Having a baby in the house makes purpose seem that much more important. The second kid also seems to bring with it a new impatience for dealing with things that don’t fit. I think it might be something to do with having less time and wanting to be more productive with the time you do have.
There was a time where figuring out how the mechanics of social media monetization worked was an endlessly interesting puzzle for me. That was how I started writing about the topic of mommyblogging as a business: it was curiosity that drove me more than anything. A few years ago, there was not much information available on how much money mommybloggers were making, or how they were making it. Even now, much of the information that is available is incorrect, incomplete, or misleading. There is still a need for honest reporting of this information. The problem is that it is not a job that will win you friends, and the weight of that can beat you down after a while.
Some time has passed since I first started writing about this stuff. I have seen behind the curtain now, and it’s not as interesting to me anymore. Despite the dubious quality of portions of the business writing available on the mommyblog space, it does give me some measure of solace that there is some type of conversation happening. Even if it’s about the wrong thing and with the wrong numbers, it is more than was happening three years ago.
All that said, I have grown weary of some of the practices, the smoke and mirrors, the straight up hustling that is part of professional mommyblogging. It is no different from any other commercial venture, but for this crucial point: we are supposed to act like it is different. We are supposed to act like it is all about community and the empowerment of women, and this sticks in my craw a bit. It is not about community and the empowerment of women — today it it is about Levi’s Curve ID and tomorrow it will be about Hillshire Farms. Which is completely fine. Just cop to it.
That is EXACTLY what I find distasteful. It’s not the corporate-ness…it’s the attempts to pretend it’s something more noble or important that the stuff people do in cubicles.
The whole blogging endeavour has drifted a very long way from its writing roots, hasn’t it?
What I find interesting is that people thought it wouldn’t happen — that somehow bloggers were gonna write for free, and that corporations weren’t gonna take note when a successful blogger is getting a billion page hits, it might be a new venue for advertising. It was bound to happen. And you blame it on the bloggers? Some advertising is OK, but sponsored posts somehow are not. You’re worried that bloggers won’t stay true to who they are or what their values are. Really? I don’t buy it.
And for some reason bloggers and corporations should disclose what they pay or what a blogger is being paid. Somehow you can’t find this info on the internet or the numbers are off or …or…or. How many of you disclose what your spouse or YOU make on the internet for everyone to read? I didn’t think so.
This is 2012. The internet has changed our lives. Technology is getting better and better. Bloggers / sponsored posts are just one way advertising is gonna change. And really the bottom line is — if you don’t like sponsored post don’t read them, but don’t judge a blogger for trying to make a buck.
Oh Donna, oh Donna…… sorry that song just went through my head.
What I know is this. We ALL judge, call it discernment whatever you want, it’s all the same. Just like you coming here to tell Ms. Judgy mcpants Anna, to not read and you know…judge other bloggers.
What I also know is that I personally don’t read the blogs anymore of people who write sponsored post. Oh I hear about them on forums, but I don’t actually give them clicks any longer. Mommyblogging is not what it once was, a community where people connected, it’s now just a bunch of hustlers trying to sell snake oil, e.g. Levi’s, vacuums, cars, Ikea…e.g. I can’t trust the opinion of some mom bloggers like say, Whoorl anymore who is sponsored by Pantene. She was all about the expensive hair tonics, ones that I buy myself. But now it’s all about Pantene and its awesomeness because they’re paying her for a commercial. I think she seems like a nice enough person, but when I want honest to goodness feedback on hair styling products it’s not going to be her anymore, she’s tainted.
Here’s the thing If I go to the Pantane site or Kimberley Clark who manufacturers it I expect nothing less than them trying to get me to purchase their products, because they ARE a business. They are not under the guise of a MOM.
This seems a little deja vu to me. Like years ago when everyone and their brother was real estate agent. Everyone trying to cash in on the growing bubble and everyone trying to sell something to everyone else. Or maybe this reminds me of Amway, either way I feel a general lack of genuineness amongst these women who write sponsored posts. I don’t feel you can be an honest to goodness momblogger and get paid to write. You’ve become a business, which is an entirely different thing to me. So you want to be a business, GREAT, be a business, but don’t label yourself something that would lend itself to make me think you can relate to me or others as a SAHM. Mind you Donna this is my opinion, where I’ve discerned the actions of the bloggers who write sponsored post. It’s my right, and honestly I think it’s my duty to do so, so that others can have opposing view.
I don’t understand why the business model has evolved into popular/trusted mom blogger writes about a random product on her personal site. Why aren’t they writing about the product on the brand’s site? I just think that makes more sense for both parties. Then there is a clear division between personal journal and writing copy for a client. Advertising on mom blogs doesn’t bother me (I view it like ads in magazines), but sponsored posts make my head hurt.
Laura:
I think they don’t write on the brand site because the brands don’t actually get a whole ton of hits save for people looking to contact corporate to complain/offer ideas. A Mommyblogger has an audience that has identified with a person whereas a business, say Tide, isn’t really a place to form a long term relationship. I’m sure they have forums but there’s only so long that you can talk about “wow! My shirts are so white!” before the conversation is boring and people move on.
It feels like old times, posting a comment on your blog. And I just called my husband from the back of our mansion (old ranch house built in 1965, 1900 sq ft) to look at a cute baby picture because he loves babies and basketball and he said that you sure had a cute one, by the way.
And yes, you can put a dress on a doll, but it isn’t a baby. And you can’t make a personal blog into a sponsored blog without losing your audience. I’ll just come right out and say it. If I read a post about how Blogger A got a free *camera*diva cup*trip to a tropical island*box of detergent*guest room furnished*$500 dinner, nothing positive happens. At BEST, I am not disgusted and jealous. And that is if I like the blogger. Usually it fills me with envy and I feel jealous. Yeah. Imma gonna say it. Jealous. It isn’t going to make me eager to go to Place X or buy Brand X; in fact, last year I did not go to a place for vacation because another blogger got a free trip to this place.
This certainly makes me sound petty and ebil but I really don’t care anymore. Like you, I’m evaluating my life and where I want to go. And I’m tired. Tired of dancing frantically to court clicks. Tired of commenting on blogs hoping that it draws traffic back to my blog (which is currently down half the time and I don’t know why). I am feeling like I gave it a good go, and it isn’t going anywhere that I want it to go, and it’s time to plant roses, or take freelance writing & editing jobs that have been offered to me, and go back to the old days when I wrote to please myself and chronicle my family’s life.
I agree that there is a certain element of distrust. I’m not as likely to feel commonality with someone whom I question if they are blogging only for profit. Or even mostly. It is so against why I do it that I tend to dislike people whose sole goal is to get free things and maybe some money too. I know we disagree with sometimes sponsored posts being okay (I don’t find Moosh’s Hallmark posts annoying for example) But I think its because I find her genuine and liked her before her sponsored posts. Perhaps we just excuse some behaviors from people we like.