissdom 10

{Flat} TidyMom kissed Harry Connick Jr.!!!!!

Drank the Kool Aid

My Blissdom Recap – The Mom Creative

Blissdom 2010 – Charm of the Carolines

How to Tweet your way through a conference

Blissdom Conference Roundup – Xiaolin Mama

How Blissdom helped me understand Star Trek conventions

Why #Blissdom Was Worth Every Penny

Content is Queen Blissdom 2010 Session Recap

A Little Bit of Bliss and That

#blissdom 2010 – oh amanda

Savvy vs. Harry

Blissdom Post #1: Sense And Sensibility

Tuesday was an unproductive day that still has me rattled a bit today.  I found myself consistently distracted by a social media dialog around the death of a two-year old boy.   Even today I struggle to write clearly on the topic.  What was the meaning of my observation?  I now I think I see it clearly.  So here I go.

Shellie Ross tweeted that her two-year old had “…fell in the pool.”  Shortly thereafter word spread through twitter-sphere about her loss. (I don’t know her personally, but do follow her on twitter.)  Hundreds of wishes of sympathy and prayers came in from fellow bloggers, mothers, and the online community at large, offering their support.  And then a small bit of negativity crept in.

Madison McGraw on twitter suggested that the tweet about her son passing was a fabrication because she was unable to verify it through third-parties such as police records or local news media.  And then she continued a rank of accusations of how she was unable able to verify the event.  All the while calling out and challenging a mother, who was mourning her loss, in the public view on Twitter.  She is even wrote a blog post on it.

Admittedly, knowing little of how tragedies are reported or recorded, I began to develop some doubt regarding the authenticity of the event.  The “Balloon Boy” came to mind.  But what person would tempt karma in such a way as to fake her own child’s passing?  To what benefit?  It felt implausible, but definitely what I was hoping for it, since it would be less tragic.

Needless to say, I kept returning to see if anymore information came forward.  And as I believe many others must have as well, I continued to wonder about the validity of her tweet.  Would I so quickly tweet about it if it happened in my family?

And then the boy’s passing was confirmed by local news. I felt embarrassed for questioning her tweet, even though I only did so to myself privately.  Why wouldn’t she tell her twitter followers?  She was just looking for some support.

I offer my condolences to Shellie Ross and disgust for Madison McGraw.

A story, I wrote on the importance of mothers who are bloggers was recently posted on Happi.com in the Experts Opinion section.

Excerpt: “As the voice of mothers gains influence in social media, businesses are aiming to find their place in this arena and identify how to connect with these moms. With marketing, media and technology changing so fast, it isn’t easy. Businesses can start by observing and learning from these moms who blog and investing in relationships with them, embracing their expanding role in social media.”

Complete story here

I’ve noticed that moms who blog have a strong preference for Twitter when it comes to life streaming (micro-blogging) and chatting with friends. It’s not to say that they aren’t on Facebook, but it is more than likely merely being fed with their tweets.

Conversely, moms that do not have a blog have a strong preference for Facebook. It’s unlikely that they spend anytime with Twitter.

Is this perspective accurate?

Is it because Twitter is better than Facebook for driving blog visits?

Cold and flu season is well under way, and this year parents have more questions than ever.

A webinar is being provided to get your questions answered, thanks to Boiron USA.  Dr. Woodson Merrell, Chairman of the Department of Integrative Medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York and assistant clinical professor of medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and author of the ground-breaking book, Power Up, will present “Natural Approaches to Treating Cold & Flu for the Whole Family.“  Dr. Merrell will also take your questions after the presentation.

Boiron will give away free full size product packages with Children’s Oscillococcinum, Children’s Coldcalm Pellets & Children’s Chestal from their children’s line to up to 300 attendees (awarded at random).

The webinar is free and open to all parent bloggers thanks to Boiron’s sponsorship.

When:  Wednesday, December 2, 1pm ET/10am PT

Where:  Right at your computer!

How to participate:

Email parentbloggers@gmail.com for a webinar invitation.  Then check your email for the invitation that will contain the link to join the webinar.

Looking forward to having you join!

Social media has given ordinary people, like you and me, a platform for our voice that we didn’t have before. BUT, some claim it to be just a narcissistic activity. Some argue it to be just a waste of one’s time.  Some feel it to be information and entertainment consumption gone awry.

As counterpoint, I point you to “How Social Media Saved #Jaeli“

Several mothers who are also bloggers were invited to Nestle Corporate for an event to interact with the company’s top brass. Nestle even created a special page to encourage them to tweet about the experience.

On the first day of the event, Nestle found its Twitter hashtag (#nestlefamily) hijacked by moms who were not attending and very unhappy with the company’s marketing practices of baby formula and sourcing chocolate. Discussion of boycotts and rallying cries followed which are nothing new to Nestle as it is the most boycotted company in the world, with resistance dating back to the 1970s.

A blog post and the Twitter activity by PHDinParenting seemed to be the spark that started it.

Quickly it became reminiscent of #motrin story, but this was trickier because bloggers attending the event felt like they were being attacked by their own community. This post describes the feelings well.

A firestorm of Twitter activity continued for hours – some of it not so pleasant, but there was a majority of respectful debate. The voices making the strongest statements garnered greater attention (retweeting) and responses. Momentum was building.

At 5:55pm ET, Scott Remy, SVP at Nestle USA opened a Twitter account tweeted, “Hi I’m Scott Remy, SVP at Nestle USA. I’m here to answer your questions. #nestlefamily”. For everyone following the activity, that got their attention. He followed at 5:56pm ET with, “We have been listening since the start and ask that you please don’t attack our guest bloggers. #nestlefamily” And then, at 6:00pm ET, “We recognize we are new to social media and that’s why we brought bloggers here.”

For the next several hours he and his staff did their best to respond to inquires. They did a decent job considering they created the account only a few minutes earlier.

As the evening wore on and Nestle corporate signed-off, the chatter slowed, but didn’t go away. And it never will as there is a bigger issue here than Nestle being on Twitter. But for this site, that’s our interest.

Twitter democratizes conversations. Nestle admitted to being new to social media, and they got an abrupt first day lesson. By encouraging attending bloggers to tweet with the hashtag #nestlefamily, they opened up the dialog, but they weren’t prepared to participate. The Twitter activity was a clear display of how brands no longer can control the message as they previously perceived that they could. Scott Remy deserves credit for jumping in to respond and defend his invitees. J&J wasn’t able to muster the same confidence when it came to the #motrin debacle.

This is just the first step down the social media road for Nestle with Twitter, and clearly it wasn’t an easy baby step. But they are now involved, and appear to have the right leadership to converse with moms on Twitter and elsewhere, even with the issues being controversial and provocative.

What do you consider the most powerful media?

Newspapers? Nah. Radio? No way. Magazine? Fuhgetaboutit. Television? Nope. The Internet? You know it!

A faster adoption curve is one reason the Internet is king of media. Another – and one that is much more important – is that anyone with access can be a producer and publisher for free. The other media outlets can’t make a claim that is even similar. That’s why blogging, YouTube, and Twitter have all grown incredibly fast. More than 200 million blogs, 50 million-plus Twitter accounts, and hundreds of millions of videos a day viewed on YouTube can’t be wrong. Anyone with access and an idea has a voice and can speak to a global audience – very powerful indeed.

Services such as Twitter, YouTube and Blogger have made it easy, oh soooo easy to get started. There’s no money required, no software to buy. Just start typing and you are out there.

That low barrier to entry can create some problems, however. I’ve seen it over and over again. Write some blog posts, add some iPhone pictures, follow a multitude of Twitter profiles, try to make some money, add Google AdSense, add banner ads, review a product, run a contest, open an affiliate e-commerce storefront, and then DISAPPOINTMENT.

Web traffic and Twitter followers can fit in your backyard. AdSense and banner clicks are exceeded by the number of times the kids ask for a toy they see on TV. Business inquires are selling snake oil or doing CPA deals.

All the while a select few blogging friends are kicking it and living large! They are speaking at conferences, getting invited to parties, receiving free products and trips, and seemingly cashing in on their bit of fame.

What’s going on here? You are just as good a writer, have funny stories to tell, and are just as competent with Photoshop as anyone else. And what started out as being fun is now a slog that evokes the recurring question, “Why is no one paying attention to me?”

The answer, as I see it, is rather straightforward. Those enjoying success are treating their work as if they are managing a BRAND. They have selected a niche. There is a consistent tone to their work. They choose partners carefully. They recognize how much competition there is, so they stay focused with their efforts. They show up regularly. And they take appropriate risks.

They recognize that everything they do adds to or subtracts from the brand they are creating. For some, that brand is literally themselves and their persona. For others, it’s an image and name they have created. For both, the objectives are the same. They’ve created an emotional relationship with their readers. They see their brand as an implied promise to deliver a level of focus and quality to their audience that the audience has come to expect and will continue to expect.

Ultimately, an identity is created that resonates with readers, customers, and the community at large. This identity is necessary to build a powerful voice online, succeeding as both a brand manager and a blogger.

***
Some basics of branding can be found on About.com. There also are numerous books written about it.

Blog with Integrity co-founders Julie Marsh, Susan Getgood, Liz Gumbinner and Kristen Chase host a webinar on the topic of DISCLOSURE.  As is stated on the Blog with Integrity web site, “Whether you regularly write sponsored posts, review products now and then, or simply have a few affiliate links on your blog, disclosure matters. You need to protect yourself. We’ll help you get it right.”

The Disclosure webinar is free to attendees.  To attend, prior to the event, send an email to  blogwithintegrity@gmail.com to confirm your plans to attend. They will forward an official invitation with all the registration and login details.  More can be found at http://www.blogwithintegrity.com/webinars.php

Blog with Integrity was created in July 2009 to provide bloggers with a tangible and collective way to express a commitment to a simple code of blogging conduct.

One of the seemingly endless debates on the internet is the issue of privacy.  How much information is too much information?  Mothers that blog face this issue every time they make a post.  They risk coming under fire for expressing their experiences by various nay sayers who suggest that the internet has allowed people to become too exposed. But what exactly is “too open?” Three blogging mothers have offered their their thoughts on how they straddle the privacy line.

Laura of Momtrolfreak.com suggests that the nature of her personality allows her freedom to share her thoughts as she wishes.

“I’ve always been a pretty open person.  A complete stranger can walk up to me and pretty much ask me the first day of my last period and I’ll pony up the info–I just have never had a lot of filters. For better or worse, this is who I am. So putting that in writing and making it public is not really all that much of a leap to take” says Laura  who started her blog in 2009.

As a professional actress prior to having her son Laura likens her previous career to her blogging experience now.

“I’m somewhat desensitized to the issue of baring one’s soul in front of total strangers. I’ve cried, screamed, made out, flashed a boob , shown my butt cheeks on stage in front of hundreds of people night after night,” says Laura.  “It wasn’t “me,” per se, it was a character, but the sensation is the same. It’s very freeing. Blogging is kind of like that, except it’s me I’m exposing, not a character.”

Samantha Jo Campen of Back To Me started blogging in 2006 and felt just as easy making her private life public due to her blogging connects.   “I was comfortable sharing family life a lot in part due to my husband.  He has a strong online presence before I even got started so he understood the concept” says Campen.  “My husband set very clear boundaries in his writing and I learned from that early on.”

Campen says that although she is aware of the value of privacy she feels the need to write personally to help other women connect.

“There are things I don’t share, but I really feel it’s important to write about the not-so-perfect moments in my life because I have gained so much strength from reading other blogs where the writers are having a rough time,” says Campen. “So when I talk about having been in therapy and needing medication, or how hard it was for me the first few months after our son was born, I do it for others and also out of selfishness.  I need support as much as I want to lend it.”

Laura feels the same way, viewing the internet as a place to share life experiences, rather than a big bad void where her privacy is risked.

“I do feel that women can be very hard on themselves, especially mothers, and that it really helps to see someone else going through a similar situation and dealing with it with humor” she says. I’ve written about my sister’s struggle with a chronic illness and have found amazing resources for her through readers of my blog who responded to my posts. It goes both ways–it makes me feel less isolated, less stressed, and less like I’m failing at X Y or Z, to hear that other women have gone through the same struggle.

Maria of Mommy Melee says that the “unknown” feeling of the internet can make her feel more at ease sharing her personal experiences raising her son.

“I think the illusion of anonymity bolsters my confidence.  Plus I’ve never had a troll or an incident that affected my sense of security” says Maria.  “Once that inevitably happens, I’m sure I’ll start to question my level of comfort when it comes to sharing my family life with others.”

Campen suggests that making her blog more private also might be something that she would consider doing in the future.

“I don’t think the internet offers a lot of privacy at all, so a lot of bloggers work hard at maintaining some level of anonymity” she says.  “If the time comes where it’s necessary, I’ll play around with comment settings and reduce the amount of information that is out there about my private life.”

However there was a general theme of what was off limits to write about on blogs, mainly employment.

“For me, and I know every blogger is different in terms of what they are comfortable writing about, I will never talk about my sex life, specific details about my work, any anecdote that would embarrass my family, and I will never post naked pictures of my kid” says Campen. “Those are black and white.  Grey areas come up now and again of course, and I wring my hands accordingly.”

This statement was supported by Laura.

“I won’t blog about my job, because I don’t want to get fired” says Laura, “I also wouldn’t blog about TMI stuff like if I had a urinary tract infection or something, I think that would cross the line for me, unless there was something really super funny I really had to share about that.”

What really bothers Maria is the lack of connection that can occur with some bloggers.

“I’ve made it a point to try to get to know my readers as I’ve blogged.  Only recently, as my traffic has gone up just a little, I’ve felt overwhelmed by that task” says Maria.  “And in feeling overwhelmed, I’ve also realized that I have truly anonymous readers. People who don’t comment.  People who don’t reach out.”

However Maria wholeheartedly believes in the concept of blogging to reach out and connect and feels as though she benefits from it as well, like Laura and Ms. Campen.

“I absolutely believe that my stories can give other women a sense of confidence as mothers; half the things I blog about are utter parenting screw-ups or the sort of embarrassing/gross incidents that you have to laugh at to survive” says Maria.  “I always find it comforting to read someone else’s experiences and find common ground in them. I love the framework, the back story.”

Magic Beans, a retailer of toys and baby gear, isn’t ordinary. All of the items the retailer sells are handpicked by parents for parents and come from a wide range of manufacturers. (As a parent myself, I found several items that were refreshingly unique – they weren’t the typical run-of-the-mill toys I often see at the big retailers – and that piqued my interest because of their impressive learning features, such as the Teach Me Time! Talking Alarm Clock and the I Feel Stamp Kit.) Also, the Web site is easy to navigate. Users can shop by age, item or manufacturer, and they can view Top 10 and Today’s Most Popular lists in multiple categories.

But perhaps most importantly, Magic Beans takes full advantage of social-media tools to market the business, interact with customers and build a community.

Co-founder Sheri Gurock said she thought of the idea to open a toy store when she was pregnant with her second child.

“Several toy stores in our neighborhood had gone out of business. Finally, after my favorite one closed, I decided to do something to make sure I could still find great toys in my community,” she said.

Sheri and her husband, Eli, opened their first Magic Beans store in 2004 and today have three stores in the Boston area. They launched the Web site in 2005 and re-launched it in November 2008 with a new design and technology platform, which includes an array of social-media tools.

Over the years, Sheri and Eli have tried several marketing strategies for the business, including print, radio and newspaper advertising. They also own an Elmo costume, which Sheri said has been great for guerilla marketing. Word of mouth – “happy customers telling their friends about us” – has also been an effective marketing medium, she said.

Magic Beans has social-media tools peppered throughout its Web site. For example, when a user clicks on an item, the user can click on a “share this” button, which opens up a list of more than 50 bookmark and sharing tools from which the user can choose, including Blogmarks, Delicious, Facebook, LinkedIn, Simpy and Twitter. The user also can “tell a friend,” “email a question” and “Tweet this,” among other options.

“We are a very social-media savvy company,” Sheri said. “We’ve been watching the Web 2.0 movement for several years and dreaming of ways to integrate it into our online shopping experience. The ability to share a product with friends is a simple way to help people engage in word-of-mouth evangelism in their online communities.”

The Magic Beans site also features a blog written primarily by Sheri called Spilling the Beans. She started it in 2005 originally as a method of communicating information about new products to store staff.

“I was writing these mini-reviews of all notable new products and sending them out by email. Someone said that would be good content for a blog. I said, what’s a blog?” She aims to update it three or four times a week and writes mostly about new products, coming products, “and occasionally about life as a parent and business owner.”

In recent posts she has commented on a company’s decision to move production of a stroller from New Zealand to China, introduced a reusable-baby-wipes system that keeps the wipes warm and damp, and shared a S’mores recipe to celebrate National S’mores Day.

Magic Beans uses both Facebook and Twitter regularly to deliver news about new products, events and other relevant information for customers but finds the Facebook community to be more active and responsive. Sheri said they also read posts on popular blogs and message boards and try to add value to the conversations. She said that they track the effectiveness of all of these tools and that social media is definitely a great source of traffic.

Magic Beans continues to use traditional advertising as well, including a printed catalog, which Sheri said has been quite successful. They also do limited print advertising in publications geared toward parents or babies and young children.

Sheri noted that Magic Beans has benefited from both types of advertising but that social media is more powerful.

“Social-media advertising is infinitely more trackable than traditional advertising,” she said. “You can see the click-throughs and conversions right on the screen, so it’s certainly easier to evaluate its success using concrete metrics. It also allows you to reach a real, targeted audience.”

She said traditional advertising is “more like a shot in the dark” and much more difficult to accurately track. “I still think it’s important to have my brand represented in certain publications, even if the benefits are less tangible,” she said. “But from everything we’ve seen, the results are much more impressive with social-media efforts.”

The downside of social media is the time it requires, Sheri said, adding that maintaining the blog, Twitter and Facebook takes a few hours each day.

The benefits, however, far outweigh any downsides. Sheri noted that social media has played a key role in enhancing the company’s level of customer service by making them more accessible.

“We built our business on a foundation of helping parents and providing a very high level of customer service. It’s been amazing to see how social media helps us be even more available to our customers to lend assistance, answer questions, and offer expertise in real time, at any time of the day or night. It also helps make us more accessible as individuals.”

She also enjoys the conversations she has with customers on the blog or on Facebook and appreciates the opinions and feedback.

“I’ve learned that there’s a high level of transparency and accountability that comes with social media. That’s a double-edged sword, but it keeps us on our toes, and ultimately, that’s a good thing for any entrepreneur.”

We’re doing research about Facebook and would greatly appreciate you answering a short one-page survey.

Answers are kept anonymous, but will be very beneficial in helping understand how people feel about and use Facebook.

WeListenToMoms.com

Thanks in advance!

BlogHer is the blogging conference that attracts the most female attendees and gets the most buzz, but it’s not the only one specifically produced for women. There are smaller conferences where meeting people and learning might be more easily achieved. Here are a few others that should be considered if you are looking to connect with moms who are bloggers. These events expect 150-300 attendees.

Type A Mom Conference

September 24 -26, 2009

Ashville, NC

A unique mom blogging conference designed to help moms who blog take it to the next level. The conference will feature influential and insightful mom bloggers talking about topics like the power social networking, branding, blogging, finding your voice, and turning your passion for blogging into a real paycheck.

Sponsors include: Little Debbie Snacks, HP, Boiron & iRobot

Blogalicious

October 9 – 11, 2009

Atlanta, GA

For three days, black, Latina, Caribbean, Asian-Pacific, and Native-American bloggers, among other nationalities, will enjoy a weekend of discussions and events. It’s an opportunity for women to come together to celebrate their diversity and their love for blogging.

Sponsors include: Quaker Oats, Burger King, Success Rice & Boiron

Blissdom

February 4-6, 2010

Nashville, TN

A conference for women bloggers who not only want to network in a laid back atmosphere but also walk away with improved skills. Learn from other women about building your blog, your brand, and your business.

Mom 2.0 Summit

February 18 – 21, 2010

Houston, TX

A place for marketers, mompreneurs and social media enthusiasts to get to know one another. A place to connect, converse, and build relationships. This year’s Summit discussions will focus on social media, marketing, networks, and brand building.

While jogging down the street, Shauna Glenn nearly got hit by a car. After dog-cussing the guy, a thought suddenly hit her: “hey, that would be a great opening scene for a book”. She kept running and as she did the story kept unfolding in her mind. She got to her house and began typing. She did for the next 30-days. The result: Heaping Spoonful. “It seems unbelievable to me. But the story was there—I just had to get it out.”

Shauna Glenn

Glenn is a Texas girl. Born and raised in Fort Worth, she has practically lived her whole life in the Texan city with the exception of her college years spent in Waco attending Baylor University. A former preacher’s kid turned recovering preacher’s kid, “I’m so confused” she says. Glenn is a devoted Pinot Grigio fan, who most days will settle with any $10 bottle, but when feeling extremely snobbish, only Santa Margarita will do.

A great story teller, her blog “Is it 5 o’clock yet?” is a smashing success that follows the life of a fictional character — her. The stories are mostly exaggerated and not meant to be taken seriously. When asked how she came up with that peculiar name she says: “I don’t know exactly. I think I just needed a name for the blog, and that’s the first thing I came up with. It wasn’t very well thought—like most things in my life.” She hopes it still continues to be entertaining and she hopes people don’t get sick of her doing it.

Glenn loves Mexican food and loves Vanity Fair, her guilty pleasure. A runner, who also enjoys sewing and cooking, she has two younger brothers who look older than her and not as handsome. Her role models are all in the family: her husband, her dad, and her deceased grandfather. Glenn considers herself nurturing, funny, and a great speller who can’t hula hoop and who is terrible at following through on projects. In a man, she loves confidence and to be adored. She is musically stuck in the 80s, on therapy since she was a teenager, and has two dogs, two cats, and a fish.

A literary agent in New York City, a publicist, a part time assistant, and a couple of good friends who let her know when she is being a shithead, are among, as what she describes, as her work circle. With three books published and one coming out next year, Glenn enjoys developing characters in novels but also loves the quick payoff and instant gratification that short stories give her. In ten years, she hopes to have sold a lot of books and have her own satellite radio show.

So, Glenn in a nutshell: “There are no words to really describe me. But if someone held a gun to my head I would have to answer: delusional, optimistic, unrealistic, sarcastic, impatient and cute as a button. I’m sure most people are grateful there’s only one of me.”