Occasionally, the stars align. And for the Mommy Bloggers out there, now is the time. In the April 10 issue of the Wall Street Journal, Sue Shellenbarger interviewed, Heather Armstrong, Aka Dooce. The media world, looked on in amazement. It hit the AP wire, like anthrax. Even small town papers picked up the item.
Actually, its not so amazing. I kind of looked for it to happen, sooner or later. And there is a powerful army of mommy bloggers following or jockeying for position right behind her. Dooce has jumped up to #43 in Technorati's Top 100 Blogs. Blog reactions, as does her email (according to Heather), range from kind words of encouragement, to "hate" mail. We all get those, though.
What's amazing about this phenomenon, known as Mommy Blogging is that they're gaining power like no other niche group. Poised to be the next big "it" on the internet, they've got a few things going for them.
- Content. They have a sort of built in source of inspiration. Husbands, kids, schools, households, play groups and the like. Not to mention just plain outright funny stories. These bloggers write in a style that connects them to their audience, usually emotional and full of personality. Most niche writers only wish they had this talent.
- Work at Home. Or not. It doesn't take an advanced degree to be a blogger. And if they're stay at home moms, that means not having to leave the kids. Big plus. They can do their writing while the kids are napping or at school and still feel a part of the technological revolution. If they are employed outside the home, there's no need to quit the day job. Great gig if you ask me.
- Social Skills. Get a group of moms together, any age, and POW. You've got instant conversation on a plethora of topics. Give those same moms a network...and you've solved the Theory of Relativity.
- Buying Power. Moms are generally the purchasing agents for their homes. They want to know what works, what doesn't, what the costs are and they want to share their opinions on these items. Advertisers are finally wising up to this and targeting this niche. Get a mom who likes your product, blogs about it and you've harnessed lightning.
Dooce and several other bloggers have hit the media recently. Right now, it seems strange that the media would focus on this niche. But it won't be long, I promise you. The old song lyric, "The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world" could soon become "The hand that rocks the cradle rules the Internet".
Thanks to all of you who asked after me while I was out. Having the flu bug was not any fun. That's twice this year and well I hope done for. Seems like I missed an entire week and it's starting to show. Blogs are a bit like children, you have to spend time with them in order to nurture their growth. So, for last week, I was a bad parent. (sorry)
This week, I'll be doing a little bit of housekeeping on all my blogs. Remarkable Bloggers©.com will open sometime this month. Thanks for all your support of this project through your comments and emails. I'm looking forward to the blog's grand opening, though I'll miss what it's brought to this site, being in its own home will be great!
I owe Laura Williams an apology, with family illness, tornadoes and my own flu bug, I didn't get her review finished to publish last month. I promise its coming soon.
Remarkable News ©
I popped in at Nathan and Tricia's blog yesterday, and I found out some wonderful news! Tricia has gone through the ordeal of a double lung transplant (a 9 hour surgery) with flying colors apparently. Sadly, someone else lost their life earlier Wednesday. Nonetheless, their lungs were a good match for Tricia. All the details of the surgical wait and post-op progress are available on their blog. Keep them all (Nate, Tricia, Gwyneth, and all their extended families) in your prayers. This transplant isn't a cure, but it has extended Tricia's life and improved her quality of life, so that she can enjoy what time she has with her husband, daughter and family. (I didn't know that the life expectancy of a double lung transplant recipient was only 6-7 years. Sounds so short) My bout with the flu seems so insignificant when I read what this incredibly strong woman has gone through.
For the hundred or so of you who answered my request for interviews with Adult Adoptees, please be patient with me. I'm writing to all of you. I don't send out mass emails, so it's gonna take some time. Thanks
More Good News
Chrissie, at Bloggeries, reviewed Bird On A Wire. Whooo HOOO. And She was gracious enough to rate us a 5! Now, folks that's the tops! And I'm humbled. If you're not a member at Bloggeries, you need to be. Its one of the finest forums for bloggers out there. Tell them we sent you. And did I mention, its free!
Into Each Life...
A little rain must fall.Well, along the Mississippi River we've been blessed with rain, rain and more rain. Friday, we experienced 5, yes 5 tornadoes. Fortunately, the only thing that we lost, was power. Others didn't fare so well. The Clarion Ledger, has lots of pictures and more information on the damages to Vicksburg and the Jackson, Ms metro areas and efforts to clean up and rebuild; as well as information on the flooding from the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers in the area.
That's about it . I'll be back tomorrow with more from the wire. Have a Great and Wonderful Day!
To all my faithful readers, I've been on an adventure...and ya just won't believe what I've found. Wednesday, April 2, 2008 I'll unveil the biggest and the bestest Remarkable Blogger© yet. Sorry, I've been a bit under the weather and the last thing I wanted to see was the computer montitor. At any rate, wait till tomorrow!
This week's Remarkable Blogger© is a unique fellow. While requests from Bird On A Wire for an interview went unanswered, we did discover a few tidbits about David at MoneyNing.com.
David tells us why he's driven to be wealthy. From a middle class family who immigrated to Canada, without his father (who was afraid he couldn't secure employment), in the late 80's; David talks of his mother going without "anything that was not a necessity for 1487 straight days". His father, in those days was an Engineer by training, and opted to take an Operations Specialist position to better his salary and improve his family's way of life. Now, here in the states when we think of Engineers, we think of highly paid specialists in Electrical, Civil or Mechanical fields. Things in Hong Kong just weren't that way.
While David apparently missed out on time with his Dad growing up, he learned to savor what time he had with him and learn from the man a great deal about what it means to be a husband and a father.
Money Ning, the blog and the man, have a few unique goals.
I have decided to be as wealthy as I can be. My short to-do list includes:
- Earn as much as I can.
- Save as much as I can, as early as I can.
- Learn as much as I can on growing my nest egg and how to apply it.
This blog allows me to do all three in some way.
Regular posts from David include tips on personal finance, frugal living, personal happiness, and a map of his progress to self made wealth. I almost always find a tip in his posts that helps me through my day. David also sponsors some of the best contests in the personal finance realm. He recently married the love of his life and celebrated on his blog by giving away $1500. Money Ning is more than the sum of its parts and definitely worth adding to your daily reader.
Thanks David, for being a Remarkable Blogger© ! From our view, you're well on your way to personal financial freedom! Keep on ringing that bell!
Do you know a Remarkable Blogger©? Are you a Remarkable Blogger©? Use our contact form and let us know who you’d nominate for our next feature.
Entrecard Manners Count
You might have noticed that I used Entrecard on this blog. I don't on my other blogs, well
just because I don't. There's no scientific evidence, at least as far as I'm concerned that its good or bad for my uses. However, I do have a few little gripes about its use on other sites. (just my opinion mind you)
Why is it necessary to barrage users with pop ups and music that can not be clicked away? If I run into either of these time wasters, I'm gone, no click.
Are you hiding your Entrecard ad space for a reason? I will read a blog if its interesting, don't make me hunt the Entrecard ad space, that's really annoying. Also, why put it at the very bottom of the page? Is that so, I'll be forced to page down and spend some time? Not gonna happen for me, I'll click and be gone, chances are I'll never be back either. (Just something to think about.)
Personally, I try to make Entrecard worth its while. (For example, commenting on posts). Don't count on me to comment on every post, but if I find it useful or have something worth saying, I will. "Entrestreaking" (click and run) is just bad manners. (I think)
So, for those of you who place your Entrecard ad widget above the fold, whose pages load quickly, who don't play hide and seek with your widget and who find the time to actually read the page your on, a big THANK YOU. The rest of you (you know who you are), think about WHY you put Entrecard on your blog in the first place. Then think about your visitors. Paying attention to your readers will get you far!
Easter Holiday
Our family Easter Holiday begins tomorrow, Friday and continues through Sunday.
I most probably will not find time to post during this time. I wish you all a very happy and peaceful Easter.
Gettin Some Ink
Ok, I am going to go ahead and put it out there. I'm working on getting some ink (read: getting published) and I'm going to need your help to do it. I'm working on a book right now about adoption and adult adoptees. I'd like to get in touch with as many adult adoptees as I can for interview purposes. (All personal info will remain confidential and will NOT become part of a published work) If you are an adult adoptee, or for that matter the parent of one, I'd love to hear from you. Please use my contact form and drop me a note. Also, if you know of someone who's an adult adoptee, send them here please. Research is the heart of any good read and heavens knows I need as much research on this topic as I can get. The other side of the coin is that I'd like to talk with Birth Mothers about the subject. You can use the contact form for that information as well.
Don't forget, Remarkable Bloggers© posts on Monday. I can't wait to show you this next week's blog!
Until Monday,
