Mom Blogging 101

Lately, I've been getting a lot of blogging related questions from you guys. I'm a little reluctant to offer much advice on the subject for a couple of reasons: 1) As you will quickly see, I don't follow my own advice a lot of the time 2) Most of what I have to say about blogging directly contradicts a lot of stuff that you'll read on the Internet.

So take everything I have to say with a grain of salt.

Q: I want to start a blog. Any advice?

A: This depends on the kind of you want. If you are writing for just your friends and family, then do whatever you want! If you aim for a larger readership, then I would think about specializing.

A lot of mom blogs out there remind me of crock pots, and not necessairily in a bad way: their content is made up of a bunch of different things (personal stories, recipes, photography tips, craft tutorials, product reviews, etc.). Some of these blogs are really, really successful, but many struggle, I think, because they try to do too much. I admire bloggers who can do it all, but I am a one trick pony. People don't come to my blog to see pretty pictures, to find out about the latest fashions, or to find a new recipe (at least I sure hope not). I have strong feelings about Casey Anthony, the national debt crisis, and Duke basketball, but no one comes to my blog to read about them. People come I hope/I think to read a funny story about a kid that is mine, but could be theirs. And that's it. Almost every time I wander outside of my genre, bad things happen.


Q: I'm worried that if I specialize, I'll run out of things to say.

A: If I wrote a craft/cooking/home decorating/party planning/photography blog, I would be able to produce exactly 1 entry worth reading. Maybe less, if the topic is home decorating. I admire all of these talents, but unfortunately, don't have any of them. Other than write, there isn't much that I can do. Or like to do for that matter. In short, embrace what you are good at and run with it. When you accept the fact that you don't have to be everything to everyone, blogging doesn't seem so scary.


Q: How do you find time to blog?


A: We don't have cable.

Q: How much money do you make blogging?

A: This might be the #1 question that I am asked. Some people ask out of sheer curiosity, but most ask because they want to know if writing a mom blog can take the place of a part-time job.

Maybe I'm way off, but I sort of feel like blogging is to our generation what Tupperware parties and vitamin supplements were to our mothers'. In all these ventures, the financial success of few give the mistaken impression that quick and easy money is available to all. If you want to start a blog, then absolutely go for it! Just don't quit your day job. I haven't :)


Q: Do you ever run out of material?

A: Sometimes there's a slow day. But since I write funny stories about my kids, the best way to ensure a steady stream of content is to spent lots and lots of time with them. :)


Q: How do you attract readers to your blog?

A: My blog readership grew almost exclusively through word-of-mouth advertising (muchas gracias to all of you who have told your girlfriend/mother/sister about my blog and/or forwarded a link). I know that people are way into Facebook and Twitter and Kirtsy but I'm still easing my way into the 21st century.

You guys are the bestest.