I fixed the blog and now it adds “image” to the title? Huh?
April 13, 2008
Anyone know why it does this? I mean really! I work on those witty (hey, at midnight they are witty) titles. I don’t want it to start with “-image-”
Ideas?
My blog hates me. I am SO sleeping with one eye open tonight to ensure it doesn’t kill me in my sleep.
[UPDATE] Okay, now I know what the problem is but I cannot fix it. I am about to just change to a default theme and make my sweet designer cry over her hard work. Because? Between me and this blog? IT IS ON! (Like Donkey Kong….only meaner. And with less bananas.)
Going to bed. Sorry about the annoying titles. Just pretend to see a pretty image until I can fix it. Grrrrrr
[UPDATED UPDATE] My webgoddess designer Karen at Swank fixed it. No blog ass kicking today. Yet.
Crazy is as crazy does videos and speaking of crazy, Mommybloggers is back and rocking the ‘Net
January 27, 2008
I have been sent a few links to “interview videos” this weekend that are awesome. I want so badly to share every one of them with you because with the exception of one that was serious, you would so get a kick out of the crazy! I love the crazy. Especially the couch jumping, I am out of my mind crazy kind of crazy. The things you can find online boggles the mind.
But, I will refrain from the video overload and just show you this brand of crazy.
If for some reason you have been living under a rock and missed the parody of the Tom Cruise Scientology Video, here is Jerry O’Connell doing a “it is so good it is scary” imitation.
—
In other news, Mommybloggers is back and rocking the house. We have not officially relaunched as we have much to do, but you will find new content, new writers and new newness there. When we are ready to officially relaunch, we will let you know. It is a blast and we want you to enjoy it, too. Have ideas? Interested in being featured? Know a blogger who really wants to be a part of this? Feel free to send what you have in mind to me at jenn@mommybloggers.com I look forward to hearing from y’all.
Now scoot on over there to Mommybloggers and welcome Crystal aboard. She is awesome and has become my right hand woman. (And let Jenny know you miss her and blow her kisses as she asked to be on hiatus from the site for a while.)
You will slowly see the new writers and new features as we roll them out. So to speak. We aren’t really rolling anything over there. It is all legal.
Monetizing your blog–starting your mom blog (Part VII)
October 4, 2007
Before I do a final wrap-up of starting your mom blog, I think it is important to go where many bloggers eventually find themselves. Do you put ads on your blog or not? There have been some amazing discussions about this over the past week and again at BlogHer. So, let’s hit this one head on and talk about it.
Last week MetroDad started a discussion on what he felt was a “throw away post” on ads on blogs that began to take on a life of its own. He didn’t expect it to become an issue that would have other people put him up as the “anti-ad” blogger. (For the record, he is not anti-ad.) In his original post he writes about it.
.
But you know the omnipresence of advertising in our daily lives is getting out of hand when parents start auctioning off naming rights for their unborn babies and college girls start tattooing corporate logos on their breasts.
As usual, I’m not passing judgment on any personal bloggers who feel the need to post ads on their site. Advertising is a biological impulse found throughout the natural world. Peacocks attract the attention of a mate through a multicolored feather display. Baboons signal their sexual readiness with a pair of red, swollen buttocks.
This all came about from a post by mimi smartypants in which she stated shock at seeing a huge blinking ad on the site of one of her favorite bloggers. And did not like it.
My point is more that, through my lame, idealistic, aging-punk, Diaryland-colored glasses, I have a hard time seeing personal web pages as a business. There is something so cool about getting to read the thoughts of people I have never met, and then over there in the sidebar is this big honking ad for a multi-billion-dollar corporation, and that punctures the pleasure balloon somewhat. Ads are fucking everywhere. It would be nice to see just a sliver of handcrafted, non-commercial, free-to-all, personal-expression space in the world, even if just on the internet.
Let me be perfectly clear, though, that both of these bloggers have come out and said that it is their opinion and they don’t care what people do on their own sites, but that they do not want it on their own. MetroDad states:
Not sure how the previous throwaway post morphed into me being against people having ads on their own blogs. As befitting my long-standing philosophy of “live and let live,” I really couldn’t give a shit what other people do with their own sites.
And mimi smartypants said:
It probably doesn’t make me like the writing any less, assuming I liked it in the first place… but it somehow disappoints…I have a family to support too, by the way. And I’m not all pissed off about the ads on blogs, I clearly said that if it floats your boat, then fine. I am, however, very tired of advertising.
As I said, it can get quite heated. However, as anything, there are two sides to every story.
When Liz of Mom 101 asked about ads, she received plenty of positive feedback in her comments. (I cannot link to the authors because they led to dead links, but I encourage you to go to Liz’s site and read all of them for yourself.)
Amanda wrote:
I adore blog ads. They pay us for doing what we love and it just doesn’t get any better than that. Maybe I’m a naive little capitalist, but isn’t that what the free market is all about? People who do what they do well should be rewarded for it.
David wrote:
It’s your blog, do what you want. If someone doesn’t want to read your blog because of ads, that’s fine too. I think this stuff has a way of working itself out.
Some great questions came up at the BlogHer session Professional Blogging Art and Commerce. Rather than try to recap, I will show you what Anne Marie Nichols of The Write Spot live blogged. It is worth reading in it’s entirety.
Questions: What should bloggers think about before joining an ad network? What other things are out there besides using ads to monetize your blog?
Liz - the authenticity of your voice - are you going to compromise it? Will you tick off your readers (ask for what they don’t like and do like.) Are you running so many ads that it looks like a billboard? How do you feel about it?
Even so, running ads give your blog a professional status especially if you’re part of an ad network, like BlogHer’s or using BlogAds.com.
Do the ads fit in with your content? Can you turn down an ad if you don’t like the advertiser - you need right of refusal.
Kelly - You’ll get a 1099 from your ad or blog network when you make more than $600. If it’s lower than that, you need to keep track of it - write it down a piece of paper. Only report money you’ve received (for example, if you haven’t met your payout threshold).
Liz - If you’re not making that much money from the ads, take them down. You’re worth more than that. Don’t give away free real estate on your blog.
You can see both sides if you go through these posts where I linked.
Have ads. Don’t have ads. It is your personal choice. That is all there is to it. No one is wrong. No one is right. Can you make money off of your blog if you join an ad network such as BlogHer Ads? Of course you can. It is YOUR choice to make. There will not be an Internet wide vote cast as to whether you personally should have ads on your site. If you have quality writing, that is what your readers will come to your site to read.
As a matter of full disclosure, I am one of the founding members of the BlogHer Ad Network’s premium parenting network and do not regret it. I have been approached by several other networks and chose the one I am with for personal reasons. As I said, personal choice. I have it. You have it.
So, decide if ads are for you and then sign up if they are. Choice.
In our final post on Mom blogs I will wrap it all up with a pretty red bow and tell you how amazing you all are and how much I love you. Oh, and may impart some wisdom. We’ll see.
—
~Jenn is off to fast forward through her tv ads during Big Brother on her DVR that her ads on her blog helps her pay for.~
Now that I blog, how will anyone ever know about it? -Part VI of starting a mom blog
Now that you are rocking and rolling with your new blog, it is time to figure out how to get people to (a) realize that you are blogging and (b) get visitors to come see your amazing writing skills. There are a few tried and true ways to get traffic your way. From comments to web-rings to communities. Your writing will keep them coming back, but you have to get them to your blog first.
The best way to reach out and let others know about your blog is to read other blogs and make comments. Seriously. That is the best way to not only meet new people, but to let them know what you appreciate about their writing as well. (We all like the feedback on our writing, correct?) A mutual admiration society, so to speak.
Take this series for example. Throughout this series I have found many new bloggers simply because they have commented on my entries. Heather of Rookie Moms, Terri of Wheat Among Tares, Kyran of Notes to Self, Jeana of Days to Come, lovebabz of A Life in Transition and finally Karen of A Deaf Mom Shares Her World–though that list is certainly not complete. Many of you have made comments and through those I have found some amazing new blogs! What is my point? When you take the time to comment, the majority of bloggers will come visit your blog. So comment, comment, comment. (Did I mention you should comment?) Also, when you have readers comment on your blog, it is a good idea–especially when you are new to blogging– is to respond. Some bloggers choose to respond in their own comments and some email the commenters back. I know it is time consuming, but it does pay off in making blogging friends and connections.
Another way to get links that will lead readers your way is to join a web-ring. A web-ring is a list of blogs that have something in common. Take for instance Crazy Hip Blog Mamas. They are a great group of bloggers that lead a very popular web-ring of moms who blog.
Our members are an amazing group of women who have tackled various tasks, platforms and charity events. We wanted to offer an oppurtunity for each of you to be profiled with your latest undertaking.
Another one that is great to join and meet other bloggers is The Mom Blogs.
Our goal at theMomBlogs.com is to create the most comprehensive directory of blogs by moms. Our directory has several different categories to help moms find the most relevant type of blog they are looking for and we have state/country categories also to help find other mom bloggers near you.
The purpose of this blogroll is to promote women’s blogs. Everything I require is so that we meet that goal.
This is a women’s only blogroll. It is made up of a wide range of blogs covering a spectrum of interests, political affiliations and religions. This is a diverse group of women, intentionally so.
That list is by far not all inclusive because there are many other blogrolls and web-rings that are great and a wonderful source for you to get your name out there. And I would be remiss if I did not tell you one of the greatest blogrolls (and one of the largest) is BlogHer’s own Mommy & Family blogroll.
There is also Technorati. It is easy to go there and to claim your blog. From there people can list your blog as a favorite, add it to their watchlist or just see how long it has been since you updated. (But remember to ping them!) That should be true of all of the major blogrolling services such as Blogrolling. Ping them and they will come!
One other useful way to get your blog noticed is to have a link to it in all of your out-going correspondence. Use it as your tagline. People actually do click those to see what you are talking about. I have found (and been found) many a times from an email I sent out that had nothing to do with my blog, but because it had a link to it, the reader followed it and I gained a new reader. No hard sell. No pushing anyone with the “READ MY BLOG” statements. Just a casual link at the end of my email.
A much appreciated form of social blog politeness is to link to other blogs that you find inspiring, humorous or just enjoyable. When you link to another blog, most bloggers notice traffic coming from your site and will follow it to see what you are saying. I am sure you appreciate it when another blogger links to you. Even veteran bloggers enjoy the reciprocal links.
Finally, join communities. There are so many. BlogHer, of course is a great resource. There are also communities such as Maya’a Mom, Cafe Mom and iVillage. Those are merely a few, but some well trafficked sites that will not only be a resource for you to find new bloggers, but for them to find you, too!
Obviously, I cannot possibly list all of the webrings, blogrolls and communities here, but feel free to add your favorites in comments. (Remember the first part of this? Comments are a great way to be seen.)
What it all boils down to is the same thing I have mentioned enough times that you just may want to say it with me: content! Write posts that have substance and are of interest to someone other than your dog. (Though, if your dog is reading your blog, I would love to know about it!) I gave you a few (just a small scratching of the surface) ways to get your blog name out there. The rest is up to you. Write. Enjoy what you write. And engage your readers. That is what will gain you a readership. Word of mouth will get your readership up and the next thing you know, you will be a mom blogging rock star.
So, now that you are on your way to stardom, what’s next? The big question many bloggers have: Can I make any money doing this? Should I even try? Coming up next in the series: Ads? Love them or hate them? Take a stand and stand by it!
— ~Jenn is off to comment on blogs and share the blogging love now.~
Content and your child’s right to privacy–Part V in the mom blog series
Your blog is ready to go. You have your platform. You’ve named it. You have decided how much personal information to include and what you want to do about pictures. Good job. The basics are done. Now, the hard part starts. Your blog–ANY blog– is nothing without good content. You knew I was going to get to it eventually. We have to talk about content. Political blogs will mention politics. Food bloggers will talk about food. Mom bloggers will inevitably talk about their children. Let’s face it: they are a never-ending source of entertainment. However, before you type one word about them, you should decide what is yours to share and what is theirs to keep private.
This to me if the most essential decision you can make as a blogger. Once your words are out, they are out. A few years back a journalist made a snide comment about how your children’s future prom dates will Google them and read every embarrassing story ever written about them.
And?
My dates didn’t have Google. They had my Mom. She had enough stories and pictures to keep me humiliated for life. (The only way to hold her off was to marry my high school sweetheart and never have to worry about it again.) My point is that, yes, your words are out there. And, yes, you have a great potential of embarrassing your children. But it is not just about the things that may make them blush. It is about things that they want to remain private–just between them and their mom. It is about respect. Only you and your children can decide where this line is drawn.
A great example of a mom blogger being called out by her teen is Grace Davis. One day while discussing what her daughter could expect in terms of going to BlogHer last year, her daughter said something that halted Grace and completely altered her way of thinking when it came to blogging about her daughter. (Read the whole entry. It is a great lesson in mom blogging and communication.)
Your blog is really funny, Mom. But, you make me and my friends look stupid.”
Stupid. I was devastated. I hastily run through blog entries in my mind. Did this make Moll and her friends appear stupid? Or was it this, or this ? Did this offend her?
What do you do once your child is old enough to read what you are writing about them and their lives? They will have an opinion and it won’t always be that they adore your every word. You have now jumped into a new world. The world where your children want to have a say in their own privacy.
Grace handled it with the class she handles everything. She gave her daughter the ultimate position for a child of a mom blogger.
I won’t take down the posts, but I will take on Molly as the Official State of Grace Editor for Adolescent Affairs. I’ll be showing her any blog entries related to her prior to publishing.
But that is not the only way to go when it comes to mom blogging. It is your space to talk about what you feel impacts you and your life. Being a mom, that will include discussing your children. And our children are not always the brightest ray of light in our lives at all times. Sometimes they are difficult and frustrating and downright crazy-making. Bloggers are writers. Writers write. Mothers vent. It is only natural that you will have a tendency to want to vent about those little people that effect so many (if not all) aspects of your life.
Lisa of Niihaus realized her son had objections to some of her more personal posts on her blog that referenced him in a way he did not like. Her response was swift and without censorship.
Then he came at me about my blog. He felt it was against his rights that I blog about him because he had a right to privacy.
This is what I said, “Pfffffffttttt.†Like, you have got to be kidding me. Right to privacy? That totally went out the door when I had my legs in stirrups, showing my vagina to at least 8 people, farting during all four pushes, and your big ass shoulders tearing my vagina a whole inch.
So there. Neener. Neener. Your wrong, I’m right and f*ck your right to privacy point.
From one end of spectrum to the other. Both doing what is right for themselves and their blogs. Let’s face facts, people. There is no set rule for what you can and cannot say about your children on your blog. (We are not getting into libel and such. We are talking about whether or not you can mention a date, a kiss, a party etc. Unless you have small children and then we are talking about writing about issues such as streaking, pooping, potty training and swear words.) When your children are young, it is more an issue of looking forward and trying to predict what could or would hurt or embarrass them down the line. When you children are older, their response can (and usually will be) immediate. (Assuming they know about your blog.)
Kyran of Notes to self commented on this very issue on another entry in this series.
Of far greater importance to me is what I write about them. For me it is very important that I don’t trespass on my children’s right to privacy. Since they are not old enough advocate for themselves in that regard, it is up to me to respect their boundaries. While their stories flow into and become part of mine, there is a line I will not cross. It’s not an arbitrary, concrete one, but I know it whenever I come to it. And I know it when I see other mom bloggers cross it.
I realize that some of the best entries are ones that will probably embarrass your children. But they don’t have to be. Or at least not to the point of causing bad vibes and bigger issues between you and your children. I have written posts that embarrass my children but more because it proves their mom is a dork and not because I am outing them for something they did.
The only set advice that I can give and stand behind regardless of your choice is to remember that your children are yours for life. Blogs will come and go. Just do not do something that will hurt your relationship with your children in the long run. Make sure you can all live with your decision. It is just not worth it for a story. Even a really great, really funny and often linked to story.
Speaking of links, next up in the series deals with: Finding your voice, gaining an audience and getting your name out there. And, yes, they do in fact all tie in together.
~Jenn is off to embarrass her children without the use of her blog.~
—
Here are the links to parts One, Two, Three and Four of this series.
Originally the topic of this part of the series was going to just focus on posting images on your mom blog. I was going to cover just the basics of “do you” or “don’t you” include pictures, but from the comments I have received, I feel it is important to cover the “why’s” and “why not’s” of posting images of your children and/or your family. It is not just a matter of who sees your pictures. You should also think about how to protect your images as well.
One of the most common questions after whether or not to use real names is whether or not to post images of your children. As with every other aspect of your blog, this is going to have to fall into doing what you feel works best for you and your family. However, there are some issues I will bring up that you should think about. First, when your school (if you have school age children) ask if you give permission for them to use your child’s image or likeness for publicity or promotion, do you think about it before agreeing? They may use your child’s photo on a website, newspaper or national publication. Yes, blogging is an entirely different game, but you have to remember that your child is not living in a bubble. There are many bloggers who choose to completely leave images of their family off of their blog. Karen of the blog A Deaf Mom Shares Her World chooses to limit images by using back shots or far way images. It is where her current comfort level lies. Then we have bloggers like Liz of This Full House has no hesitation in posting family pictures.
Something important to remember about posting images is that whether or not to post is not just an issue of security. As more than one mom blogger found out the hard way, some people will take images of your children off of your site to use in ways that can be offensive, inappropriate or just in ways that they are not intended to be used. Tracey of Sweetney went through this and let me tell you, it was a hellish experience for her and her family. Hellish because she felt violated by having someone use images of her child on another site without her permission or approval.
There are two ways in which you can deal with this type of problem. Well, actually three ways. One being avoid all pictures. Short of that, I have two other ways to handle photo issues and people taking your photos from your site. First, host them on sites like Flickr and set the privacy to that of friends and family only. That way you know who you have approved to see your family pictures and who you are allowing access to your family.
Now, if you are not worried about who sees your images, but perhaps who may take them and use them as their own. It does happen. The Sarcastic Journalist had some of her pregnancy photos taken from her site and put on a message board where someone claimed them as their own. There are ways to prevent this. You can watermark them. Put your name, url or some other identifying item into your picture. One that cannot be cropped out. (I know that Wordpress has this option as a feature. I am not positive about others, but I know photo editing programs can let you do this.) This way, no one can claim your picture as their own.
Personally, I use pictures. Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. Or at least a blog entry or two!
Thanks for all of your input and comments. By popular demand (also known as a topic that came up more than once in comments) the next post will focus on Boundaries–those between you and your readers and between you and your children.
~Jenn is going to go take candid snapshots that will later be Googled and embarrass her children before their prom!~
—
Here are the links to parts One, Two and Three of this series.
Your new mom blog (Part III): Let’s get personal (or not!)
We’ve covered platforms (and you taught me a thing or two as well) and we have covered naming your blog. Now we come to one of the most important decisions you will make as a mom blogger. To name or not to name. Meaning, to use your real name and the real names of your children or to stay as anonymous as possible. This is an important decision for any blogger, but if you are going to be blogging about your children, this is one decision you really need to ponder. You must decide what is right for you and for your family. For as many women who are mom bloggers there are that many different opinions and reasons as to whether or not to use real names.
When I originally started my blog, I had cute names for the kids. As my freelance career started to move forward, my name was getting out there, I lost my own anonymity. And to be perfectly honest, I had a hard time remembering which child was called what. It took a certain authenticity out of my writing. So, I started to use the real names of my children.
Some mom bloggers don’t think twice about using the real name of their child. Take Heather Armstrong of Dooce for instance. Not only does she use her daughter’s name, Leta, she publishes monthly letters to her and talks freely about her life as a mom and her child’s life. Another great example of a mom blogger using real names is Liz of Mom 101. She even petitioned the Internet to help her name her new baby. (To the best of my knowledge, they did not go with anyone’s suggestion. Which, in actuality is fine because we all know eventually most moms end up calling their kids by their dog’s name anyway.)
We have some moms who choose not to use their own names or the names of their family members. They come up with amazingly creative ways to refer to their offspring. Which leads to the question, “How long will you be able to stick with nicknames if you choose them?” If you start with a nickname, you should either stick with it or come up with a creative way to change it. Some mom bloggers do this with humor and grace. I have used her as an example before, but it makes me laugh. Busy Mom refers to her three children as (wait for it…) Busy Girl, Busy Boy and –my favorite– the Not Yet Kindergartener Formerly Known as the Preschooler Formerly Known as Busy Baby. I cannot wait for that baby to hit high school. His name will be a blog entry in and of itself.
Some women choose to blog using their own first name but choose to keep the names of their children out of it. Rather than trying to come up with a cute nickname or a name they will forget, they make up the names of their children and use those instead. Sort of like a chance to rename all of your children if you had to do it all over again. A blog that admits to this is Rocks In My Dryer.
I’m a 30-something stay-at-home mom to four kids: Adam (age 9), Stephen (age 8), Joseph (age 6) and Corrie (age 2). Those aren’t their real names, and yes, as a matter of fact, I HAVE mistakenly called them by their “blog names” before.
I know of several bloggers who do this, but if they don’t admit to it, I am not going to call them out here. I just want you to know that it is an option to just make up names for your children. If it makes you feel better keeping their anonymity, I recommend this route. Let’s face it, little “Cutie-Pie-Baby” won’t be a baby forever. One day (and trust me on this because I have one in my house) they become teenagers. They do get mad being referred to as “Cutie-Pie-Baby.” (They are not too fond of “Surly Teen With An Attitude” either.) If you have always called your child Fred, he can remain Fred regardless of age or personality. If their blog name changes with each age, it may get confusing for not only your readers, but for you as well.
So, why would you want to keep as much information private? Because the Internet is not just the nice corner of people who leave comments on your blog. It is not just your fans. It is vast and not always nice. Some women feel it is crucial to keep as much information as they can as private as possible for their safety and the safety of their children. Some were put into that position due to ugly circumstances. Take Moody Mama. She keeps everything as neutral as possible for former harassment reasons. Now, if you want to know about her you can learn that her children are MB1 through MB5 and MG and that she is married to Moody Dad. That keeps her world as small as she must have it.
The whole point of this part of the series is to make you think. And to show you that you have options when it comes to using real names on your mom blog. You must remember one thing: No matter how small your corner of the Internet is, unless you have a password protected blog, you have no idea who is reading it. You must find a comfort level with the amount of information that you put out there. If you know that it is already there and you and your family have a comfort level with that, go for the real deal. If you don’t care about your name but want to protect your children’s names at all costs, go with a nickname or just make up a name for them. And remember, you do have the option to try to keep everything anonymous. I do have to warn you about that one, though. One bit of information that is too revealing and you can get Googled and outed. Not that I am trying to scare you. I just want you to be aware that there are people out there that if given a reason, they will do what they can to try to figure out who you are. So be careful with anything you put out there if you want to truly be unidentifiable.
Remember that through your words, you are showing off your family to the world. Which leads me to the next segment in our series: Do I use pictures of my kids online? Why or why not?
~Jenn is going to go see if she can talk her children into letting her rename them “Not-Me”, “Hey-You”, and “I-Don’t-Know” since she hears those names so often at home.~
—
So, I am going to assume that you have chosen your blogging platform and you awakened from that possibly technically boring entry in Part I. Welcome back. Get some coffee! Let’s talk names. First up, what do you want to name your blog? This is probably one of the most important decisions you will make. People may not judge a book by its cover, but trust me, they will judge a blog by its name. What message do you want to send? Do you want to declare yourself a mom blogger in the title? How much information do you want in your name?
How about a few examples. Let’s take Busy Mom. Her title is brilliant and tells you what you are getting right up front. You will be hearing about life from a busy mom. You can safely guess she is a mom blogger. Now, let’s look at Mir’s Woulda Coulda Shoulda. Her name does not shout mom blog. It intrigues and makes you want to know what she “would, coulda or shoulda” done or not done differently, right? And then there is the middle of the road that hints at being about motherhood but just might simply be about life in the suburbs. Suburban Oblivion is a great example of just such a name.
Now, I know that people change their blog names. I did. I was once Java Diva and then switched to Mommy Needs Coffee. You will still find Java Diva in a lot of blog rolls after several years. Now, changing names is possible, but sometimes it takes a while for readers to get used to it. Take BlogHer’s own Chris Jordan. Once know as The Big Yellow House, she is now the ever popular Notes From the Trenches. Still the same great writing on the same great blog. Just the name changed. (And the url, but that is for later.) She was good about talking her readers through it. Before you know it, people will move on and almost forget your old blog name. But let me warn you ahead of time, it is not without it’s own share of headaches. I suppose what I am telling you is this: Choose your name carefully, as you did the names of your own children. You can certainly change it later, but it confuses people and there will be a lot of pouting along the way.
Now that you have chosen a name, let’s look at your options. If you have a platform with an extension like blogspot, typepad or wordpress, you have a lot more options. I do suggest, however, that you double check to see if the actual domain name itself is available in case you decide to host elsewhere at some point or just want your own domain without extension. A great example of a blogger who did this is Melissa Summers with her blog Suburban Bliss. She started off as suburbanbliss.typead.com and then bought her own domain and it is now suburbanbliss.net. If you do choose the name you really like that does not have a free domain of its own, do not fear. Remember, you can change it later if you need to. I did and your readers will follow you. You just need to remember to redirect them if the software doesn’t do it automatically.
You blog name should be as unique as you are. Try not to fall into the trap of thinking your blog name has to Say It All. Though your name really is important, your writing will ultimately be the winning factor regardless of your name. Blogging is about writing. You probably wouldn’t call a book you wrote: A Bunch of Crap I Put Into Print. So, you may not want to name your blog: My Words I Typed Out That Are Pure Drivel. See my point? Though it is the writing, you want to hook people with the name.
Of course, you can always choose to name your blog by using your own name. Many bloggers use their own name in their url, but name their actual blog something else. An example is our own Grace Davis. Her blog is State of Grace, but her url is gracedavis.typepad.com. See? So many choices.
Which leads us to what we will cover in our next installment: How much information do you want to put out there about yourself, your children and your life. Stay tuned!
~Jenn is now going to ponder the wonder of blog names.~ —
image created with Spell with Flickr.
So You Want to Start a Mommyblog–The Series (Part I)
Today I am starting a month long series on starting a mom blog. I have had many requests on some of the ins and outs, do’s and do not’s as well as a few basic ways to move forward once you have a blog. Today we will focus on your blog platform. Now, I know that this particular segment may bore the snot out of many of you, but we have to start at the beginning. (A very good place to start…sing with me!) Anyway, we need to learn about what kind of platform you want to use. Basically, how to do you choose where to start your blog? Which blog platform is right for you? I am not going to tell you which to choose because it really is personal and each platform has both its own pros and cons. I will just list some of the popular ones and some mom bloggers who use them.
Some of the things you need to consider are your budget, how much of a commitment are you planning on putting into your blog? How personalized do you want it to become? Do you want your own domain name or are you fine with a tag-on platform name? Let’s start with a few of the basic platforms.
One of the easiest platforms that many bloggers start with is Blogger. Blogger hosts your site and let’s you choose from many different templates. It is free to use, the templates are easy to use and the speed of use is relatively quick. The storage space is 300MB. (Pretty great!) Many bloggers start with blogger and enjoy it so much they stay with it. A good example of mom bloggers who use blogger are Baby on Bored and Suburban Turmoil. Both quality and well designed blogs. Both hosted on Blogger. It is the platform I stared with when I first launched my blog.
Another site that can host your blog is Wordpress. Wordpress is free and has the option of using Wordpress hosting or hosting your site elsewhere. Wordpress has some great pre-made templates. It also is one of the most configurable platforms out there. Wordpress can grow with your needs as your blog grows. Karen Rani of Vodkarella uses (and designs blogs for) Wordpress. My own personal blog is also using Wordpress. These are two examples of using a platform with our personalized domain name. A few that use the Wordpress url tag-on include Fracas and Dixon Seven Family Blog.
Now then, a choice if you want to pay for hosting is Typepad by Six Apart. Typepad has amazing features and is very easy to use. Storage space on Typepad is 100MB. TypePad’s clean design makes it easy to work with, but its it limits its usefulness with it’s inability to create static pages. Pricing on Typepad varies according to your personal blogging needs such as how many authors and how much storage and bandwidth you need. From Typepad’s own page is states:
TypePad is the premier blogging service for professionals, hosting many of the world’s most popular blogs and small business websites. TypePad’s ease of use enables you to create a blog in minutes.
There are many blogs that are hosted on Typepad. Namely, DotMoms (an amazing site of Mom bloggers) and Silicon Valley Moms. Typepad is also a great platform if you plan on having multiple bloggers writing.
Now that we are into the paid platforms we bring you to the ever popular Movable Type. Many blogs I know of are run on Moveable Type. MT prices range from free for a personal license to $49.95 for a one year support contract. From the Six Apart page it states:
Movable Type is the platform that invented professional-grade blogging, powering the biggest and most successful blogs for pro bloggers, publishers, organizations, enterprises and businesses of any size. As blogging continues to evolve, Movable Type leads the way with reliable service, outstanding performance and continuous innovation.
Also from Six Apart, two more platforms worth looking into are Vox (that has incredible neighborhoods and add-ons that are terrific for new bloggers) and LiveJournal. They are both worth checking out as each has easy and unique features.
Finally, I bring you to Expression Engine. This is a blogging platform that is complete with many bells and whistles. If you need the extras it comes with, it is worth the heftier price than other platforms. The personal platform starts at $99.95 for the license. Recently they have added blog hosting if you are interested in keeping your blog hosted there. One popular mom blog that uses Expression Engine is The Mommy Blog.
Now, for many of you this may have made your eyes gloss over and you banged your head on your keyboard in boredom. However, it is important to choose the right platform. If you are going to be blogging for a while, it is good to choose a platform that will stay with you for the long haul.
I am sure that there are more platforms. Feel free to leave a comment letting me know what is your favorite and why.
Next up in the series: Names–blog names, domain names, and whether or not to use real names or not to use real names.
Jenn Satterwhite is ready to go away and not think about blogging platforms for a while.
Yes, I have been getting those IMs and emails. I will tell you. Passed out sicker than a dog on my couch/bed/floor.
It seems my son decided to bring home some cooties and share them. I don’t remember what it is officially called. I call it “tonsilfunkilitis” personally. Basically it is not tonsillitis or strep. It is, however, something that takes your tonsils and swells them to the size of grapefruits to where you begin to feel as if your uvula is being put in a Half Nelson by these massively disgustingly huge and sore tonsils. Gross? I know. Welcome to my world.
So, I have been offline, out of touch and completely off the grid when it comes to human interaction. I did, however, manage to watch the entire first season of Heroes. (Talk about messed up, jacked up and just wrong dreams! Fevers and Heroes make for interesting subconscious mind games, let me tell you!) I also was able to watch a movie or two. But most of the time I slept, wept and drank anything that could get past the wrestling match in my throat.
To those I was supposed to contact, I apologize. To those I harassed while in my fever induced state, I blame it on delirium. And to those that I owe something to, today is my catch up day and you will find it all (Ohhhh how I dream big!) finished today.
—
In the meantime, I have managed my first deadline of the week over at Fresh Brewed Reviews. This is an awesome story that I have had read to me about a gazillion times in the last week, but never tire of it. Go check out why it’s all about the girl and how she loves that!
| 
|
Your blog is ready to go. You have your platform. You’ve named it. You have decided how much personal information to include and what you want to do about pictures. Good job. The basics are done. Now, the hard part starts. Your blog–ANY blog– is nothing without good content. You knew I was going to get to it eventually. We have to talk about content. Political blogs will mention politics. Food bloggers will talk about food. Mom bloggers will inevitably talk about their children. Let’s face it: they are a never-ending source of entertainment. However, before you type one word about them, you should decide what is yours to share and what is theirs to keep private.
Originally the topic of this part of the series was going to just focus on posting images on your mom blog. I was going to cover just the basics of “do you” or “don’t you” include pictures, but from the comments I have received, I feel it is important to cover the “why’s” and “why not’s” of posting images of your children and/or your family. It is not just a matter of who sees your pictures. You should also think about how to protect your images as well.
We’ve covered 
So, I am going to assume that you have chosen your blogging platform and you awakened from that possibly technically boring entry in Part I. Welcome back. Get some coffee! Let’s talk names. First up, what do you want to name your blog? This is probably one of the most important decisions you will make. People may not judge a book by its cover, but trust me, they will judge a blog by its name. What message do you want to send? Do you want to declare yourself a mom blogger in the title? How much information do you want in your name?
Today I am starting a month long series on starting a mom blog. I have had many requests on some of the ins and outs, do’s and do not’s as well as a few basic ways to move forward once you have a blog. Today we will focus on your blog platform. Now, I know that this particular segment may bore the snot out of many of you, but we have to start at the beginning. (A very good place to start…sing with me!) Anyway, we need to learn about what kind of platform you want to use. Basically, how to do you choose where to start your blog? Which blog platform is right for you? I am not going to tell you which to choose because it really is personal and each platform has both its own pros and cons. I will just list some of the popular ones and some mom bloggers who use them.
