Type-A Mom – Fashion Show Breakfast, Social and Collaborative Blogging

I’m in Asheville, North Carolina for the first annual Type-A Mom Conference, the brainchild of Kelby Carr. I’m going to attempt to liveblog many of the sessions today, but Wi-Fi is really spotty here at the Crowne Plaza, so we’ll see how it goes!

Thanks to WorldWinner for sponsoring me at the Type-A Mom Conference! They rock!

Currently sitting at the Dress Barn Fashion Show Breakfast. We’re waiting for both the breakfast and the fashion show. It looks like breakfast is coming now. Some kind of burrito? Hmm… Let’s see what’s inside. No one else is eating yet, but I’m starving! I’m the chick digging the tomato and sausage out of my tortilla. Egg and cheese is good. Sitting with @MomRN, @Hbhw, @ExtraordMommy, @Savorthethyme, and @GeekMommy. Yay!

Astacia (Mamikaze) said they may need some help with the wireless mics for the sessions later, so we’ll see if I get to be the one who hands the microphone off for audience questions. I don’t think we’re getting a  fashion show now during breakfast, because it’s almost time for a session. Unless someone of the people wandering around and mingling are the Dress Barn models… it just isn’t very obvious and hasn’t been pointed out. We’ll see!

Okay, here’s the fashion show! My pics are not uploading fast enough, but our models include @AnissaMayhew, @mamaspohr, @geekmommy, @cutiebootiecakes, @shash, @pensieverobin, @katjapresnal, @secretagentmama, @spmom, @modernmami, and several other moms where I didn’t catch their names. Trying to get in touch with the folks at Dress Barn for the full list.

I have three out of four stickers for my scavenger hunt card. Jyl from Mom It Forward isn’t here yet, so I can’t hunt her down yet!

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Starting our first session: Social and Collaborative Blogging

Megan Jordan, Jill Asher, Kelby Carr, Ali Worthington, Jennifer James, and Trisha Haas. Talking about the different forms of collaborative blogs as run by the panelists. Some have forums, others  don’t. (Type-A Mom does not have a forum.) Soem of the sites are quite forum-heavy with fewer articles. All of the sites are very interested in connecting with their writers and their readers. Community effort.

Kelby talks about the Ning for Type-A Mom Editors. (Oops, I forget about that a lot. I use Twitter far more often for Type-A business!) Good to hear back real-time feedback from site users.

MomDot wants to help promote individual bloggers as well as their own site. Good for the whole community. Have to specialize – whether it’s going to be a Ning, a site, a magazine, a radio station, etc. Figure out which site format suits you best, and gravitate towards that community. (Type-A Mom is the site that really suits my style, which is why I’m an editor there. Kelby, I swear my articles are coming before the end of the month!)

BlogNosh  asks people to dig through their blog archives and look for literary content that could be republished on their magazine. Not sure where the hookers versus Jesus juxtaposition came from… Got a good laugh though.

Silicon Valley Moms get SEO boost from site blogroll, have been syndicated in national magazines. That’s pretty cool.

Niche is an interesting word. Some panelist say “nitch.” Others say “Neetch.” How do you say it? I say “nitch.”

Discussion about sending readers to individual blogger sites or keeping people on the site to read more. Keeping people coming back makes site owners cool with allowing visitors to click away from the  site. They’ll be back.

Trisha from MomDot says that people don’t have to write very well on her site. If you just want to vent about your mother-in-law or say “YOU SUCK!” to someone, they have a place for you. Other sites on the panel are edited and have higher standards. MomDot allows people to write no matter their skill level. Kelby says that Type-A Mom is somewhere between MomDot and Silicon Valley Moms.

Kelby talks about how hard it is to pay contributors on a collaborative blog, have to make it worth while for writers. She offers AdSense for writers and editors, and sometimes just the prestige in the eyes of public relations is great.

Legal issues. Writers agreements are necessary, otherwise owners are  personally liable for everything posted on the site. Companies can come after you for negative comments. Trademark issues.

There is literary value in blogging. (Amen!)

“There’s not a lot of money in these sites.” She makes no money from Blissfully Domestic. Corporate backed collaborative blogs make it hard to compete on the same level. (Talking about Lifetime Moms, etc.?)

Kelby says that advertisers should invest in social mom blogs in order to reach mom bloggers instead of agonizing about where to spend their ad  dollars. This is how to reach a lot of us, and support the community you want to market to. (Do you hear that, advertisers? We’re good for you!)

“Everybody wants to be the star. But not everyone can be the star. Sometimes we have to be the ensemble.” I love that! I’m part of a great supporting cast!

Marketers: Please be ethical and transparent. Don’t visit a site every day for two months and then come out with a copycat site a few months later. Uncool.

There’s always a place for newbie and popular bloggers on collaborative blogging sites!

Christina Gleason (976 Posts)

That’s me: Christina Gleason. I’m a writer, editor, and disability advocate. I'm a multiply disabled autistic lady doing my best in this world built for abled people. I’m a geek for grammar, fantasy, and casual gaming. I hate vegetables. I cannot reliably speak, so I’ll happily conduct business over email or messaging instead.