5 Social Media Don’ts

Sometimes when I log onto Twitter, Facebook, or Google+ I want to close them down forever and never look back. Like most people social media can be overwhelming at times and darn near annoying when some people use it all wrong.

Mom Bloggers: Have You Mentored a Newbie Today?

Every Tuesday at 11 AM I get a call. At the other end is a mom I mentor each week and it feels great to hear the ring on my iPhone.

Products Mom Bloggers Review (Stats)

I publish statistics I gather about products Mom Bloggers Club members review on their blogs. Over the years over 2300 self-identified mom bloggers have answered my survey. Interestingly this year stats were down across the board from last year which tells me a few things.

5 Ways to Retain Your Readers

Imagine for a moment that you have a hugely popular blog that is read by hundreds of thousands of readers. You provide a constant stream of quality content and add value to your readers’ lives. You are frequently called upon by the media for quotes and you travel around the world because of the influence your blog has created.

Pro Tips to Start Your Own Home Business

Last month Brewer stepped into the world of e-book publishing with the release of Use What You Know: A Business Idea Guide for Moms ($10.00). I loved reading Use What You Know because I am a strong believer in searching to learn something new every day. I used Thanksgiving Day to delve into my comped copy and I was not disappointed.

5 Mags That Improve Your Writing

I am a reader. I admit I don’t read as deliberately and as much as I should, but it is important to me to read interesting articles and make notice of the way various writers use words.

6 Ways to Lose Your Readers

It’s the hectic holiday season and while there are a ton of things to plan, gifts to buy, events to attend and meals to cook don’t let this be the time you lose readers. This is the precise time to dig into your blogging and allow this season to be a springboard to 2012.

Quotes From Notables: Danimezza

For me success isn’t a final destination, it’s the peak points along a continuous journey and I’m happy to say I’ve had a lot of them during my blogging career and hopefully more in my future. I’ve been blogging since 2006, originally to a huge audience consisting of my best friends and my Mum who all lived far away, I thought blogging was brilliant even back then. Now social media, content creation and networking has become my full time job and I feel immeasurably proud that I created this job, out of passion, for myself.

Add a Loyalty Program to Your Blog

A company called PunchTab allows you to incorporate a loyalty program on your blog. Your readers earn points for actions they take from visiting to sharing your content. Currently there are giveaways that PunchTab creates, but if you want to customize a giveaway you can do that, too! How cool is that?

The Power of Perception for Bloggers

No matter if you started blogging four years or four days ago if you want to stand out in the blogging community you can certainly do it. How?

2011 Mom Blog Prediction Comes True

Every January I write down predictions for the coming year. As the year goes on I am usually spot on with my predictions. Yesterday with the acquisition of Babble by Disney I was oh so close!

Regarding Pitches: Deleter or Replier?

Like you I am inundated with emails every single day of the week. I receive everything from pitches to news releases to social media updates to invitations to events that are taking place everywhere but where I live. I can’t keep up! My inbox is a constant source of anxiety for me, but I digress. This post isn’t about organizing my inbox it’s about what you do with the emails that flood in.

Who Are You and Why Are You Here?

Have you ever asked yourself this question: Why do I blog? I mean, have you really asked yourself that question and thought critically about why you pull up to your computer and pen posts?

Why It is Imperative to Buy Your .COM

If you do not own your domain you will not be able to reach your full potential as a blogger!

Quotes from Notables: The BritMums

I was so happy to meet Susanna Scott and Jennifer Howse, founders of the BritMums.com and BritMumsLive.com, when I was in London last month. They are doing great things in the UK with bloggers and brands. It’s always great to meet with them. When I asked Susanna and Jennifer recently what they believe makes a great blogger Susanna said: “Be yourself. Be a part of the community. Be nice. Be edgy.” Jennifer Howze said: I think what makes great bloggers is the impulse to innovate. It’s not always about doing something that’s going to attract a gazillion page views, but focusing on quality, trying new things, blogging with wit and intelligence. And of course every…

Do the Loudest Bloggers Always Win?

I just finished reading an article in Advertising Age, How to Tell If Your Campaign Has Reached a Social Media Flashpoint, that recounted some of the more vocal outrage moments on Twitter that have caused companies to put crises management programs in place. Some of these moments include the recent Ragu debacle and the Pampers Dry Max episode that saw a few thousand moms express rage against P&G over their new diapers.

Traffic Versus Influence

Earlier this week I asked on the Mom Bloggers Club Facebook page whether traffic should determine a blogger’s influence and overwhelmingly the consensus was no. If you take a look at the comments moms believe that a blogger can be influential despite her traffic and I agree with that. Influence can be quantified in many ways – by a blogger’s traffic and readership and her social media following. Mom bloggers can also be influential in traditional media and in her local community. When speaking about online influence one size doesn’t fit all. Influence has to be a whole picture deal. Conventional wisdom tells us the more people read and follow a blogger the more influential…

What is Your Online Mission?

Have you thought about why you write and maintain your blog? Have you ever asked yourself what is your greater mission? Have you given any thought to the goals you’d like to accomplish with your blog? Everything we do must have a solid foundation if we want it to succeed. Too often I start a new blog or web site on the fly and think about its mission later. That works for a while, but then you have to pause and think about the foundation — its mission. So, today I wrote down the mission for Mom Bloggers Club and Mom Blog magazine. What is your blog’s mission? advertisement // Jennifer JamesJennifer James is the…

Consumer Insights for Huge Affiliate Sales

If you are one of the mom bloggers who have successfully figured out how to earn money from affiliate sales you will definitely want to know consumer insights for the holiday season.

Googling “Top Earning Mom Bloggers”

Ever since I started Mom Blog magazine I have been privy to some of the most insightful Google searches about mom bloggers. One of the most searched topics is the top earning mom bloggers, so I want to take this time to tell those who are interested in this subject that you probably won’t find what you’re looking for.

Do You Have a Mundane Mom Blog?

I was going back through some of my old writing and found the following post. Even though it was written about four years ago, it’s amazing how relevant it still is today. A quick jaunt around the blogosphere and you will read the same question asked in a variety of ways: How do I become a better blogger? In truth although this is a simple question to ask it is a little tougher to answer. One tactic that all serious moms who blog must tackle is finding ways to become wholly unique in an ever-growing sea of mom bloggers. Have you ever asked yourself what makes your blog different? Have you pondered creative ways to…

5 Ways to Improve Your Blog for Free

Oftentimes you want to improve your blog by doing a huge overhaul. I have been there and it takes quite a bit of planning and strategizing and even hiring some designers to do the work for you. But there are some ways to improve your blog just by doing small things that really make a difference. Here are 5 steps to improve your blog now and without paying a dime.

6 Steps to Secure Your WordPress Blog

I have used Wordpress exclusively for my blogs for the past three years. Some of my blogs are self-hosted and some are not. I have experienced my fair share of Wordpress tragedies (losing all of my content) and have had some security issues (hacked), yet I wouldn’t use any other blogging platform. You just need to know how to protect your blog. Those experiences have made me more aware of how to secure my blogs. Here are six tips on how to secure your Wordpress blog.

TaskRabbit Taps Christine Koh as Spokesperson

Christine Koh, founder of Boston Mamas, was recently tapped to serve as the Boston spokesperson for TaskRabbit’s new Do More. Live More. Be More campaign. TaskRabbit is a service network for errands and tasks with operations in Boston, LA, San Francisco, New York and Orange County.

Kim Moldofsky interviews Ty Pennington

The Craftsman Experience, a tool lover’s paradise, is celebrating one year of being open in downtown Chicago. They called in well-known home improvement TV star, Ty Pennington of Extreme Makeover Home Edition to host the event. About 200 people came out including Chicago Blogger Kim Moldofsky, who was on hand to interview Ty about home renovations. Kim is in the midst of her own renovation show of sorts. She is no stranger to working with brands. She does it often in her company Mom Impact, which connects brands with mom bloggers. But this time, she is soliciting many different brands for a unique project: to get her home renovated. Ty was the first celebrity guest…

Travel Must-Haves for Mom Bloggers

The other day I sat down with my daughters to figure out where I have traveled this year because I will honestly forget if I don’t have my family to remind me. My final travel list so far looks like this: Neena, WI, LA, San Diego, DC (4x), Orlando (4x), Kenya, Amsterdam, Nashville, Asheville, Charlotte, NYC (2x), Bahamas, and Austin. I know I travel a lot, but I didn’t realize that I had traveled this much already and the year is not nearly over! Looking at my list I decided to share with you products I always travel with that make my life easier when I’m away from home and more productive as a blogger….

Get a Free Mobile Site in a Flash

If you visit Mom Blog magazine on your mobile phone it will look exactly like it does on your desktop. On a tiny device that just won’t do. So, I heard about MobStac.com and decided to great a mobile version for Mom Blog magazine. You can access it at momblogmag.mobstac.com.

Are Mom Bloggers Rabble-Rousers?

I was reading a business-to-business article this morning advising brands to create crisis management plans just in case people attack them through social media channels for their business practices, products, commercials, or whatever else could potentially raise people’s ire.