So today wraps up the Miracle Weekend at the BC Children’s Hospital. We are missing the activities because Tara and I seem to have the same cold and babies don’t know how to cover their mouths and noses when they sneeze and it is really really gross.
Really gross.
No …really.
Ewwww.
So today is a fairly quiet day at the House of Crunch….as quiet as can be and involving a mad drive to Oakridge Mall because they put the WRONG GAME in Caity’s Princess and the Frog DS game on Monday and we had to find the time, energy and car time to go and get the right one.
Today also wraps up a miracle week for me too. I was able to be out TWICE at NIGHT without the kids. All thanks to blogging.
Blogging…you complete me!
And so do Nana’s and Husbands who can jump in and GIVE me that time. Thank you both.
My sanity appreciates it.
My first foray into freedom was longtime coming. I read and love the writers at Yummymummy Club and admire Erica Ehm for building such a great community and working hard in between her media life, book writing life and family life to reach out across the country to her fans and fans of the site.
So on Tuesday a bunch of us blogging moms met up with Erica Ehm herself down at the Sandbar on Granville Island.
It was a lot of fun.
I stole this photos from the divine Alexis (in Green), so I could have proof that I did indeed make it out to this event. I missed one last year because I forgot my wallet. Sigh.
That is the lovely Stephanie/Tsunami Mommy seated beside me!. She has all these awesome dad bloggers guest posting on her site right now…go read!
I don’t think it was just the giant G & T that made the night. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I seriously felt like pinching myself wondering how I managed to find a group of women like that. A group of women that I feel TOTALLY comfortable with. That are all amazing, smart, witty, warm and charming….all women that make me laugh AND cry.
Thank you …no really. Thank you blogging, tweeting wonderful women who have let me be your friend. I would link to all of you right now if I was in my right mind and could think straight…..
I floated home that night.
I couldn’t make it out to Erica’s book signing or the coffee the next day, due to not having wheels and frankly being pooped! The photos show that everyone there had an equally wonderful time.
Amber’s wrap up post of HER week leads me to what was going on THURSDAY.
Thursday was finally the afternoon of the event that Jeanette Miller of Limelite PR had asked me to help put together.
‘Harnessing the Power of the Digital Mum’ was the title of our little experiment where Jeanette invited her peers in the world of PR and Marketing to attend a session where us MUMS talked about the world of the Mum Blogger Review, Brand Ambassadors, PR Events, Advertising, Ethics and Integrity.
Heavy and complicated stuff….but the evening was delightful. All again due to the quality of the people in attendance. THANK YOU ALL for accepting my invitation.
Thank you JEANETTE for letting me be a part of this.
What a great way to finally MEET you in person.
For all that have not had the pleasure..Jeanette is a warm, funny and amazingly sharp woman who did an amazing job pulling the PR people together, and food and drinks and THEN managing to keep the exciting conversation going in the time constraints that we had.
I also want to thank Amber, Erica and Catherine for joining me up there…..again, an honor to be speaking with such bright articulate women. With everyones varied and unique experiences with blogging, reasons for blogging and views on ‘letting the pro’s in,’ I think we really showed just how complicated the whole ‘market to mom bloggers’ concept really is.
There is no ‘right way.’ Apart from the obvious and dedicated Review Bloggers out there….most of us are really making it up as we go.
Even for those women who blog on community sites, our blogs are our babies. They are how we speak to our readers…real and imaginary!
So while it may be fun or flattering to receive emails from Marketers…we are very particular about how we approach reviews, and giveaways.
Our honesty and integrity is very important to us.
However, Tsunami Mommy pointed out most eloquently that we do not lose integrity merely because we put reviews on our sites. Which is great of her to say….but we do worry.
Thanks to the blistering rate that news travels in Social Media, we see people questioned, attacked and so on for accepting free things, or free trips or listing themselves as ‘Brand Ambassadors.’
Sponsorships lead to questioning the type of company that has approached you and how you feel about them.
I do feel conflicted about it all. I like to provide reviews on things that I think people might be interested in and that myself and my family are interested in too. However…it IS free advertising, and honestly I wish I could just have nice shiny PAID ads on my site instead.
Interestingly enough…while blogging allows you to read the world and the world to read you….I find myself focusing more and more on the local area around me. Not just because I have met so many great local bloggers, but because I have been feeling that I my identity as a mom and a blogger was more and more tied into my community.
I used to be part of the BlogHer Ad Network. I never made much money from it. They are too big. They are too American. Their ads and clients had nothing to do with me, and nor was I or my Canadian readers eligible for any of the contests they constantly pumped out.
I have felt more and more that if I was to review products or have advertising..it had to be products that were at least available here and even better products and services that were made in Canada and local to me in BC.
This goes for Crunchy and for WetCoastWomen.
Jeanette’s intro on Thursday reiterated just how powerful an audience the ‘mom’ is….digital or not. Mom’s make a huge amount of the buying decisions and purchases in a house.
But this is not just things like laundry detergent, toys, food and so on…..On Tuesday at dinner…there was not one mom there who didn’t have either an iPhone or a Blackberry. And yes, there was an iPad there too. Not to mention the ladies with their large and in charge DSLR cameras.
Take heed. Not only have women DOMINATED and taken things like Twitter and Facebook to the next level….not only do women embrace life online, women have embraced all the technology that comes with it.
Women LOVE technology. We take it and shape to our needs.
Women are using photosharing technology, twitter apps, iPhone apps, organizational technology, games, reading..you name it….we are using it and we are buying the latest and shiniest.
This is something I don’t think the marketers really get.
The ads are still filled with hip young things with their new toys….but it is the moms who are finding out how USEFUL the pretty shiny things are and what we can do with them to make our busy lives easier.
Mum Bloggers are hip, intelligent and technically savvy.
Do not forget this when you are approaching us about your products.
We are also a bit scattered and sleep deprived…but some are more on the ball than others…..so cut me some slack!
harrietglynn says
Miracle Week sees Crunch out rabble rousing for two nights. LOL. Your feedback on the panel was great.You are very authentic and honest and you tell it like it is. I do want to point out one thing however. You are not LAZY. You have three children 😉
.-= harrietglynn´s last blog ..Adoption gains =-.
Amber says
I am just waiting for a smart phone of my own. Then I will truly be able to accept the ‘technically savvy’ mantle. And I will also be able to totally annoy everyone as I tweet in the grocery store line-up. Fun!
.-= Amber´s last blog ..Of Potties and Puddles =-.
NaomiJesson says
As a real rookie to the blogosphere, I was really impressed with your WetCoastWomen site. All the bloggers that I seem to know are back east & I also felt Blogher hard to relate to as a Canadian & a BC Westcoaster. Not anymore!
It was great to meet you & all the other local Vancouver bloggers at Maple Leaf. I am so happy that Matchstick invited me! I felt so happy to not be alone & meet other bloggers, not someone who Blaaaghs, as most ppl that do not understand blogging say to me.
I have to say that I am the BIGGEST buyer of all things techy in our house. Most of my Mom friends also are the ones to get the Nikons & Canons, the Flips/videocameras, iTouches, the iPhones before anyone. I for one am a firm believer in recording my children’s life, thru photos & video & my blog posts. Neither my Man or I have much of a photographic history to look back on and we really wish we had because it’s BRILLIANT to look at what we DO have. It is nice to hear the stories from our parents but when they are gone, who will retell them? This way, they will always be here and as accurate as I have remembered them, at the time they happened.
Great post!
Sharon says
It’s new to all of us and to the companies and we’re all muddling our way through. I think that it’s up to the individual to keep their integrity and sadly, a few people can ruin it for everyone.
Keep up the great blogging!
.-= Sharon´s last blog ..Conversations of Parenthood =-.