When I first started this site, I had no idea that there was this whole movement of “mommy bloggers” out there writing blogs and reviewing products. I actually originally started What’s That Smell? as more of a parenting and work-at-home-mom advice site with a totally different name and not even on a blog platform. I didn’t get much beyond the initial web design when I started to notice blogs and specifically, mom blogs. So I completely changed my focus, came up with a catchy name (whatsthatsmell.com is owned by someone else, though not used) and a “hook” – Accidental Mommies. This all happened near the end of 2007. By April of 2008 we had launched What’s That Smell? and never looked back.
Fast forward to today.
Let’s face it, there are a TON of blogs being started every day, many of them by moms. And while there is an opportunity for all of us to shine in our own way, the real hard part is figuring out what “our own way” actually is. How do I stand out from all the others? What makes me, not better (because EVERYONE has something valuable to share), but memorable?
I “hang” with a particular group of mom bloggers (that is growing every day and it is wonderful) over at Momdot and quite often people ask what they can do to grow their blog, increase their traffic, and attract more PR reps for those interested in reviewing products. The basic origin of this question, though, really needs to be “how do I stand out from the crowd?”
I read an article this morning over at John Chow dot com that I think all mommy bloggers should read. The article is titled “10 Ways For Bloggers To Stand Out From The Crowd” and was written as a guest post by Eric Hamm of Motivate Thyself and Sean Platt of Writer Dad. They are also co-authors of a site called Blogopolis Blueprint.
Go read the article on how to make your blog stand out. I’ll wait…..
Mom blogs are a HUGE herd, and while we should certainly support one another (because probably half our readership is other bloggers – not sure of the statistics) we also need to discover who we are and let it shine through. Just because we are a part of a herd, doesn’t mean each one of us can’t run in front every once in awhile.
About Kim
Thanks for dropping by Eric! I was transferring hosts so I didn’t get a chance to respond sooner. I’ll have to check out MomGrind.com, I don’t think I’ve been there before.
Awesome article Kim!
That was a great article…thanks for sharing! I like your new look! I saw something that said “I’m taking this site down”…I hope I’m mis-reading it…I’m off to find out!
Thanks for the tips! I’ll have to check that article out.
Thank you for pointing that article out! Great job Eric and Sean!
Thanks Kim. I am off to read the article. Have a great Sunday!
Thanks for pointing out the great read Kim. By the way, you are one of the bloggers whose personality shows and who stands out to me.
Also I would like to point out that there are various ways of being a mommy blogger. Just because you are a mother doesn’t mean that you cannot blog about your interest and then tie motherhood to it. Though my blog largely challenges isms, I do occasionally blog about the insanity of raising to high drama sons. What I love about blogging is that it allows us to explore and that is something as women we should really take advantage of especially when we consider how much patriarchy has invested into disciplining us into being “good girls”
That really is a great post, thanks for pointing it out. :)
Hey Kim, I’m really liking your spunk! You seem like you have a passion for life and success and that’s a great mommy blogger combo! :-)
Thanks for mentioning our post, by the way. It’s funny how may ‘post skimmers’ are giving John a big, “Thanks for the great article!” Sean and I were laughing about it earlier today, how it just shows how many bloggers don’t really READ the posts that they comment about.
Anywho, do you know Vered over at MomGrind.com? Just curious. She’s a mommy blogger who seems to be running strong.
I hope to see you over at The Blueprint from now on. It should be a ‘Jaunty’ good time! :-D Eric