Comments on: The Mommy Blogger Box

By: Lea

Lea — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 21:44:59 +0000

Terrific discussion sparked by a terrific post, Julie! I continue to admire your ability to analyze and take apart a trend or topic – and always offer a different, valid way of looking at it.

Thanks for speaking up in support of us, we moms who blog!

By: MJ Ces

MJ Ces — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 13:54:45 +0000

I can feel the weight of your words, Julie.

Take any newspaper or any magazine and read it cover to cover. Now aren’t the majority of the product reviews there are just results of some sort of company sponsorships? It’s just PR at work and in the case of mommy bloggers, why should they be any different?

Let Mommy bloggers, or any blogger for that matter rave about a product or service that they love. It’s their right. If they are publishing it on their blogs, that’s their right and traditional media outfits should not despise them for that.

By: Dana

Dana — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 07:40:52 +0000

Ann all the books sent to Newsweek in hopes of a review are different, how?

By: Sandra Foyt

Sandra Foyt — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 07:36:50 +0000

I’ve just been visiting family who still don’t think that blogging could possibly be a credible career choice, so I’m thinking any publicity – even negative – could be a boon to bloggers. However, the reality is that there is a world of negativity, and it seems like every label is a magnet for meanness. Good thing there are also lots of courageous folks leading by example!

By: Melissa Multitasking Mama

Melissa Multitasking Mama — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 20:17:08 +0000

Well said! I am a mom that blogs. For one thing my teens haven’t called me mommy since they were shorter than me, I write about whatever I feel like, including parenting and I do it for me. Thank you for reminding us that we don’t have to stay in the box just cause someone stuck us in it.

By: Julie Roads

Julie Roads — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 15:48:38 +0000

Come on, Ron. You know me better than that – this isn’t about wanting a puff piece. And they’re not ‘just’ exposing some kind of crime. Read the articles. They are a symptom – again not the entire point of my POST. You’re starting to remind me of the ‘AJ’ commentors…LOL.

By: Ron Miller

Ron Miller — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 15:33:04 +0000

I’m not arguing that journalists are ethically pure. As with in any profession, there is going to be a range of human behaviors, but at least there is a clear ethical framework in place, and if people choose to ignore it or go outside its boundaries they are called to task.

My point is that you’re getting angry at the press for missing a part of the group, but the press is focusing on a popular cross-section of that group, one that has managed to attract large followings. It’s the job of the press (at least in my view) to make sure the public is not getting hoodwinked.

Those women who are successfully engaging in this type of behavior are in fact being blatantly dishonest, and may even be breaking the law. It’s the job of the press to expose that.

I get that you’re frustrated that the Mommy bloggers who are doing all kinds of interesting stuff are getting left out, but that’s true of honest bankers too. Not every banker is a crook or incompetent, but the press just writes about those who have driven their institutions into the ground. The fact the other people are doing their jobs is a given. What we tend to look at is those who doing something considered outside of the norm.

Sure it would be nice if Newsweek (and other pubs you mentioned) wrote a cumbuaya puff piece about the great camaraderie in the Mommy Blogging community and some of the great work that gets done (and they should have at least mentioned it if they didn’t) but that’s not news.

By: Julie Roads

Julie Roads — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 14:33:24 +0000

Ron – What? The part I said was exciting was the other huge side of what’s happening with Moms who Blog – like the community they’ve built, etc…nothing about product writing!

Again, that’s not what my post was about and I pretty much agree with you – so I’m not sure why you’re arguing this point so fiercely here in this context.

Also – if you think that there aren’t ’some’ journalists out there getting bribed to write good reviews or feature certain stories, then you’re nuts. It happens all the time…in fact, it just happened in our local paper.

By: Ron Miller

Ron Miller — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 14:27:51 +0000

It’s exciting to a point, and I grant you that, but
if you don’t let your readers know the nature of your relationship with a company you are writing about, that’s patently dishonest to me no matter what you call yourself. Unless you tell me up front about the nature of that relationship and that you are only going to write about the products if you like them.

And to Alisa’s point, yes “real” journalists get products for reviewing purposes (me included), but there is no quid pro quo involved. I’m not taking those products because I agree to write only good stuff. I write balanced reviews where I tell the good, bad and the ugly. There’s is a huge difference there.

It’s unfortunate that the press is ignoring those ‘Mommy bloggers’ doing honest work, but you can’t get angry at Newsweek for doing its job and letting the public know they may want to look at these “reviews” in a different light because these folks are only going to write about a product when they like it (and by the way, they are getting paid in cash and merchandize to write about them).

Ron

By: Julie Roads

Julie Roads — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 14:10:15 +0000

Ron, Ron, Ron…

Do you see the word journalist anywhere in my post in reference to what the ‘Mommy Bloggers’ are doing? I agree with you that the whole issue needs to be sussed out – but it’s not the point of this post.

If you want my two cents, I’ll say that if you’re going to talk about a product, you should absolutely disclose whether you got a freebie or are employed by the company. But there is a grey area. What if you really love the product? What if you truly believe in the company – and the freebie or paycheck is just a random bonus? I know people that have an agreement with companies that if they don’t like a product, they just don’t write about it and others that tell it like it is no matter what.

But, these women that do product reviews on their blogs do not call themselves journalists! So, don’t confuse that point – at least not in reference to what I’ve written above.

My point is that there is such a dynamic thing happening within the Mommy Blogger culture – and it’s exciting – why can’t they write about that.

Read Alisa’s third comment above – she talks about how this company/writer relationship has been going on forever…but for some reason a finger has to be pointed at the Mommy Bloggers? That’s just not right…or to use your word, ‘fair.’