The Queen just put up a post that sort of rubbed me the wrong way. I took it as her saying that every mommy blog is it’s own unique brand and worth more than just some freebie products. No, it’s just not true. I subscribe to a good number of mommy blogs that are just posts about the kids birthday parties and pictures of their latest finger painting masterpieces. Sorry, but those blogs are not worth a trip to Disney and money to boot. Honestly there are tens of thousands of mommy blogs out there, and like the mainstream population of blogs, only about 1% of them are worthy of any $$$ besides AdWords (the 1% is my number, nothing formal or scientific).

Even if my blog were noticed by some PR companies, I have a rough idea in my head how much money it would be worth. I’ve worked with & for companies that sought out (non-mommy) bloggers & podcasters for word of mouth advertising, product placement, and sponsorships. I was also one of the very first podcasts EVER to gain independent funding and sponsorship. Professionally, I’ve dealt with people thinking their blog that has 29 readers and continuous whining about their neighbors’ kids & how Steve Jobs is a god will net them $1,000 a month in revenue. Uh. NO.

What I’m afraid of is that a post like Erin’s will get moms starting blogs for the sake of trying to make a buck. “I’m a mom, and therefore a brand, and therefore worth some bucks…” Thinking they can help support their families and be a stay at home mom and pay bills by writing a blog – or maybe score enough free products to support a baby and some free trips to pass off as vacations. I am so, so sorry, but that is not going to happen for the majority of them. The Internet is all fun and shiny and full of hope and promise, but all but a sliver of blogs make money. As far as my blog, I don’t believe that it has as much monetary value as I’d like it to, but that was never the purpose of it. I’d take a trip to Disney (with my FAMILY of course), a new high chair, or a year of diapers. Sometimes freebie items are a stepping stone to other things. But, every mom is not a LLC or an advertising/marketing business guru and knows how to get any farther. Why should they be or NEED to be? And why should they now feel bad for ‘only’ taking some free products in exchange for a blog post. She did do right by me to say that you don’t have to fall all over yourself to show Big Baby Product Company that you are pushing their loot. Be a mom, not a marketer!

Yes, “Lynette Radio” is a brand – but just because of that does not assume it is worth money. It was a brand well before the domain name was registered. I didn’t start this blog to make cash, just to blog & chat on the ‘net. I started blogging over 10 years ago, about my dogs. Now it’s gone from dogs, to weddings, to kids, to business, to hobbies, to socializing, to conferences, to podcasting, and now back to kids. I’ve been the creator of several other brands. I’ve owned several domains, personal and professional. So what I’m saying is that I’ve been around AND business savvy. And I know what this blog is worth.

[tags]mommy bloggers, mommy blog, sahm, Disney, sponsorship, advertising[/tags]