One of the terms I hate more than anything is “mommy blogger.” First of all, it’s insulting. Yes, I am a mother who blogs and I tend to mention my family from time to time, however, the fact that blogging mothers don’t get as much respect from the blogosphere at large as, say, political bloggers or social bloggers is absurd. For some reason, there is a misnomer that mothers who blog only write about their kids and how to get their whites whiter. For the record, I manage two blogs of my own – one is a foodie blog and the other is my marketing blog, plus I write for two online magazines, and contribute to two marketing and advertising blogs. Mommy blogger, indeed!

What has set me off on this particular course is an article I read, touting the swag BlogHer attendees took home last week. Once upon a time, advertisers didn’t take us seriously because they thought our blogs were all about our kids and homes, and not especially substantive or relevant. Then, they  came to the realization that women who blog are influencers who build brand loyalty by word-of-mouth. Who are you going to trust – some guy in a suit at an ad agency who tells you that his product is great or a mom in your play group who has actually used the product?

Not Your Mama’s Phone Interview
If you, like me, are still looking for work, you’ve no doubt been through the rigors of what I like to call Phone Interview 2.0. Remember the days when you used to get a call from someone in HR and had a pleasant, but breezy conversation that ended in an appointment for a face-to-face interview? Those days have been replaced by the new breed of phone interview. Click here to learn how to survive it.

Social Media for Competitive Intelligence
One of the things I love about marketing is strategy. While your actions have to be deliberate, you also have to monitor the competition. Thanks to Webbed Marketing’s Bill Baldarraz  for this brilliant article on how to utilize social media when doing reconn.

On my Bookshelf
I may be a little late to the party, but I’m finally on the Seth Godin bandwagon. I’ve just started reading All Marketers are Liars: the Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low-Trust World and I can’t put it down. If you want to master the art of  telling authentic stories, this is the book for you.