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July 30, 2009

The Rise of the Mom Blogger

The Rise of the Mom Blogger

Jill Fehrenbacher

CEO, Founder, Inhabitat

Summary

A lot of hoopla has been written about the rise of the  Mommy Blogger  - a term which isn't super flattering to those of us bloggers

A lot of hoopla has been written about the rise of the Mommy Blogger - a term which isn't super flattering to those of us bloggers who enjoy writing about our experiences with motherhood - but one which has seemed to stick. I think the media fascination with Mombloggers hinges on the fact that social media and blogging in particular are changing the way many people live and work, and nowhere is this more apparent than in successful mombloggers: women who have managed to create the ultimate merger between work and personal life. Whereas motherhood used to mean a very cut-and-dry (and difficult) choice between childrearing and one's career, a new generation of moms are finding that they can have their career cake and eat it too through the power of the weblog.

The rise of moms working behind the screens as bloggers has enabled women to create a discerning niche in cyberspace, enabling them to earn and eat their career cake, while feeding it to a voyeuristic public by the forkful. The genre of mommy blogging is a wide open career space, and anyone with a computer, a kid, and something to say has an opportunity to make a living online. With topics ranging from emotionally raw, honest accounts of motherhood: the insanity, pitfalls, and triumphs, to green living and sustainable design, and top picks of the latest and greatest in mommy wares and kid gear, moms across the globe are logging on to ‘clock in.’ 

Nostalgic reflection of 1950’s era moms summons the mental image of a sweetly smiling, red lipstick and apron wearing young woman in the calm midst of cookie baking, handing her seated husband a scotch on the rocks and single-handedly managing perfectly mannered kids. Years from now, moms of modern day society may be conjured up accordingly: trying to stay centered in a chaotic home office, balancing a baby on one hip, cradling an iPhone between ear and shoulder, and typing on a Macbook. A mere twenty years ago, women had to make the clear cut decision to sever themselves from the workforce and dive exclusively into being a stay at home mom, leaving their career ambitions behind and perhaps closing the door on their creative dreams. Today, women may pursue their work in a relatively risk free zone while still being able to raise their children on the home front.

While some moms make enough money to support their family through blogging efforts, these cases are the exception, not the rule. Often more than a money-making enterprise, blogging and maintaining an online presence has afforded women the golden opportunity of staying in the career game. 

However, as a self professed momblogger, I can attest to the fact that mommyblogging isn't all fun and games. Blogging is addictive and a huge time suck, and the more you do it, the more addictive it becomes. And, of course, every minute you spend blogging is time you are not spending with your children. My husband often calls my blog 'baby number two', because it takes up almost as much time in my life as the baby. That said, I wouldn't trade this career path for the world. I can't imagine doing anything else that would allow me to earn a living while staying home and playing with my baby, and writing about my life. Mom bloggers have professional experience and insight into the most important job on the planet: raising a child. Being able to blog about motherhood and all it inspires is the icing on the cake.