Think you know mummybloggers? Think again

I'VE been reading a bit about how PRs are engaging with bloggers lately and some of the discussion has either been sparked by or led to mentions of a recent trip I shared with six other so-called UK 'mummybloggers' to Walt Disney World.

See this forward thinking post from travel journalist Jeremy Head and this interesting piece by Manchester's Sarah Hartley to see what I mean.

Susanna, from A Modern Mother, recently shared guidance for PRs wanting to contact this group of bloggers and I have been meaning to add my thoughts on her excellent post for a while. The one point I disagreed on was that I write for other people, not for me.

My number one piece of advice? Don't assume anything.* Mums are as diverse as any other group of women. The bloggers with me on our recent trip were:

Laura from Are We Nearly There Yet Mummy - a brilliant writer who has me laughing out loud. A skilful blogger whose posts and comment streams have had me in stitches. An aspiring writer who deserves to be widely read.

Erica from Littlemummy - a committed and enterprising young woman. An inspirational blogger whose passion for learning new things has brought her many benefits. I've worked with lots of aspiring journalists as a trainer and mentor and Erica's nous and passion for new media would put many of them in the shade.

Becky from Englishmum - Her posts get 50+ comments. I think that speaks for itself. Hardly surprising when yet again, they are likely to have you laughing out loud. It's a wonderfully entertaining read. Better than a lot of stuff that's supposed to be funny printed elsewhere.

Alice from DulwichDivorcee - a national newspaper journalist, sub-editor and novelist. Writes like a dream. Just love her stuff. Seriously, check out this post about her unrequited love for a cartoon mouse if you don't believe me.

Jane from Diary of a Desperate Exmoor woman - A force to be reckoned with. A big-hearted cackler! Straight talking with an awe-inspiring turn of phrase. Author of more than 20 books and renowned national feature writer. Exactly the sort of woman you want sitting behind you to make you cry with laughter when you step off Expedition Everest.

Lulu - from Family Affairs - yet another writer of the 'laugh out loud' variety. Wicked company. Has built up lasting friendships through her blog which is read at home and abroad. Modest with yet again, a brilliant sense of humour and writes with searing honesty.

Why am I listing these ladies here? Well because I hate the way the term 'mummyblogger' and some of the discussions centred around it, to me in any case, seem to somehow assume that we all have the same narrow focus of home life. We don't.

I've just been reading Noble Savage's take on a recent BBC programme about working women. It's as intelligent and thought-provoking a post as anything I would read in a broadsheet. Why shouldn't it be? But what makes it better is that she is engaging with her commenters, having a discussion, strengthening a debate.

It's interesting to me that all bar one of the Disney 7 (as Laura called us) were either pretty anti Disney or at best apathetic about it before our trip.

Jane's first post would make even the most hardy PR wince. But since our return, we've blogged, tweeted and Facebooked about it, still laughing, and shared tips and memories from our readers.

This 'ripple' effect must be a PR dream. When I attended JEE Camp, Ross from the Lichfield blog sat down next to me and joined in our conversation, telling me someone he followed on Twitter was a 'mumblogger who'd been invited to Disney. I smiled as Craig McGinty told him: "You're sitting next to her."

But it's a serious point. The message had spread. Lots of contacts have told me they enjoyed my tweets from Disney. Some responded while I was out there - more conversations were unleashed. (I didn't do it that often, honest!)

I've now started a blog, with two more great 'mummy bloggers' Camilla Chafer and Keris Stainton, all about places to go and things to do. Both colleagues are also freelance journalists and I think that's another important point. Three of us on the Disney trip have pitched or written pieces for newspapers about it.

The new blog is called Have a Lovely Time and the thinking behind it is that too often snooty newspapers think we all have bucketloads of cash to spend on activities or that we can all zip off to the South East at a moment's notice.

It's also grating when I read pieces in the mainstream press that tell me I must be 'sick' of my kids so here's a list of 20 things to 'keep them happy.' I'm very happy to spend time with them and try and have a lovely time together, thanks very much.

I love the new blog Experimental Mum, where the family are trying out all sorts of weird and wonderful experiments. That’s' what I call a good read!

Jeremy Head said to me he reckons the 'mummybloggers' could be a force to be reckoned with. Too right. Let's bring it on! Mums are talented writers with great research skills and very often aren't afraid to speak up for what they believe in.

• My second piece of advice? Don't tell me, as one PR did that they are looking for children to take part in a campaign but they don't want ugly ones. Thing is, as a mum, I sort of don't think of kids as ugly. Not ever.

ALSO - whatever you do, don't forget the dads!

Think you know Mummybloggers? Think again

Comments

[SingleParentDad]

Quality post, as always.

And all those wonderful ladies you mention are indeed multifaceted. And I am enjoying reading their top-notch stuff, and interacting on a virtual, and even cake baking, level.

[Tara@Sticky fingers]

Couldn't agree more.
I read and interact with quite a few American parenting bloggers and they are taken so much more seriously over there. I guess we're just one step behind.
But, as I've said on many an occassion, I wish I had discovered 'mummy' bloggers back when I was pregnant with my children because you get far more insightful advice and raw honesty there than any of the books i ever read. And I read LOTS!

[Noble Savage]

I completely agree with you and am glad you pointed that out to any PR people who may be thinking of targetting the 'mummybloggers'. We're an amazingly diverse group and have so many strengths and common bonds but we're not the same. It's important to remember that.

Thank you for your kind compliment as well!

[Jo Beaufoix]

Brilliant post. I think we're beginning to catch up with the US and I have loved finding so many brilliant British Parenting Bloggers out there.

It's an exciting time for UK bloggers, but to be honest I think most of us would be doing this whatever the situation. Maybe that's why our value is being noticed. Because we're honest and open and doing this out of pure enjoyment and personal need most of the time.

[Jane Alexander]

Blush. But yes, I love your point that 'mummy bloggers' are NOT all 'perfect' mothers. I read some of the online guidance for PRs (US) and thought that actually the UK Disney press had been pretty astute - they actually went AGAINST most of the guidelines for our selection but I think that was pretty smart, given they were targetting a UK market. Yes, we were cynical and needed a lot of persuasion - but how much more kudos (as you point out) when you get the grumpiest bloggers on earth to laugh and have a brilliant time.
My blog readers really do think I've gone to the dark side and are seriously concerned about my mental health - but a fair few have admitted that if I can like Disney, they might be able to as well......so potential new clients rather than preaching to the converted. Smart move.

[Kat]

Thank you for saying this. I get approached about ad space all the time or writing endorsements, frankly I am not interested. If the right one came along I might bite; but they are all so poorly written that they just go right into the delete bin.

[Milla]

great blog there. Good points made. The term is indeed off-putting and deterred me from joining the britishmummyblogger thing assuming I'd be too bad-tempered, too diluted a mother to "count" but since I have, and found the company I'm now keeping, I'm converted. As to Disney? Still have a severe reality check in force - adults bopping about with Mickey Mouse costumes on? Exactly.

[Linda]

Thanks for all your replies, really happy to have sparked this reaction. Milla, I think that's another key point of so-called 'mummyblogging' - exploding myths about mums - everyday women who are doing their best not poncy 'supermums' so beloved of columnists - reading the national press can give you a complex, reading other parents' blogs give you a sense of belonging. As to Disney - I've often wondered whether my generously proportioned Winnie the Pooh nightie is erm, quite right, but as it was a present, it'll do! :)

[Milla]

must say that deep down and high on my list (if I'm not mixing notions here) is a greedy desire for freebies, pleasey! Not quite sure, however, who the "real columnists" are aiming at these days. They play the ditzy bit and it doesn't quite convince, and then drag dreary stats in so your eyes glaze over and are so unbearably smug (Rachel Johnson I'm looking at you here) that many are nigh on unreadable. Men, too. Chris Cleave, he of the best-selling "The Other Hand" (NOT as good as the hype leads you to believe, and how familiar is that!) has a column in the Guardian on Saturday which is one of the worst series of pieces I've ever tried to read.

[Alex]

I think the world is slowly coming round to the idea that women use the internet and a lot of marketing and PR companies don't really know what to do about this because they're used to selling stuff to blokes who have been playing computer games and using the internet since they were kids. The idea that articulate, intelligent but perhaps not always tech savvy people are out there is probably scaring them :)

Half the content on the internet seems to be written in what's referred to as "l33tspeak" or text abbreviations, so anybody than can string a sentence together properly is already at an advantage and I for one think that it's time we wrestled the internet off the 12 year olds.

[A Modern Mother]

Absolutely agree. Here's to Mummy power. Watch out.

[Dulwich Divorcee]

Lovely post, Linda, and not just because of the compliments (though thank you, thank you!). I think you and Susanna are two of the very few who have a clear view of where we are all going with this. Clever you.

[Karen Cannard]

Fantastic post. What I love about the mummy blogging network is that it is full of talented writers who are entertaining and have an ability to influence. A force to be reckoned with indeed. Go girls...and boys of course.

[Experimental Mum]

Wow! Thank you for such a fantastic post, I personally related to so many elements of it. Here's to us Web 2.0 Parents!

[Linda]

Thanks again everyone, looking forward to more mess and giggles, Experimental Mum!

[lulu campbell]

Thanks for your lovely comments....can't wait to meet up again Lx

[Liz Jarvis]

Totally agree, Linda - mums really do rock