The social sphere now follows even what music we listen to, so people now know what songs I listen to on Spotify. I’ve noticed a trend on my favorite playlists, though, and I’m not exactly sure what it means – if […]

Finding a Father’s Day gift on a non-existent budget can be quite a challenge, so what’s a kid – or a mom shopping with a kid - to do? The answer might lie in personalizing his phone with ringtones he’ll really […]

I have a friend who has been in need of a cell phone for months. When I got the opportunity to review the Samsung Intercept from Virgin Mobile, she was the first person I thought of – and it was just in time for […]

Session name: Blogger Town Hall Meeting
Speakers: Everyone!

Kelby Carr is talking about transitioning from “Type-A Mom” to “Type-A Parent” to kick off the conversation here at the Blogger Town Hall […]

Closing keynote: The Myth of Doing It All Speaker:  Liz Gumbinner Liz says she’s more of a “Type-B” mom, but she’s happy to be welcomed into our ranks. She has an advertising background. Donny Deutsch was her boss. Then she took some time off, wrote some books, got married, had kids, and started her blog. She and [...]

Session name: The Monetization Power Session Speakers: David Binkowski , Holly Hamann , Maria Bailey , Tonja Deegan Moderator: Kelby Carr Can each of you share what your biggest success story is as far as working with bloggers for pay? Tonja’s firm hasn’t done many paid campaigns. They’ve done a lot of reviews, though. Holly is telling us…[Read more]

Opening keynote: Blog is a Verb: How to Find Your Voice and Write with Intention Speaker: Patti Digh “I’ve been reading a lot on Twitter. I know a lot about you…” She mentioned Ovaltine shots. That was totally my tweet . Hehe. Patti confesses that she doesn’t really know much about the technical part of blogging. She doesn’t know [...]

Session name: Collaboration That Pays Speakers: Letitia Barr , Jessica Rosenburg , Kelly Whalen We’re here to learn how to make money and expand our empires. (Laughter.) Our speakers met at a blogger event organized by a company that wanted to feed hungry children, and they realized that they wanted to continue working together because they…[Read more]

Session name: How to Sell a Blog Speakers: Deb Ng , Wendy Piersall Wendy said she was writing up her presentation for how to find a broker to sell blogs – and she ended up selling a blog to someone she was getting advice from! Why Sell Your Blog? No time Not feeling it anymore A good offer Moving in a different direction Building to sell [...]

Session name: Integrated Social Media Marketing Campaigns Speaker: Janice Croce “Of all the things that have impacted the success of 5 Minutes for Mom , the biggest thing that has impacted our monetization has been integrated marketing campaign.” She and Susan also own two eCommerce stores. Social Media is evolution on speed. Change is critical…[Read more]

Session name: Leveraging Your Social Capital to Earn Through eCommerce Speakers: Lisa Lehmann , Sherry Aikens I’m here so I can help my friend Jillian build her new business Whatchamagifts, which is all about personalized gifts and handmade cards. (She makes beautiful things!) I missed the first minute or so because I had to switch rooms, but I…[Read more]

Session name: Transitioning from Blogger to Social Media Consultant Speakers: Sarah Pinnix , Amanda Henson We got the following card before we got started: As a blogger without a marketing or PR degree, you need to find ways to build knowledge to present relevant marketing plans to businesses, with you enough “out of the box” creativity for…[Read more]

I don’t blog about it much, but I do tweet about it: my struggle with depression. It first manifested itself as anxiety and panic attacks… We’re coming up on the 10th anniversary of my first mental health episode – September 11, 2001. Yeah, I thought you’d recognize the date. Aside from the shock and horror of [...]

When you think of holiday gifts, interior paint may not be the first thing that comes to mind. But if you’re someone like me who has a laundry room (or bedroom or unfinished basement…) that’s in serious need of an overhaul, a few gallons of paint could be a very welcome present - and possibly the motivation the [...]

Mother’s Day is a great day for celebrating, and I had the opportunity to review the Yankee Doodle Dandy E-Z Balloon Kit from Creative Balloons Mfg. Inc. – which is great for celebrations of all kinds! Who wouldn’t love to be able to blow up their own balloons – for parties or just because? When the E-Z [...]

Are you a mom who blogs? I’m sure that, by now, you’ve heard of the now-infamous New York Times article written about Bloggy Boot Camp. You know, the one with the condescending tone that slammed mommy bloggers across the board – even though the author herself identified as a mom who blogs. The article poo-poos the conference attendees [...]