March 21, 2007 1:34 PM
Need input from bloggers and readers
Remember this?
Mommy blogs replacing morning TV
I have an immediate assignment for a national paper on this subject. Anyone want to share with me how the blogosphere has changed your life - either as a blogger or reader?
Any down sides you want to mention?
Comments
I think it was back in 2004 that I happened upon the GirlTalk blog page only a month or so after it was launched. And so began a new phase of my life: checking to see what was posted, linking to other blog pages written by mothers, and beginning to feel less isolated in my task as stay at home mother. Yes, the blog world has been encouraging to me. The comments I received while pregnant with my third child were astounding to me - I hadn't realized that our society views three children as a "lot." The blogs that I read reassure me that I am not crazy to want a large family - I might even be able to stay "hip" and have lots of kids! (I'm from a huge family and I still need the encouragement that there are others out there) I am inspired by what I read - and often try to implement the ideas I've just read about.
But there certainly is an addiction factor - when at home with the kids it's so easy to feel the need for adult conversation, or even just an escape from the mundane. Then I turn to the internet and blogs and get sucked in while ignoring my children and husband's needs. Like any "good" thing, there has to be a limit!
Posted by: ca | March 21, 2007 1:56 PM
Barbara,
Bloggin has helped me move from a mere consumer to a producer.
Rather than simply reading or watching television, or listening to the radio, I'm perpetually thinking about how I could turn what I'm doing into a post.
I find myself much more aware and engaged with life.
Posted by: Dean | March 21, 2007 2:02 PM
The mommy blogosphere has changed my life because of this one thing: the vulnerability factor. Mothers say things on a public journal entry (i.e. a blog) that they either don't have the time to share with other mothers in real life or wouldn't normally dare admit to other mothers in real life. And for this, it's made me feel normal for my failures, my disappointments, my shortcomings, my fears, and my struggles as I have taken on this new role of "mother." I enjoy the entertaining or helpful suggestion type posts, but it's been the honest, transparent posts of either present or past circumstances from other mothers that have helped me understand how to make mistakes gracefully, how to recover from them, how to teach my children about mistakes and recovering and to see the light at the end of the tunnel of it all.
This kind of vulnerability doesn't happen as often in real life in mommy groups, leaving one (me) to wonder if I'm the "only one" going through or circumstance or feeling A, B or C. With the blogosphere, now I know I'm not.
Posted by: Laura | March 21, 2007 3:02 PM
Downsides?!
Only if you call "not getting any housework done" a downside. Because I just haven't figured out how to hang the laptop around my neck so I can read these MomBlogs while I wash dishes! (That's the one advantage of TV...I can hear it even if I am not watching.)
On the other hand, I am totally loving "visiting" with so many interesting, informative, friendly, helpful -- i.e., REAL! -- women and reading what they have to share about their lives.
Housework? Eh. It'll still be there in the afternoon. Good thing my husband doesn't come home for lunch!
P.S.: Our anniversary is coming up...think hubby would get me one of those Screen Readers that read aloud the text shown onscreen via voice synthesis?
Posted by: The Other Elle | March 21, 2007 3:12 PM
What a terrific topic! I'd love to comment!
I'm a relative newcomer to the blogging world, and I can't say enough how happy I am to be a part of it. Previously, in the mornings, I was a big fan of the TODAY SHOW. I used to start my mornings with Katie Couric, and Ann Curry. Those were the two I related the most to; but of course there was Matt and Al, too. What I found very distressing was that I was always reaching for the MUTE button on the TV. There were just so many things that were inappropriate for little ears to hear...everything from the actual content of the show, to the numerous ads for upcoming programming, including shows with sexual violence, and predators, you get the drift.
Now, I've abandonned that moring routine. Instead, I do my blogroll. I can be in touch with women who I feel are friends, I can get the latest news, and I can do it all without the fear that my need to keep up with the world is somehow affecting my three young children.
If you want to talk more about this, feel free to email me at bookworm at centurytel dot net, Jennifer Graf Groneberg. Good luck on your article!
Posted by: jennifergg | March 21, 2007 4:48 PM
I gave up morning TV long ago, but after everyone is off to their respective schools I like to sit down and peruse my daily reads with a steaming cup of coffee. I feel more connected somehow now, having virtual friends with whose lives I have entered at their invitation, perhaps not in the traditional way, but there is a connection nonetheless. Prior to becoming a blogger and a blog reader I felt terribly isolated, having only the Waldorf school community (admittedly a wonderful and warm community) upon which to rely. But since becoming part of the virtual world I have been able to release some of the judgment I was holding about mothers and families that didn't match mine exactly, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to open my eyes a little more and to more fully embrace all the wonderful, warm, and witty women (and men) who are out there hanging their lives out for all to see.
Posted by: karen | March 21, 2007 8:56 PM
Blogging has connected me to so many great women I never would have known before. Plus, I credit my weight-loss blog with my success--57 pounds gone and counting.
Posted by: Mel | March 21, 2007 10:22 PM
Until I encountered Christian mommy blogs, I really didn't realize how fully the Christian faith can and does apply to every corner of my life. I didn't understand the concept of Proverbs 31, or of being a Christian mother, as opposed to a Christian who just happened to have children. I read parenting magazines that taught me all the wrong things, like "me time".
I struggle, of course, like we all do. But I am so much more fulfilled when I put my children and husband first, and no secular parenting magazine ever suggested THAT.
And, yes, there is definitely an addiction factor. There are so many smart people blogging that I love to read!
Posted by: vida | March 21, 2007 10:37 PM
The "blogsphere" has kept me on the computer too much. That's the only down side, but the up side is that it has allowed me to learn more from others without having to go to the library and check out a book or wait for my parenting magazine to arrive.
Posted by: Angie | March 21, 2007 11:46 PM
Blogging has affected me as a writer and as a consumer.
As a writer (mostly marketing, PR, and feature journalism), blogging has helped me grow immensely. I've always struggled with the "write every day" advice because I'm not much of a journaler. I quit my full time job at an ad agency/feature magazine last summer in preparation for mommy-hood, and I'm so thankful I had already established the habit of blogging. Since I'm not writing much for work anymore other than the occasional freelance job, blogging keeps my writer's outlook sharp. By blogging, I keep up the discipline of clear, concise communication. Looking back over the year and a half I've been blogging, I can see a marked improvement in my writing skills and ability. I have found my "voice" as well as increased confidence in presenting myself in writing. And the comments and interaction keep me motiviated, which a writing journal never did.
As a consumer, blogging has put me in touch with a wider variety of news outlets. I can get my news through the filter of a worldview more similar to mine than that which the mainstream media presents. I can also, when I choose, hear from and directly interact with people who have very different worldviews from mine - I can hear "from the horse's mouth" how feminists, liberals, atheists think, again, without distortion from the mainstream media. Blogging allows for a more open exchange of ideas than typical media channels.
Blogging also gives me access to advice on lifestyle choices outside the norm...I can learn from experienced moms - the best experts! - about extended breastfeeding, the logistics of a big family, joyfully choosing life as a full-time wife, and more.
My convictions have been challenged, changed, and shaped by the exposure blogging has given me to many different viewpoints and by the thinking this has made me do. Most notably, I might not have my daughter right now if God had not used many women in the blogosphere to help me consider turning my family planning over to Him.
I am a different person for blogging. I am a BETTER person for blogging! I am thankful for blogging.
Posted by: Becky Miller | March 21, 2007 11:53 PM
Not much blog time left tonight, so let me answer your question about the blogosphere in a word: perspective!
BTW, I very rarely get to tune in to WORD in Pittsburgh, so imagine my surprise when I turned it on today and heard them introduce a guest whose name was familiar to me! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. It was nice to hear the voice that goes with your face and "voice" on this blog.
Posted by: marian | March 22, 2007 12:10 AM
I think it has become a fantastic open door in a world where I was finding it difficult not to be isolated. As a home schooling mum of 4 in the UK I am a rare beast!...I have 4 children...weird... home school...what's that? really weird...and that's before we even get to the Jesus thing! I love, along with the other people who have commented the sense of vulnerability and sharing in the struggle that is life...good and bad struggles. I love learning about and hearing other people's opinions, whether it's the same as mine or if I have never thought about it. Although blogs could be classed as a virtual world they strangely, seem to keep me grounded in real life. The flip side is that it is almost always one way communication....I read their thoughts and feelings but they don't know mine. The only other thing is that there isn't the practical side to the relationship that you get from 'real' life...helping with our kids, coming over for dinner, a real kleenex, sharing a cup of coffee, meals when you or they are sick or having a baby...even, dare I say it disagreeing!
Posted by: Sheryl | March 22, 2007 8:05 AM
Two words: Blog Aggregator! I log onto Bloglines each morning to read "my news" on "my schedule". I subscribe to only those blogs that have a current interest to me...China, adoption, nutrition, homeschooling, cooking, and anything else that informs, encourages, amuses, or inspires!
Posted by: Lisa | March 22, 2007 8:06 AM
Barbara: It is the first thing I do in the morning now. I get on my computer, blog about things that happened the night before or early this morning and I also check my favorite blogs through rss feeds. I have the morning tv shows on but I have to admit I'm not as glued as I use to be.
Posted by: Heather Erbe | March 22, 2007 8:25 AM
i haven't read all the comments, but plan to when i can devote more focused time...
being in england i have no tv other than the children's videos. for 2 years online blogs, articles, or message boards (as well as email from my family) have been my main "learning sphere". it has been wonderful for the most part...no commercials, no onslaughts from annoying commercials or other "trash" shows finding their way into my home because i forgot to turn off the tv or just found myself zoning in front of it. i have learned SO MUCH more about my craft as a Homekeeper in the last two years than i EVER did with tv. instead of taking whatever is avaliable on the tube that i feel applies to me, i can search for exactly what it is i am needing help with be that recipes, research on children's vaccines or the safety of homebirthing, or simply encouragment when ive had a rough day, week, or month.
on the other hand, the downside with having the internet to be such a "close" friend is it has at times, become a fine line away from idoltry. i forget to seek God about problems *first*, or i burn dinner because of an interesting message board debate. i forget the pc can "turn off" just like the tv can. with the tv it was easier as there was far less likely a chance of finding something "good" on, whereas with the internet, there is ALWAYS something relevant for me just a google search away.
bbl,
kristy in england
Posted by: kristy | March 22, 2007 8:52 AM
The neat thing is that I am much more up to date on current events! I skim headline news, but now that I read blogs, I am tipped off to more of the latest. When it is something important, I look it up to verify accuracy, and then I talk with my husband about it-who is surprised that I knew something before he did for a change. It gives us good topics to discuss (along with the children) instead of him telling me that something big happened-and me going and reading about it to catch up.
The down side is the time it takes to read blogs. I don't blog much, but reading blogs takes up precious time. I have learned to balance it by picking only a few favorites and reading other blogs rarely.
Posted by: Honey | March 22, 2007 10:45 AM
I don't even have television anymore. My need to feel connected to the world in some way is handled completaly through online blogs. And it is much better because I can pick and choose what I read.
Posted by: paigeu | March 22, 2007 11:09 AM
downside: when searching for real info on blogs it's hard to find non-editorial posts; but then again, that's what blogging is about right - opinions! I do not watch morning tv, I get all my news online from sources such as AP and CNN and Yahoo News. When I want to know what people think I enjoy going to the blogs I admire and hearing their perspectives rather than listening to the blah blah from newscasters.
Posted by: Kristin | March 22, 2007 11:18 AM
Barbara, mommyblogs have easily replaced morning tv in my life. I find the big 3 morning shows are simply a daily PR machine designed to get me to buy a new makeup, or "the new little black dress" for spring, or to attend a movie premiere. I don't need to spend an hour watching advertisements posing as a talk show.
In contrast, mommyblogs gnerally talk about what matters to me as a mom. I don't need more tips on eyeliner application, I need tips on how to keep my housework under control while I am trying to raise babies into adults. Additionally, as a SAHM, I find I am isolated from friends. Mommyblogs forge a connection for moms and an outlet for adult thought and discourse.
I left some very good friends in the last town I lived in and blogging allows us to keep in touch. Often with toddlers a phone call is impossible and so is the time spent on an e-mail. Yet reading a friend's blog is great way to keep up with the daily events that make up the familarity of good friendship.
Posted by: Imajackson | March 22, 2007 12:21 PM
Downsides? How about how ADDICTING it is? and I can do other things while watching morning TV--feed the baby, do housework, scan the newspaper. NOTHING gets done while I'm online.
Not to mention my husband's attitude: What's so interesting about other people's lives? When did the world stop living life so they could read about people they've never met and have no connection to?
I learn something here and there with reading blogs, but for the most part I've found it to be more of a bad thing in my life than anything. I'm trying to break the addiction, but like anything it's difficult.
Posted by: Emily | March 22, 2007 12:50 PM
As a mother of 4 children under 7 yrs, blogging has changed the way I communicate. What is so cool is that it is not REAL TIME communication. We all know how it is to have a phone conversation with young children near by, right? Too many interuptions. So I avoid the phone altogether.
It has created ways of participating in conversations I could only dream of because I can sit down as time permits, and read or write a post. This inherent flexibility is what I have found life saving at times. Consequentally I feel much less isolated and much more mentally challenged than I would otherwise. It has definitely helped my overall outlook and mental health.
However, I think there should still be a healthy balance between REAL life interactions and blog interactions. My family, church family and friends were the ones who were there when I was 7 months pregnant suffering through a nasty case of shingles and on bedrest (with 3 other youngsters to care for). I have internet friends who reached out during that time, and it was very encouraging. In a way they met my emotional needs, while certain key family members and friends' "physical" presence had a much more significant impact on the physical needs. They both made a difference in my overall outlook going through a crisis.
Posted by: Brandie | March 22, 2007 1:25 PM
In my almost 12 years of being a mom, I have to say that blogging has been the one thing that has had the most external impact in my life.
Blogging is something I can do that fits into my own schedule. It is something that develops personal growth, it's educational, it's social and at the same time I end up with a journalistic record of my day to day activities.
Blogging allows moms to connect almost immediatly with women they find have similar interests or lifestyles. It is rewarding to learn, through blogs, ways to make your day to day easier or more fulfilling. I think most blogging women have no idea the impact they can have on other women's lives just through their blogs. I usually have a handful of blogs I like to check in with everyday and if time permits I like to explore new ones.
One concern about sitting in front of a computer with an endless supply of fascinating material is that it can easily eat into your day, when you need to be doing other things. In moderation, blogging can be a great means of connecting and learning that can enrich various aspects of your life.
Posted by: Kelly | March 22, 2007 4:03 PM
Reading blogs and blogging, for me, hasn't really replaced anything, but added something. I've never done the morning news show-thing...no TV...but have always read the newspaper in the morning. Blogs, instead, help to fill the niche that I imagine neighborhood friendships used to fill. Such as being outside and chatting with a neighbor when they walk by. Now, nearly all the moms on my block work, and those that don't have small families and fill their time with great amounts of volunteer work (Jr. League and the like). Blogs help me remember that there are other moms out there who are more like me than my neighbors. It's for this reason that the comments are almost as interesting to me as the blogs themselves. I blog for nearly the same reason, but also as a way to keep family and friends up-to-date on the happenings in our family. We are also an adoptive family and reading other people's blogs about their experiences with adoption helped prepare me for ours. So, I blog our experiences to help others who will soon be in the same situation.
The downside is the time and the feeling that, "Oh, I'll just read one more". It's kind of like a bag of potato chips. Either you stop when it's reasonable or you go ahead and read and/or comment on "just one(or two or three) more blogs. It may be enjoyable at the time, but afterward you can end up kicking yourself for not stopped when you should have.
Posted by: Elizabeth | March 22, 2007 7:06 PM
I confess to being a mommy blog reader everyday!
It's such a part of my morning routine that I don't event think twice about it. I love to read encouraging articles and hear about real people and their situations which may just in turn help me.
The downside for me - the blog reading tends to take place of my morning Bible reading time and then I have to try to "Cram" it in later. Not a good habit and I'm working on overcoming that.
Posted by: Julie P | March 23, 2007 8:51 AM
I might be too late for article input, but had to leave a comment.
Direct affects of blogging:
Pros (most not possible from Katie,Matt & Al)
*writing inspiration from you! :)
*speaking on blogging at a writers' conference
*exposure to news, events, etc. on my timetable, not the TV station's
*new online friends
*finding, because of a blogpost from over a year ago, an online tool to teach my 10 yr. old about creating computer games
*learning about, and possible starting, on online business
*helping my kids learn to write on their blogs
Cons -
*I'm up at 1:25 am Sunday morning
*the challenge of managing computer time
*the potential for rabbit trails into blogland
The pros definitely outweigh the cons, some of which would be there in other hobbies as well.
Make sure you let us know when & where your articles is published.
(I like the new spam prevention.)
Posted by: Lexie | March 25, 2007 2:30 AM
