May 15, 2010

When you hear "Mommy Blogger" what do you think?



     Connie Burke & Lainey Canevaro representing Chevy Missions






I attended an incredible SV MOMS event April 11th at Chicago's Hard Rock Hotel 230 N. Michigan. MJ Tam (Chicagonista.com & SugarMyBowl) along with GM/Chevrolet sponsored an event that was a beacon for social media involved moms.


It was truly spectacular. The forum of bloggers who are moms ( I REALLY don't consider myself a "Mommy Blogger" per se but LOVE the mothers who are), shed light on culpability, monetization, liability, responsibility, branding, content and more!


We were also able to interact and exchange with brands. It was a healthy conglomerate of minds melting down this new phenomenon which is social media.


Being the neophyte that I am (3 yrs blogging!), I was fascinated. Many mothers take issue with reviewing, gifting, and advertisement. I am thankful that they have legitimized blogging. Additionally, many of the mom bloggers in the room, like MJ, Jill Asher and Linsey Krolik, pioneered mom blogging.


Most exciting was being able to speak with brands directly: Stonyfield, Chevy Missions, Yodeling Mamas from Yahoo, Schlage Residential Security, litl, eBay Classifieds, Peapod, Easy Print Design, BitDefender, Powerade Play, Garrett Popcorn Shops, 1800Baskets, Busy Body Books, Tide, Energizer, Hard Rock Hotel Chicago, Cinnabon, IGo, BABIES the movie, The Oprah Store,  and Army of Women.
The display of food and product was appealing and we were fed! That is ALWAYS a plus.
Mingling with Chicago's top social media was of course the best part.
The pre-vendor event consisted of an extremely informative mind melting where we learned about being approached by corporations with pitches to review and or promote their products.
Most moms concurred that the only way to play is though maintenance of integrity. 
Despite regular media's injection of doubt in attempts to discredit our movement, many moms remain committed to our voice and vehemently resounded that our opinions are not for sale - but if you want our opinions, by all means - we are serious business partners who deserve proper compensation.
After all of our often heated but incredible thoughtful conversations, we were released to the brands who really wowed us with futuristic, green-energy-saving products, lots of chocolate, sports drinks and paraphernalia.
We mingled with one another and laughed - and hey, I even cried (I received a huge Starbucks basket from 1800Baskets- and I am a coffee fiend).


Let the naysayers pour out their loudest cries, but be well-advised - we moms are here, we are not "for sale" and we will be a marketing force to be reckoned with!





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