On blogging

Lately there has been some negative talk about 'mommy bloggers' in the media. Why all the negativity? Perhaps because blogging has all of a sudden become really popular, with more and more people starting to blog. And doing product reviews. And receiving lots of free 'stuff' and money for writing about what they think of a product.

I don't really see a problem with this, as long as it's done with honesty. And for the most part, I think it is.

I tend to read blogs for the writing, not for the reviews.

This recent article on 'mommy bloggers' in Chicago (which I heard about from Nap Warden) was poorly written. It portrayed mommy bloggers as moms who only blog for money. It talks only about the moms who blog about products and make money from doing this. There is no mention about the hundreds of bloggers out there who blog just because they love it, who are popular because of their words, not for their giveaways, and who have wonderful stories to share. As a journalist, this story was not well researched at all. I think I could have done a better job writing this story on my first day of journalism school. Drunk.

I started my blog when Christos was only 18 months old. He is now 4 years old. I started blogging because I love to write. Before blogging, I would email my friends dozens of times a day to talk about a news story, to share my thoughts on what was going on in Hollywood, to talk about politics and, of course, to talk about my life as a mom. I then discovered the world of blogging - and it was a much better way of getting things out! And my friends were very thankful.

I continue to blog because I enjoy it. I love talking about my boys. I love the connections I have made through blogging, I love that I have an online record of the things that are going on in my life.

I have no problem with moms who do giveaways. Most moms who do reviews - at least the ones I have seen - are honest and do it for good reasons. At the same time, I'm not one who needs someone else to do a review on a product for me to decide if I want to buy it or not. I'm a natural born shopper, and I like making my own decisions with my purchases.

On another note, why do some people not like to be classified as a 'mommy blogger', anyway?

Does it really matter? Why are people concerned about the label? Let's all just be bloggers, then. Bloggers who are moms. Or not moms. Doesn't matter to me!

For the record, I don't have a problem telling people I'm a mommy blogger. It's easier then saying: "I have a blog where I mostly talk about my children, because, well, I'm a mom!" I also happen to have a career in communications, writing and editing. You can call me whatever you want.

If you love to blog, continue to write without feeling bad about how you are viewed in the media or how you are labelled. Write whatever you want to write about. I read many great blogs everyday and I think there is a solid community here, filled with, for the most part, support, encouragement, and friendship. Heck, there are things I tell my friends in the blogosphere that I don't tell people in real life!

I think you can absolutely make wonderful connections with people you have never met and feel close to them even if you're miles away. I think this is a beautiful thing. I think if you're a blogger, you understand this.

Let's not lose sight of how great blogging is, despite the way some media outlets have portrayed this. Blogging is about people sharing their thoughts, writing from their hearts, and making a connection.